Welcome back. The main attraction of Caprock Canyon is the canyon itself. It is very picturesque, but once again we were plagued with dull, empty skies. No clouds to be found today. At least we weren’t doing any long hikes this time!

The rugged landscape makes one think of the stories we used to read in history books in school, about the explorers that were first scoping out this land from Europe. What must it have been like seeing all of this!

The park is the third largest state park in Texas covering a little over 15,000 acres. The geology of the area is very unique. “The park sits along the Caprock Escarpment, a long, narrow rocky formation as high as 1,000 feet. The escarpment is a natural transition between the flat, high plains of the Llano Estacado to the west and the lower Rolling Plains to the east.”(TDPW Website)

We drove around the park a bit, checking out several overlooks and were able to see the canyon from several different locations. Each stop provided a slightly different sight of what the canyon offers.

At one overlook I was able to take a nice panorama that covered about 180 degrees. This landscape really takes you in.

A friend who grew up in the area commented that it is very rare to see this much green in the canyons. Makes us wonder what this landscape would look like in a “normal” year. This normally arid landscape has had a record amount of rainfall this year.

Spanish explorers began going through this area in the 16th century. Imagine if you will, traveling with a large contingent of men across the plains when suddenly you come up to a very large ditch which you have to figure out how to cross with all your equipment, men, and animals. This would have been the situation with the exploders as they approached this area. According to the TDPW website:

Spanish explorer Francisco Vázquez de Coronado crossed these plains in 1541. Spanish colonies in New Mexico appeared around 1600. Trade between Plains Indians and New Mexicans gradually grew.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/caprock-canyons/park_history

If ever you are in the area, the vistas are worth the effort to stop and check out. This park really deserves more time than we had to offer this trip, so if you go, plan at least a couple of days here.

Next time, we’ll share the cutest members of this park, the prairie dogs.

Until then,

Michael & Karen

All words and photos copyright 2023 M Hampton Photography