Mesquite Campground — Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Traveling from KY to AZ. 36 foot fifth wheel, tow vehicle and second car. Stopped here for 2 nights. Site 85. 50/30/20A and water. No sewer, but 2 dump stations in park. After backing in (very easy) realized it can be used as a pull through entering in front of site 87. Very roomy site. Covered picnic table and fire ring/grill. Didn't use restrooms or showers, but they were clean. Most of site is red dirt, but parked on asphalt and picnic table is on concrete pad. Close to level. If you've never been here, the Mesquite camp area is like 5 or 6 miles past the park entrance gate. Steep grade into canyon and curvy road. Now for the experience. Although some would complain about some things in this park we were able to overlook any problems (we had none anyway) because it was so beautiful. This is the nicest park we've been to in several years. Great scenery, trails everywhere and wildlife. We saw mule deer, roadrunners, rabbits, turkey, lizards, huge centipede, longhorns and lots of birds. Sat at bird viewing station behind the tradepost for a while and saw many different birds. It was hot during the day and cool at night in September. Would definitely stay again. If ess are listed they will include fees for 3 vehicles.

Mesquite CG Dash Paul Duro: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 5 this is a spectacular Campground. Every site has a view. My favorite sites are listed below. But all sites have the advantage of a view of beautiful geology surrounding the campground. I would say this is the best campground in the park. Price 2023: $ w interagency pass Security: a Park entrance Usage during visit: 70% Site Privacy: varies. Where privacy lax, the view compensates Site Spacing: good., Most Site surface: soil surface Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Pretty quiet Outside Road Noise: sites near the park Through Traffic in campground: no Electric Hookup: yes Sewer Hookup: no Dump Station: available Potable Water Available: out sites Bathroom: flush toilets Showers: yes Pull Throughs: there are Cell Service (AT&T): two Setting: alongside beautiful red Cliffs Recent Weather: 30 to 70s Insects: none Host: I did not see one at the campground. They are around. Rig Size: there are large Riggs here. Sites: 96, 94,92 90 89, 88,87 81, 79, 78,77

An oasis in desolate west Texas. Amazing views and world class hiking and mountain biking. The Trading Post has food (burgers, fries and ice cream) and souvenirs as well as basic camping gear and supplies in case you forgot something. This is the home to the Texas outdoor musical if your into that sort of thing. Due to the low humidity you’ll find some of the best star gazing in the world here. It does get hot in the summer so bring plenty of water and sunscreen but it cools off nicely after the sun goes down. As of the time of this review it was 101 degrees for a high with a low of 65 tonight. Th RV campsites are water and electric only. If you RV camp at Mesquite or Juniper campground be aware that it is a looooong way to the dump stations if you’re using a portable dump tank. Overall, this is possibly the best state park in Texas. You’ll find plenty of attractions nearby like Cadillac Ranch and the Big Texan in Amarillo. We absolutely love this campground and highly recommend it all year-round!

This state park is spacey and camp sites are well thought out. Each loop (containing water and electro hook ups) has a bath house with clean restrooms and hot showers.

Your space is clean and ready to be occupied. The electric and water hookup was about 50ft from my setup, but still convenient for me. My space (#Mesquite 85) was perfect for solo travel. My neighbors were far enough away for me to say hello and still have my privacy.

I was close to trails (unmarked) and my space also had a picnic table with shade.

Showers were clean and very HOT! Great for cleaning after a few days walking around dirt.

If you plan to arrive late, then plan to check in the next day. However, you just do so in person. The reason for the four stars is because I was unaware of this information and my roof top tent setup was already set in place when I found out. I arrived a few minutes before park closure but a sign that read “…left for the day due to short staff” was displayed so I proceeded to my site which was a few miles from the check in center.

The next morning, the park host went around the loop checking for permits. Well, in my tent, I watched her approach my neighbor and handed them their permit. About 20 minutes later she noticed me on her way out and asked me for mine, when I explained that I arrived after the center was closed for the day she called to the front and they wanted me to check in, in person.

I wasn’t about to do that, in fact, I was prepared to pack up and leave if I needed to pack and drive a few miles just to check in, and drive back to enjoy one more night of stay—it wasn’t worth it.

I wish they would have a system set for those who reserve online and own a park pass, maybe a printable permit option or something.

However, the park itself is quiet and spacious and clean.

I will return, and will be sure to arrive earlier in the day.

We stayed in Palo Duro Canyon in late October 2020. The canyon is beautiful, with numerous hiking trails and places to take in the natural beauty. The sites are huge and generally level with power & water but no sewer. It's worth mentioning that the campground itself is at the end of a dead-end road IN the canyon, with the only access being the aforementioned dead-end road. The road descends into the canyon from the rim and has a number of steep sections and very tight turns. Unfortunately for us our stay coincided with a major winter storm that resulted in a LOT of ice overnight. The road out of the canyon was so bad that the park rangers had to close it to prevent someone from having a catastrophic accident. We were fortunate to climb out of the canyon at 3PM on the afternoon of our check-out day after the sun had a chance to melt some of the ice and make the road passable. I would not recommend descending into the canyon if there's any chance of winter precipitation after our experience.

Mesquite Campground 88 

Came to Palo Duro several times as a kid and young adult. Probably almost 20 years since my last visit. Plenty is still the same, but lots of updates, too. Well maintained. 

Currently they are limiting access, so be sure to make sure you have reservations or check that the COVID restrictions are listed. There is a fire ban at this time, too, but propane stoves and grills are allowed. 

We stayed in the Mesquite Camprground. Nice pad sites, each with a picnic table under a roof. Sites also have electricity and water. Restroom and shower facilities. We didn’t have hot water for the shower, but the facility was clean. Our spot was the far end from the restrooms, but it was an easy walk. Sites are well spaced with decent privacy. Spot number 88 was great, with picturesque views. 

Very quiet. Well nature had a symphony going on, but no manmade noise. 

Mesquite campground is on the far end of the park and the drive in is great. Plenty to see and tons of trails. Very dark and we hear the star gazing is remarkable from this campground. Unfortunately for us, the night was partly cloudy and hazy from the western fires. I’ll take the haze over the fires, though, so no complaints and prayers for those really affected by the fires. 

Nice gift shop and interpretive center (bit dated, but its not like the info is outdated). Trading post offeres groceries, gasoline and firewood(when not banned) according to their sign. We didn’t stop. 

No Verizon service in the canyon, but good data at park entrance and free guest wifi near the entrance and visitor center. 

Great experience. Would definitely recommend and will return.

Myself and 3 friends took a backpacking/camping road trip. We are from Houston to Utah, so Palo Duro was a good halfway point. The views are spectacular, we didn’t have time to do any hiking. All of the hikes don’t seem to be very long, but considering how hot it gets in Texas, maybe this is a good thing. The first camp ground we stayed in was called fortress cliff, I wasn’t super impressed with this camp ground, but don’t be discouraged, because they do have campsites with great views. They were working on the showers during our stay, so we couldn’t shower while we were there. Also we couldn’t find a place to do dishes which was annoying, but that seems to be a hit or miss with a lot of parks. On our way back we stayed in the cow cabins, we were too beat from our trip to set up camp anymore. These historical cabins were sooooo cute with a great view. The amenities were meek at cow cabins, but for $60 bucks split 4 ways it was totally worth it. Note that cow cabin doesn’t have, bathrooms, kitchen, bed linens, it does however have a/c, beds, electricity, small fridge, microwave, table and chairs indoor fire place, outdoor picnic table, outside fire pit/grill ( ask if burn ban is in effect) and outdoor water faucet. We had cabin 4, the ranger told us we had the best cabin out of the cow cabins. We drove past mesquite camp ground and this spot looks super legit, we were very jealous and wished the first night we camped was at this camp ground. Not only are the camp sites more spaced out here, but they are closer to the bathrooms and have great views. The photo is of mesquite camp ground.