Best Equestrian Camping near McClellan Creek National Grassland

Equestrian: at Paul Duro, State, Park (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good

(71 yr olds in 17’ trailer.)

Overall Rating: 3.5 this is a nice secluded area campsites do not seem that well defined to me. I don’t believe there are any restrooms here. A nice looking equestrian area (see pictures below) with water available for horses. Since I’m not an equestrian guy, check with visitor center for specifics. Looks pretty god, but I’d wish for bathrooms on site. Security: at park entrance Usage during visit: empty Site Privacy: no Site surface: dirt Reservations: Yes Outside Road Noise: not noticeable Through Traffic in campground: no Electric Hookup: no Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: available down the road Potable Water Available: yes Bathroom: no down the road Showers: down the road Pull Throughs: yes Cell Service (AT&T): one bar Setting: open in Area West Canyon walls on both Recent Weather: 30 to 70s Solar: definitely Insects: none Host: not on site Rig Size: large rigs can fit Sites: there are no site numbers

Great spot for horse lovers! The facilities are basic but perfect for a fun camping experience with your horses. Just remember to book in advance!

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The Fortress Cliff Camp Area is a great location to camp because of its convenience to many of the best hiking trails in the park. It's a popular campground, and there's no tree coverage but most sites have a covered picnic table to hide from the sun.

Palo Duro Canyon is a fantastic place to hike, mountain bike, and ride horses. Horse rentals are available in the park, or you can bring your own. Some of the trails are challenging physically, but the views are a great reward. Also, depending on the time of day, the sun can be brutal and plenty of water as well as sunscreen and protective clothing are necessary.

The Lighthouse Trail is a wonderful hike to do at sunset, but be sure to bring a headlamp and a trail map.

We didn’t know what to expect with this campground. Wow! Were we pleasantly surprised. Campgrounds have water and electric hook-up. Sites are fairly secluded, have covered picnic area and trill plus fire site.

Hiking and mountain bike trails. On-site horse rentals. Picnic tables & grills under immense cottonwood trees. Interpretive Center & Gift Shop with history, geology, & wildlife exhibits.

Highly recommend!

Some of this park feels like Utah. Absolutely beautiful area, wildlife. Lots of Native American history here too. Didn’t seem crowded when I was there (May). Lots of great hiking trails and I saw a lot of people on horses in the area. Most sites are standard basic state park facilities, clean and well-cared for. I always like the most primitive camp sites I can find, but there are beautiful stone cabins (modern interiors) for rent here.

Love love love this park. So very stunning from every angle.

Great campsite. We had some major trails running directly behind our specific site which made late nights and early morning walkabouts so easy! We also had wild turkey walk throughout our site and found a snake skin beside the RV. Sites also had grill, and a picnic table with a cover for sun.

Electric and water hookup, fine bathrooms with showers that had hot water. ATT was spotty but kind of worked-Verizon was nonexistent.

The park is STUNNING. Every hike is worth it. Every vista every viewpoint.. incredible. Lots of mountain bikers and a few horse riders.

Literally only minus was that the water was really chlorine-y. But hey, I’ll take any potable water over no hookup!

What a surprise this place is! The land around Amarillo is flat as a pancake. But head a few miles south and Palo Duro Canyon opens up vistas that rival the Grand Canyon in Arizona. There are many foot and horse trails that offer a close look at the multicolored canyon walls.

There are several campgrounds on the canyon floor. I stayed at Fortress Cliff Camp Area. Each site has a paved picnic table space with an awning - very important here. It gets hot and the sun is relentless. The spaces are of generous size. I could have easily pitched four or five more tents. The ground is great for driving stakes, too. They go in easy but they hold fast.

There are water spigots at Fortress Cliff, but only porta potties (reasonably clean when I visited). For a real bathroom with flushing toilets, showers, and hot and cold running water that can run continuously, head down the road to Mesquite Camp Area. This campground is geared for RVs, which typically have their own bathroom facilities. Wonder why they built a nice bathroom here and not at Fortress Cliff? Hmmm.

Aside from the heat (about 104 °F when I arrived in June), the main downside here is the flies. They bite. Through clothing. Hard to stay in one place very long when the flies are after you.

I wanted to love this location, I really honestly did and it was beautiful. The drive into Palo Duro canyon was beautiful. At the front gate area off to the left were several long horn cattle. Those from TX might not be in awe about this, but for this Yankee girl, I was in shock.

The roads were well maintained, there were several pull off areas and hiking trail heads. They offer campsites for those with horses as well.

We ended up in Mesquite campground which offers water, electricity/plug in, and clean bath houses that were maintained and well stocked.

The sites are a decent size so you are not stacked upon each other. They have a pergola covering your picnic table. So yes supplies a bit of shade. Sadly ours was in disrepair, had several broken beams and being held together with tie wraps.

Quite a few wildlife sightings. My first view of a Roadrunner. Again maybe not exciting for those that see them often but I was thrilled. Wild Turkey that strolled through the campground as well.

Now on to the biggest issue and one that was a deal breaker for many campers. Like many pulled in, stayed about 20 mins and packed up and left. Others were spraying down their campers with bug spray. What was the issue? swarms and swarms of black flies. Now I'm not a sissy when it comes to bugs and flies. But this was beyond stupid. It was literally insane! You couldn't take a bite of your meal or take a sip of your drink without fanning them away. If you didn't you were guaranteed to ingest several black flies. I don't know if it was the time of year (Oct) or if this is an issue year round but it is a deal breaker of me going back to visit. Yes, we toughed it out and fanned each other while we tried to eat. Built a fire and by night time it seemed the swarms went to bed as well. But bright and early in the AM they were back. I honestly think we picked those black flies out of our vehicle all the way back to SC. Hell, there might still be some of those dead flying critters in my pack :P

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Amarillo Texas boosts where the Comanche Indians lived Where Coronado traveled and where John Goodnight brought in Cattle ...full of history and great views, Including Observation Point Los Cedros Ranch and ofcourse the famous play "TEXAS"..a must see for history buffs. Plenty of campsites and you can call ahead for reservations Check out their web site..you won't be sorry!

A true gem of a park in Texas. Hard to reserve sites, but worth planning for. HOT in the summer.

We love camping at Palo Duro Canyon State Park. This is the second largest canyon in the U.S. It’s 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep. It’s so beautiful that you swear you are on a Disney Wild West set and this is make believe.  It’s awesome cause you can camp at the bottom of the canyons near all these great red cliffs.  There are some epic mountain bike trails here thru Juniper and Mesquite trees.  If you’re looking for other entertainment besides just camping or bike riding there was also a Texas Hoe-Down BBQ, a Texas musical and an interpretive night hike along the canyon floor with flashlights.  Flush toilets and showers are available.

This place is indelibly tied to the history of Texas, and a genuinely gorgeous place to camp. Be careful taking the hairpin road down to the campground at night!

This is a pretty big state Park located in the Panhandle of Texas. It is sometimes referred to as a mini Grand Canyon.

There are plenty of trails for horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking. You should check out the Lighthouse Trail while you are there.

The "primitive" campsites include a picnic table, running water, and fire pit. If you want to get away from others I highly suggest backcountry camping.

There is a guided tour of the Old West Stables, that is perfect for the whole family. Also, the Pioneer Amphitheater host the play TEXAS, which is a must see if you are in the area.

I would also recommend going to the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum just 15 minutes West of the park.

Wow, Palo Duro Canyon sounds like a dream outdoor getaway! Can't wait to explore the trails and catch a TEXAS Outdoor Musical. Any hidden gems you recommend checking out? unscramble words

For most people, it is a long drive to this park. The Palo Euro Canyon State Park is located in the Texas Panhandle. From Central Texas it is a 8-9 hour drive. The long drive is worth it. When you arrive at the park you feel like you’ve arrived to someplace special. The park is a typical Texas State Park with a number of reservable developed campsites with a table, water, electricity and restrooms nearby. There are also some basic sites without water and electricity. And of course there is primitive camping. Since we had a long drive we stayed one of the developed campsites for the first night. For the remaining days we hiked into the canyon and camped primitive. While there is a small creek that runs through the canyon, we did not use the water. There is cattle grazing throughout the park and it is rumored that the creek is both a water hole for the cattle and a toilet. We were planning an in and out hike, so we carried a couple extra gallons of water in, stashed them near a tree, then relocated and used them on the way out. The park has some really cool rock formations, cliffs and orange soil. This weather can by dry and hot in the summer, so early spring and late fall are probably the preferable time to visit.

I certainly understand why they call it the “Grand Canyon of Texas”! This is an absolutely stunning place with rustic camping and great hiking trails. We did The Lighthouse Trail all the way to the top and it was stunning. There’s a Trading Post inside the park with groceries, firewood, and souvenirs, they also make a great burger!

Read some reviews where they stated they didn't unhook their toad upon heading to the canyon. Well I'm glad we did, being from Florida we don't have drops like this. What a drive. Loved our site, very wooded. Not much if any cell service as you are down in a canyon. This is a must stay if you're in the panhandle of Texas.

What an incredible entrance! We unhooked our toad before heading into the canyon, and I'm glad we did. The drive was stunning, especially for us Floridians not used to such drops. Our site was beautifully wooded, though cell service was minimal down in the canyon love tester online. Definitely a must-visit if you're in the Texas panhandle.

Red sand everywhere! The color is truly amazing! The wind storms in the spring are something truly amazing in a whole different way. lol You will find sand in places you did not know existed! The hiking trails are well maintained and are very enjoyable to walk along. The campsites are nicely spaced and have big picnic tables.

Canyon, the small town right outside of the Canyon, is a lovely town with some cool bars and restaurants. It also has Walmart, so if you end up needing anything you can take a quick 20 minute drive into town.

I've been twice now and every time is better then the last! The location is great for visiting near by towns/cities in the pan handle of Texas.

I look forward to going back and camping there!

We camped one night here on our way to Colorado over Labor Day weekend and I’m SO glad we did! We stayed at the tent only campground, Cactus Camp, and it was perfect - short walk or quick drive to the Mesquite camp bathrooms & showers. It was hot during the day of course but for the beginning of September, it was surprisingly cool and comfortable at night! The stars at night, were big and bright... We hiked Rock Garden just before sunset and woke up at 5:30am to hike the Lighthouse Trail for sunrise (highly recommend getting an early start for coolers temps and an awesome sunrise at the lighthouse!). If you’re visiting Texas or have lived here your whole life, this is a bucket list state park! Go ahead and add it to yours :)

I first visited Palo Duro State Park in January of 1980. My wife, dog and I were driving from Virginia to California and planned on spending the night in Amarillo ,TX. We happened upon Palo Duro SP and drove through the park. It was fantastic and I've always wanted to go back and spend some time there. Well, it finally happened in October 2021. I spent 4 nights in the park and had beautiful weather, opportunities for many photos and reconnected with nature. The campsites are very nice- spaced out, large and mine as did most have many trees for shade. I was in the Hackberry loop. The park employees were very helpful and friendly. The bathroom facilities were extremely clean and have been updated. Plenty of trails for hiking and bike riding and the photo ops were fantastic. So far, my favorite Texas State Park.

We stayed here for 2 nights in early May 2019. We stayed in the Hackberry campground. The park was completely full, and we grabbed the last spot 30 ft spot available. This park is beautiful, and I can see where it gets it name “ The Grand Canyon of Texas”. They had some rain recently when we there so everything was green and beautiful against the canyon walls. We didn’t have much time since we were only able to stay two nights, but I feel we were able to explore enough in those two days. I would recommend doing to the hike to Lighthouse Rock. 2.7 miles one-way and then when you get there, it’s about another .4 hike up to the area where you can see it. I would also recommend you go to the Big Cave. Very short walk for that and neat. The park has a 10% grade and all campgrounds are at the bottom of the canyon. We had no trouble in our 30 ft travel trailer with our Ram 2500. The visitor center had a disappointing selection of souvenirs but go there for the view. We stayed on site #2 in Hackberry which was 30 ft long. We had no trouble getting in and had enough room to park the truck in front of the trailer (at an angle). Site was level as well. We had no cell service at all without a booster. With a booster, we had no Verizon, but enough AT&T to use internet. We were even able to stream Game of Thrones one evening. The park was quiet at night. I would have liked to have stayed maybe one more night to explore more, but two days worked for us. Nothing around the park as far as services, so bring what you need. There is a store at the park that has a few essentials at a high cost. Overall, I was a great stay and we would stay again. $24 price reflects camping only. There is also a $8/person day use fee if you do not have a Texas State Park pass.

Wonderful huge park with an abundance of wildlife. Horseback riding, hiking, bike trails, glancing and more.

There were sooo many stars. People were turning their lights off and just looking at the starts. Very pretty. Especially when the coyotes starting talking back and forth. We hiked the plateaus behind our site and that was fun. Water and electric (30a) was available. Very level dirt site. Picnic table and shelter at every site. Pretty cool. Fire ring, but fires were banned when we were there. Full sun and very windy, but not horrible. Miltiple dump stations and trash dumpsters. Hairpin turns and 10% grade going in and out of the campground area. Long rigs could really have issues. We’re a Class B so it wasn’t bad at all. No Verizon coverage, but Sprint could text only

Words can’t describe the beauty of Palo Duro Canyon State Park. This review is for the Hackberry Campground in the park. Sites are well spaced. Park is clean and well maintained. Lots of wildlife walking through the area, deer and turkey. Tons of hiking trails. Am Interpretive Learning Center and Amphitheater are near by. This is the second largest-canyon in the country. You’ll need a car to see everything. We had a great time here! Be advised cell service at the campground is almost non-existent. You are at the base of the canyon. You can pickup tv with an antenna.

The campground was nice and the bathrooms were very accessible. The showers are free, which are always a plus. However, the toilets did not have very much pressure and they seemed to be clogged most of the time. There is a nice trail behind most of the campsites that goes along a creek. Overall, definitely a nice campground and we plan on coming back soon. B

Hidden south of Amarillo is this lovely canyon that few know about!  It is second in size only to the Grand Canyon and is very unlike the plains above it. Nice campsites, shower/toilet facilities a bit old and buggy as Hackberry is an older part of the park.  Wolfberry and Juniper campgrounds in the park have newer, beautiful facilities. Sites are a nice size and there are a lot of trees between them.  Lots to see and do if you're into nature and hiking and bird watching.  Also saw wild turkey and a yellow snake. Rock formations and cliffs are awesome.  June was very hot.