Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Quitaque, TX

While there is no camping anywhere in the park, it does have a lot of recreational things happening in all corners. The “lake” is part of a larger controlled water way that is part of Lubbock Lake Park complex. The main entrance off of Broadway Ave is poorly maintained by the city (like many others around LBK) but once inside there are a multitude of things to do.

• Frisbee golf. A very large and meandering course through trees, grass, bridges and a floating island, it plays host to tournaments often.

• Canyon Run Dog Park. Do happy the city finally made this happen. Two sides of the same fenced area equal more than 5 acres of well maintained doggy play area. Huge old Oaks provide plenty of shelter with benches scattered about.

• Fishing galore in the lake. Busy all day long and stocked frequently. 4th of July fishing derby packs the lake.

• Joyland. A dated but busy amusement park is open late spring through mid fall.

• Scattered trails with signs giving length and direction can be found often through large trees areas and open grass areas.

• Baseball, softball, golf and a Prairie Dog Town can be found in the N and NE corners.

Wild Horse Campground Spot 74 

I showed up at the welcome center with a reservation for primitive camping, not realizing the only spot to set up my RTT would be the parking lot. A nice lady working the desk, slide me into a spot that had cancelled earlier that day at the Wild Horse Campground. 

Wild Horse is the equestrian camp and each spot has horse pens, picnic table, fire ring(though burn ban was in effect while we stayed) and water. No restrooms. The campground is behind a drive through gate that you have to close to keep the buffalo out. 

Only one slot had horses while we were there. Several had mountain bikers staying in them. Everyone besides us and the horse folks were in ground tents. Plenty of room for us and the horse trailer setup didn’t look too cramped either. Slots are well spaced out, but not much privacy– see tree comment below. 

Not much shade to be had except what little you get from scrubby mesquites, but if you are looking for lots of shade, this probably isn’t the park for you. The park itself is great. Easy to get around. Lots of well-marked trails. Bring water and what for snakes. Gorgeous canyon views and features. 

Very quiet after sundown.

Quitaque(kitty-quay) is a couple of miles from the main entrance and has a convenience store, a grocery store and a couple of cafes. We drove ten miles further to Turkey, Texas for dinner– very cool setup at Hotel Turkey. Good food, good music and fun casual outdoor atmosphere. Be sure to check their website for hours. Speaking of website, we had no service on Verizon cellular except very slow spotty connections from 10 pm to 7 am. Service in Quitaque and Turkey was very spotty and very slow. 

Definitely glad we stopped here. Wouldn’t hesitate to do so again.

• Burn Ban in Effect - No firewood or charcoal - Only Propane
• Night sky is awesome
• If you are expecting shade…forget it
• Bison roam free and they are bigger than you
• Horse flies are everywhere and according to my wife they do like gray leggings
• Watch out for critters, large and small
• Watch where you step..land mines (Bison poop is everywhere)
• Fishing at Lake Theo - No license needed
• Really nice park store
• Ranger led Bat Tours in the summer

We went with some friends who also pulled their camper. We picked Sites #22 and #24 because they were connected and the kids could roam between the two sites. The park has a lot of wildlife…in addition to the Bison and the Prairie Dogs we saw Road Runners, Jack Rabbits, Horned Lizards. If you are a first time visitor going hiking in the summer, plan and heed the warnings of the park rangers. The park has very limited cell service (AT&T works better than Verizon) and canyon floor is much warmer than up top. We hiked early in the mornings and the kids were awed by the red rock and the quartz. After sunset it is very comfortable outside and the night sky will leave you breathless. Quitaque is the closest town 3 miles away and has a gas station. Amarillo is a hour away and we went for a day trip taking TX 207 N through Mackenzie Lake. It is a scenic drive. We stopped at the Cadillac Ranch, had lunch at Tyler's BBQ and made a trip to Palo Duro Canyon State Park to watch "TEXAS". Next time we pull a camper, I will definitely carry a tent and go primitive for a couple of nights. Also, take a telescope if you own one. You won't regret it.

I stayed here for several days and had an absolute blast with my dog. Met several new friends who were all boon docking since the full hookup campsites were not done yet. I even took my GMC 2500 HD off roading which I had never done before. What an experience even though I couldn’t get off the beginners trails. They have truly fantastic views everywhere you look as it’s the “Grand Canyon of Texas.”  The staff is exceptional in every way. If you’re into off roading bring a true rock climber vehicle. This place is for you but it has walking paths also.

Caprock Canyon is definitely off the beaten path but a wonderful place to get away.

The park is large but there is only one camping loop for RVs. The facilities are older but the park staff does a good job maintaining the sites. Water and electric but no sewer available.

The park has challenging mountain biking and hiking. The only negative is most of the trails are not easily accessible from the Honey Flat campground (without a long walk) so having a car to navigate the large park is helpful.

Lake Theo is a nice bonus for swimming or kayaking/canoeing in the hot summer.

The bison are the stars of the park. You'll see them on your way in and probably visiting Honey Flat in the evening.

One of our favorite things to do is walk to the vista near the Honey Flat campground at sunset and enjoy the magnificent scenery.

Make sure to bring what you need to the park. There is not much in Quitaque so bring your supplies.

Caprock Canyon South Prong primitive camping area

The Caprock Canyon South Prong primitive camping site is about a 1 mile hike from the South Prong Tent camping area and the trailhead.

You’ll hike up and down some ravines and up a hill to reach it. If you’re able to camp at this site you’ll be rewarded with great views of the mountains and the valley. The red rock formations in this park are amazing.

I highly recommend hiking the Upper South Prong trail to the Fern Cave and then returning via the Haynes Ridge Overlook Trail.

Other highlights at this park include watching the prairie dogs and bison roam freely on the plains.

The only downside for this park is that to see some of the attractions you might need to drive because they are located far apart. The bison tend to gather on the open plains. The prairie dogs are located near the Honey Flat campground. Both of these attractions are far from the South Prong Camping Area. 

This park is located in the panhandle of Texas so it’s likely that you will have to drive a long distance to reach this park. if you would like to breakup the drive consider stopping over in Abilene to grab a bite to eat, see the worlds largest buffalo skull, or see the worlds largest paper airplane.

Created by the Red River, Caprock Canyon State Park, lies about 125 miles to the southeast of Palo Duro Canyon. While many similarities exist between the two state parks, the differences are striking. For starters, this park features the remaining heard of Southern Plains Bison (related to the Bison heard managed in Yellowstone N.P.) who wander the park roads and graze upon the local vegetation. So, keep your speed down and pay attention around every corner, especially at night!

We stayed in the Equestrian Camp (water only, no toilets, no electricity so come prepared with your solar panel).   Spacious sites, corrals for horses at each site, and one very squeaky windmill that will keep you awake at night if it's windy, which it always is.  Try to get a spot that is NOT right next to it!  The campground has a gate to keep wildlife out and horses in.  You'll have to open and close it each time you leave/return.

Hiking might just be the best way to see this park, but miles and miles of horse trails offer an unique experience from the saddle. Many trails crisscross the dry washes so pay attention to your trail markers so you don’t get turned around. Opportunities to hike up to the highest point in the park are strenuous but well worth the effort. So too is the hike back to the year-round springs that keep the wildlife running.

The nearby town of Quitaque also has an ice/water kiosk and a convenience store which is less than 5 miles away.  The closest town with a real grocery store and restaurants is Plainview, about 55 miles away.

This park is Amazing! Absolutely gorgeous landscape, in the 2nd biggest canyon in the US, behind the Grand Canyon. The park is relatively new and still under development. As of the time of this review, there are only boondocking sites available, but they offer epic views of the canyon. There are miles of hiking, and MTB Trails to enjoy, and even some top notch off road trails down in the canyon, green to black skill level. If your looking for a true overlanding experience, this is one of very few places in Texas where you can get away from the crowds, and into some raw, natural land to set up your camp. This is a private park, so you'll need to be a member, or a guest of a member, to enter. They do have a few days a month open to the public, so check their website for available dates.