Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway

(Redirected from Caprock Canyons State Park) Protected area in Briscoe County, Texas with 64 mile trail over former railroad right-of-way

Caprock Canyons State Park
View from Haynes Ridge

Location	Briscoe County, Texas
Nearest city	Quitaque
Coordinates	34°26′37″N 101°03′08″W / 34.44361°N 101.05222°W / 34.44361; -101.05222
Area	15,314 acres (6,197 ha)
Established	1982
Visitors	78,978 (in 2022)
Governing body	Texas Parks and Wildlife Department
www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/caprock-canyons

Caprock Canyons Trailway
Length	64 miles (103 kilometres)
Location	Texas
Use	Hiking
Elevation gain/loss	2,776 ft (846 m)
Difficulty	Medium

Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway is a Texas state park located along the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado in Briscoe County, Texas, United States, approximately 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Amarillo. The state park opened in 1982 and is 15,314 acres (6,197 ha) in size, making it the third-largest state park in Texas.

Recreation

In 1993, a hiking, biking, and equestrian rail trail opened that stretches through the park through Floyd, Briscoe, and Hall counties. The trailway was created after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired 64.25 miles (103 km) of right-of-way from the abandoned Fort Worth and Denver Railroad's lines between Estelline and South Plains. A unique feature is the 528 ft (161 m) Clarity Railroad Tunnel.

Isolated butte, an erosional remnant of the Llano Estacado.
Side canyon carved by erosion.

Climate

The park is located in West Texas and has a semi-arid climate. The average January minimum temperature is 19 °F (−7 °C) and the average July maximum is 91 °F (33 °C). The park receives 20.4 inches (520 mm) of precipitation annually.

Nature

Flora

The area contains badlands with mesquite, cacti and junipers with tall grasses, plums, hackberries and cottonwoods in the canyons.

Fauna

At the urging of his wife, Charles Goodnight preserved several plains bison from those that were being slaughtered. This herd became one of the genetic sources from which current bison herds descend. The herd was donated to the State of Texas in 1997. In 2011, bison were allowed to roam throughout the park, and the Texas Legislature designated the bison herd at Caprock Canyons State Park as the official State Bison Herd of Texas. The herd has minimal cattle introgression.

African sheep (Barbary sheep), mule deer, white-tailed deer, coyote, opossum, raccoon, bobcat, fox, porcupine, white-throated woodrat, numerous species of snakes and lizards, and over 175 species of birds including golden eagle, red-tailed hawk and turkey vulture are found within the park. Lake Theo contains bass, catfish, and rainbow trout. In the summer of 2012 black-tailed prairie dogs were reintroduced to a 200-acre (81 ha) area within the park.

Greater roadrunner (Geococcyx californianus)
Mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus)
Plains bison (Bison bison bison)
Black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus)

References

Christopher Adams. "What is the most visited state park in Texas? Here's the top 10 countdown". KXAN.com. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
Caprock Canyons State Park from the Handbook of Texas Online
^ "Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
Lanehart, Chuck (January 28, 2023). "Caprock Chronicles: Clarity Tunnel, the Doodlebug Line and the bats". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
Robbins, Elaine (September 2005). "Where the Buffalo Roam". TPW magazine. Texas Parks and Wildlife. Retrieved January 6, 2022.
Westheimer, Max (May 23, 2019). "The Bison of Caprock Canyons State Park". We Will Not Be Tamed. Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
"Texas State Bison Herd to Once Again Freely Roam the Caprock" (Press release). Texas Parks and Wildlife. September 6, 2011.
Kuhlman, Marty (January 22, 2021). "Caprock Chronicles: Saving the bison on the Texas high plains". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. Retrieved January 13, 2023.
Hatch, Rosie (Ed.) (2022). Texas Almanac 2022-2023. Austin, Texas: Texas State Historical Association. p. 23. ISBN 9781625110664.
"Texas State Bison Herd – Preservation of the Bison". Austin, TX: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on February 21, 2012.
McCorkle, Rob (November 2011). "Home on the Range". TPW magazine. Austin, TX: Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
"2013-2014 Trout Stocking Schedule". Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on March 27, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.
"New Residents Arrive at Caprock Canyons State Park" (Press release). Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Archived from the original on March 5, 2014. Retrieved February 28, 2014.

External links

Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway from Texas Parks and Wildlife (TPWD)
Caprock Canyons Facility Map (PDF) from TPWD
Caprock Canyons Trailway Map and Guide (PDF) from TPWD
Public domain images of the Llano Estacado and West Texas
Video of the Texas State Bison Herd in Caprock Canyons State Park on the Texas Archive of the Moving Image

Protected areas of Texas

Federal

National Parks	Big Bend Guadalupe Mountains
National monuments and memorials	Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument Castner Range National Monument Chamizal National Memorial Military Working Dog Teams National Monument Waco Mammoth National Monument
National Historical Parks and Historic Sites	Fort Davis NHS Lyndon B. Johnson NHP Palo Alto Battlefield NHP San Antonio Missions NHP
National Historic Trails	El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro
National Recreation Areas	Amistad Lake Meredith
National Wild and Scenic Rivers	Rio Grande
National Wildlife Refuges	Anahuac Aransas Attwater Prairie Chicken Balcones Canyonlands Big Boggy Brazoria Buffalo Lake Caddo Lake Grulla Hagerman Laguna Atascosa Little Sandy Lower Rio Grande Valley McFaddin Muleshoe Neches River San Bernard Santa Ana Texas Point Trinity River
National Forests	Angelina Davy Crockett Sabine Sam Houston
National Grasslands	Caddo Lyndon B. Johnson McClellan Creek Rita Blanca
Other Protected Areas	Big Thicket National Preserve Padre Island National Seashore

State

State Parks and Natural Areas	Abilene Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area Atlanta Balmorhea Barton Warnock Visitor Center Bastrop Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley Big Bend Ranch Big Spring Blanco Bonham Brazos Bend Buescher Caddo Lake Caprock Canyons Cedar Hill Chinati Mountains State Natural Area Choke Canyon Cleburne Colorado Bend Cooper Lake Copper Breaks Daingerfield Davis Hill Davis Mountains Devils River State Natural Area Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area Dinosaur Valley Eisenhower Enchanted Rock State Natural Area Estero Llano Grande Fairfield Lake Falcon Fort Boggy Fort Parker State Park Fort Richardson State Park Franklin Mountains Galveston Island Garner Goliad Goose Island Government Canyon State Natural Area Guadalupe River Hill Country State Natural Area Honey Creek State Natural Area Huntsville Indian Lodge Inks Lake Kickapoo Cavern Lake Arrowhead Lake Bob Sandlin Lake Brownwood Lake Casa Blanca International Lake Colorado City Lake Corpus Christi Lake Livingston Lake Mineral Wells Lake Somerville Lake Tawakoni Lake Whitney Lockhart Longhorn Cavern Lost Maples State Natural Area Martin Creek Lake Martin Dies Jr. Matagorda Island McKinney Falls McKinney Roughs Meridian Mission Tejas Monahans Sandhills Mother Neff State Park Mustang Island Old Tunnel Palmetto Palo Duro Canyon Palo Pinto Mountains Pedernales Falls Possum Kingdom Purtis Creek Ray Roberts Lake Resaca de la Palma San Angelo Sea Rim Sheldon Lake South Llano River Stephen F. Austin Tyler Village Creek Walter Umphrey Wyler Aerial Tramway
State Historic Sites	Acton Admiral Nimitz Barrington Living History Farm at Washington-on-the-Brazos Battleship TEXAS Caddo Mounds Casa Navarro Confederate Reunion Grounds Eisenhower Birthplace Fanthorp Inn Fannin Battleground Fort Griffin Fort Lancaster Fort Leaton Fort McKavett Fort Richardson State Park Fulton Mansion Goliad Hueco Tanks Kreische Brewery Landmark Inn Levi Jordan Plantation Lipantitlan Lyndon B. Johnson Magoffin Homestead Mission Espiritu Santo Mission Dolores Mission Rosario Monument Hill Penn Farm Point Isabel Lighthouse Sabine Pass Battleground Sam Bell Maxey House Samuel T. Rayburn House San Felipe San Jacinto Battleground Sauer-Beckmann Farm Seminole Canyon Starr Family Home Varner–Hogg Plantation Washington-on-the-Brazos Zaragoza Birthplace
State Forests and Arboretums	E.O. Siecke I.D. Fairchild John Henry Kirby Masterson W. Goodrich Jones Ruth Bowling Nichols Arboretum Olive Scott Petty Arboretum
State Wildlife Trails	Great Texas Coastal Heart of Texas Panhandle Plains Prairies and Pineywoods

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department

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