Ask the Pack: Palo Duro and Amarillo

[JungRebel]

Thinking about a trip in October. How is the weather usually at that time of the year? I'll be taking a tear drop to the canyon. Anyone done some hiking there? Recommendations for food or things to do while in Amarillo? Any other nice towns nearby worth a day trip to?

 

[Baddmann]

We have passed through Amarillo with the RV a few times on our way to Colorado. Only thing I can recommend is The Big Texan. There are 2 large RV parks (both are nice) and The Big Texan has a couple of Cadillac limos to come pick up/drop off.

Also Cadillac Ranch Art exhibit is there (Cadillacs buried in a line.) Worth a few pics...

 

[Dawg1976]

I was going to suggest the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and Museum but it's closed the rest of the year. Probably going to run into some of that on indoor stuff.

 

[dorndawg]

 

[Dawg1979]

i can tell you, there is a really nice welcome center/rest area when you first get in town. me and the wife were trying to catch about a 2 hour nap one cold December night, thought it would be a great place to do so. negative. 17ing 10 degrees with wind shaking my truck. we didn't sleep any. but it was nice.

 

[$altyDawg]

I'm thinking about going in November myself. I chose November just to make sure the temps had cooled off a little. When I googled it said October was an average high of 78, November average high was 65. Have fun and I'll check in with you for recommendations after you get back. Safe travels!

 

[Jeffreauxdawg]

Not much nearby worth a special trip. You will probably be driving through a nice part of Arkansas and Eastern Oklahoma that is worth a stop. Palo Duro is pretty isolated unless you want to explore Amarillo and The Big Texan for some rocky mountain oysters. Also, I can't think of his name, but there is a football and basketball coach on the board here who lives just outside Amarillo in a town called Groom. He may have more.

If you are willing to expand the radius you are probably 4 hours from Monahans dunes where you can go sandboarding. Carlsbad caverns is close to Monahans. You are probably another 5 hours from Taos which is cool too...

We hit Palo Duro on the way to or from Colorado, AZ, or New Mexico for a day or two. It's cool, but not much else close by so we keep trucking.

 

[Mobile Bay]

My bottle of metformin just jumped up and slapped me for looking at that picture.

 

[aTotal360]

I've been to Amarillo twice. Both times for a hunting trip north of there around Stinnett. Holy hell that part of the country feels like you are on another planet. I'm have no idea about the hiking, but I can't imagine there is anything exciting to do around there. At least not in my book. I did see some of the historic land marks associated with the Battle of Adobe Walls. It was about 1/1000th as impressive as the Alamo. Which most will tell you is underwhelming itself.

The most memorable this was seeing an former MSU football player working door as a bouncer at a sports bar. We actually had classes together.

 

[bbqbully]

I don’t know about Amarillo, but it’s just up the road from Lubbock and Lubbock in December was the coldest 17ing place I’ve ever been. North wind blows hard all the time and there’s nothing between there and the North Pole to block it but a couple of strands of barbed wire.

 

[MS-halfstep]

The holiday inn express in Amarillo is first class. They got a tv in the bathroom and a hell of a vent

 

[SemillaHombre]

I use to live out that way. Weather is good in October, always windy but not in the canyon. In Palo Duro the lighthouse trail is the most popular but most of the Trails are scenic and well kept. There is a broadway type show put on in an amphitheater in the canyon but that might be closed due to covid. You asked for hiking but palo duro has some really good mountain biking if interested. Watch out for rattlesnakes on the trails. In Amarillo I recommend the Golden light Cantina for good live music if you like the Texas Country/Red dirt music scene. South of Palo Duro is another canyon state park called Caprock that is smaller but just as scenic and way less crowded.

 

[JungRebel]

We thought about Taos. I've been meaning to see if the tours are up and running what with the Covid, that's what we want to do if it is possible. Camping and hiking is pretty much what we are after though so it'll probably be a few nights at Palo Duro with perhaps the one day trip elsewhere, grilling the food we are bringing and maybe a couple meals in Amarillo. I got excited about the idea of the oysters until I googled them. I'm an adventurous eater but I'm not sure that's one I could stomach.