February 10-11, 2026.
On our first drive across Texas, we stopped into several of their state parks and enjoyed every single one of them (even Sea Rim, well after being traumatized by the mosquitoes). I wanted to hit a few more, and made a detour to Caprock Canyons State Park. We booked two nights of camping there, and I’m glad we did. The first day had pretty nasty weather, so I didn’t get to do any hiking. Besides, when you have an annual pass and book two nights in a row, your second night of camping is half off. It’s worth getting the pass if you plan on visiting a few parks during a calendar year and we got a TON of value out of ours.
An overview and wildlife
On the first day, I rode my bike to the visitor center to view the exhibits and talk to a park ranger. The ranger was incredibly helpful in orienting me to the park and letting me know just how much there was to do there. The official park name is Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway, which includes a 64 mile section of multi-use trail that was formerly a rail bed. There are campsites along the way for overnight backpacking, bikepacking or horse packing trips. You can also day hike sections of the trail. At certain times of year, visitors can watch the bat emerge from certain tunnels on the route. I hope I can get back here someday to explore this amazing trail.
We got quite a wildlife show during our stay. We camped at Honey Flat, which is right near a prairie dog town. This is a communal living area that these charismatic rodents build, with a series of interconnected tunnels and several holes. They pop out of their holes and scurry around to eat food and cause mischief. When they sense trouble, they squeak and waggle their butts. Prairie dogs are so entertaining to watch, so you won’t miss your television if you camp nearby. Just be sure to pack layers in the winter because it was really cold and windy when we were there!
There is also a bison herd at this park and they go where they want. We saw poop and tracks through our campground and we saw several bison grazing on the outskirts of prairie dog town. Bison are big animals and they’ve got pointy things on their heads and feet, so I was always vigilant. Fortunately the bison kept their distance and we were able to walk back to camp without a detour. I just hoped I wouldn’t come across any on the trail.
North Prong/John Haynes Loop
7.3 mi. | 950′ ele. gain | 3:50 hr.
Within the park, there are about 30 miles of trail of varying lengths, types and difficulties. The ranger helped me understand my options and I landed on a 7-ish mile loop out to Fern Cave.
What a difference a day makes! While my adventures yesterday involved layering up against blustery wind, biting cold and drizzly rain, today I had to haul out my sunglasses, hat and sunscreen!
Right from the start, the stark red rock scenery is right in your face. I’m sure a geologist would have a field day out here. The trail had frequent markers that said “no water? you should turn back.” I wonder how many people that has saved. Here in February I was already questioning if I’d brought enough.
As I poked along the trail looking for buckwheat, cactus and other plants, my attention was captured by something else: bluebirds. I reached a copse of juniper trees that was overflowing with these animated, brightly colored birds. They appeared to be going hog wild on the juniper berries, not actually berries but female cones of the juniper tree. They are high in fat and provide a reliable winter food when little else is available. I watched the birds for quite some time before continuing on my way.
I walked in silence for the next half hour, still looking for plants and staring at my feet. I raised my head when I heard a faint sound, only to find a family of aoudad scrambling across the adjacent hillside. Cool! So many things to find. I still had no interest in crossing paths with bison on my solo hike, so I hoped they stayed closer to the campground.
Though I found a few buckwheat, they were old and dried out. I knew I needed to come back during spring, when they’d be bright and cheery beacons of yellow blooms dotting the red landscape. But it would surely be too hot for me then.
A rough trail led down the rocky hillside to Fern Cave, which was also very much out of season. I saw the shriveled up, brown husks of ferns clinging to the large overhang and imagined what it would look like all green and happy. It was still a good place to eat lunch and listen for birds.
On the last leg of the hike, I looked mostly in vain for any cactus. The only one I found was due to a saved pin I had from iNaturalist. It was small and just out of sight of the trail. I do like using that app for pre-trip research just to give myself a checklist of things to look for that have been identified on the trail. If it’s a frequently visited place, I can also see what’s likely to be in bloom or which birds are currently passing through. It doesn’t hurt to have an idea of where to look and what to look for.
In summary, two days was too short for a visit to Caprock Canyons State Park! WIth over 90 miles of trails, lots of opportunities for backpacking and bike riding, seasonal wildlife and wildflower viewing opportunities, park events and more, this is a park worth visiting over and over again. Located in the Texas panhandle, it’s probably off the beaten path for most, but if you’re ever in the area be sure to put it on your to-do list.
