Palo Duro Canyon

I have lived near Palo Duro Canyon for almost 4 years now. I've been going to school and I just recently finished my masters degree in biology. As such, I am applying for jobs and I'm looking to relocate in the not-too-distant future. I've been to "the canyon" many times, but I had never made the hike to see its representative icon, a formation called "the Lighthouse." Planning to move pretty soon, I thought that I should finally make it out to the canyon and see its perhaps most famous landmark. Palo Duro Canyon is the 2nd largest canyon in the U.S. (with the Grand Canyon being the largest). If you're ever near Amarillo in the Texas panhandle, its worth the short drive to see the amazing scenery.

I think the signs stated that the trail to the Lighthouse formation was about 3 miles, roundtrip. It felt like double that. It wasn't too steep or too hot...it was just long. It was, however, completely worth the effort. And I managed to see a few herps along the way too, of course.

Numerous on the trail were side-blotched lizards. These are identifiable by their "blotch" on their "sides" (the dot in their "armpit"). Easy enough, right?

Side-blotched lizard

Almost there!

Harvester ant were every active along the trail and I was constantly scanning the ground in the chance that there would be a horned lizard lapping them up. Sure enough, there was! Always cool too see, the Texas horned lizard is a myrmecophagous ("ant-eating") specialist and is the state reptile of Texas.

Texas horned lizard

And finally, after much sweating, water consumption, and sand in my shoes...the Lighthouse! As you can see in the "almost there" picture above, there is another tall ridge-shaped formation next to the Lighthouse. You can climb onto the neighboring structure, if you're brave enough, and get a great view of everything around you.

The Lighthouse

Formation adjacent to the Lighthouse

The view from atop

It was quite a workout, but a must-see before I prepare to leave the Texas panhandle. I hope it also illustrates how easy it is to observe and appreciate wildlife just by educating yourself a little to be able to notice the plants, birds, etc. around you. Several people zoomed past me along the trail as I was crouched taking pictures of the horned lizard. How can you be that oblivious to the world around you? I hope the answer is you're not.