TX – Caprock Canyon State Park, Quitaque, Tx

Website: Caprock Canyon State Park

Phone: Reservations – 512-389-8900 Park – 806-455-1492

Visited: June 2019

Online Reservations Available

Amenities:

50 Amp

No Sewer connections – Dump Station Available

Asphalt Sites

Back-In Sites

Picnic Tables are provided with each site

Pedestals are well maintained and organized.

Fire Ring with Grill

Lantern Pole

Pet friendly

Thoughts:

Caprock Canyon State Park is located in a somewhat remote area of North Texas. The scenery is amazing. Our route from Carlsbad suggested many county roads on Google Maps. Many of these roads ARE NOT RV Friendly! Several are dirt roads and as we went through after a recent rain, you could see that they were extremely muddy. Our route took us on TX 207 through Silverton and then Hwy 86 to FM 1065. All were good roads and we would take them again. Upon Check-in, the ranger suggested that a better route would be picking up I-27 in Lubbock up to Hwy 86 in Tulia. I would consider that in the future, but we had no issues with the route that we took.

Check-in was easy and efficient.  There is parking for several RV’s in front of the visitor’s center. The map was clear to get to the camping area.  Depending on your site number, you will be instructed to take the first or second entrance. Pay careful attention to which entrance they tell you. The sites are slanted and back-ins and there is no way we would have been able to get in our site if we had used the other entrance. We were also told that it would be better to hook our two vehicle at the visitor center.

We stayed in site HF028. The site was fine, but there was some tree limbs that were a concern for our awning. I don’t know if I would select this site again in the future. It should also be noted that many of the sites are shorter, so be sure to check the lengths carefully when making your reservations.

There is a bath house. It is a bit of a walk from many of the sites in the section that we stayed in. We didn’t visit the bath house, but would assume that it is a standard state park bath house.

Caprock Canyons State Park is the home to the only wild Bison herd in Texas. At times, it seems that they are everywhere. It is both majestic and awesome and a little intimidating. They come through the campground, they cross the road. Pretty much they go anywhere they want and whenever they want. We had no issues, but certainly give them plenty of room. One of the warnings we read said that they can sprint up to 30 mph and they are HUGE! It is also one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

Also, be sure to stop by the Prairie Dog Town. Very fun to watch them running around.

The primary activity at Caprock is hiking. There are numerous trails of different lengths and difficulties. Couple of things to note: Take lots of water. During our visit, the temperature was in the 80’s and it seemed very hot. There was very little shade on the trails we took and no benches. There are also no water refill stations. The second thing to note is if there has been recent rain, there are lots of mosquitoes and some type of biting fly. Bug spray seemed to help some with the mosquitoes. It didn’t even slow down the flies.

During our hikes, as long as we were moving, we didn’t seem to get bit, but if you stopped, it was almost guaranteed.

Even with the bugs and heat, the hikes are spectacular. One area you are hiking with the canyon sides surrounding you on all sides. The various colors of rocks and greenery are extremely vivid. Another area, we were walking through fields of wildflowers in bloom. We would recommend hiking boots for the hikes in the area. The terrain is uneven in many areas.

An additional attraction is the Ranger-Led tour to watch the bats leave the tunnel. Tours are on Friday nights. We had reservations for the tour, but unfortunately, the previous day the area had rain and the area was flooded. The state park did call us that morning and let us know that the tour had been cancelled and our money was refunded upon check-in.

NOTES:

Many of the trailheads are spaced a good distance apart. We would recommend having a car when you visit.

Silverton appeared to be the last place that was RV friendly to get fuel.

This is a popular state park with limited site availability. Be sure to book early. Also, earlier in 2019, Texas State Parks updated their reservation system to allow for specific site selection when booking. The details for each site (including length and pictures) are available when you make your reservation.

Cell phone service in the campground area was pretty good. In areas of the canyon, it seemed to be less predictable.

Finally, it is wise to pack for all types of weather. During our June visit, the first day was in the 80’s and sunny. When we checked the weather the next morning, the high was in the 50’s with a 30-40 mph north wind.