Geology in Action - Caprock Canyons State Park, Texas

Caprock Canyons State Park is located along the eastern edge of the Llano Estacado in Briscoe County, Texas, approximately 100 miles southeast of Amarillo. Llano Estacado is a region at the southern end of the American Great Plains, encompassing parts of eastern New Mexico and north western Texas. The wind and water carved the rugged beauty of the canyons in this part of the Texas panhandle over millions of years. Streams flowing east from the Llano Estacado flow to the lower plains through the caprock Escarpment, into the Red, Brazos and Colorado rivers. The erosive action of the tributaries of the Red river have exposed geologic layers called "red beds" because of the red coloration of the constituent shales, sandstones, siltstones and mudstones. One can see short-grass prairie on the high plains above the escarpment. The bottomland supports tall and mid-level grasses of various types.

The earliest people to live at Caprock Canyons probably survived by hunting mammoths, camels and bison. Over time, bison became their main diet. Beginning in the 1700s, ciboleros travelled to the Caprock Canyons area each fall to hunt the bison herds. These Hispanic bison hunters from New Mexico travelled in large caravans of more than 100 people, bringing their wives and children to help butcher the meat and process the hides. As winter set in, they returned home to New Mexico, where they consumed the meat during the long, cold winter and traded the hides for goods they could not produce themselves.

During the 1700s, trade prospered between the local Comanche Indians and New Mexico bison hunters. People did not only hunt animals-they also raised them for food and trade. Hispanic sheep herders grazed their animals on the high plains in the 1860s. Following the battle of Palo Duro Canyon in 1874, Anglo cattlemen like Charles Goodnight began to occupy the region, attracted to the wide open grasslands. After witnessing the destruction of the native bison herds, Goodnight and his wife Mary Ann started their own herd with just two calves. After Goodnight's death, the herd gradually declined in numbers from the peak 250 bison in 1929, until the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began to manage the land. Today, the bison continue their journey through history as the official Texas Bison Herd, roaming a portion of their native range at Caprock Canyon State Park.

The state park is about 8 hours from Houston. I started driving in the wee hours on a Friday and reached the park around noon. After receiving the papers of my advanced reservation, I slowly moved along the winding roads, taking a few breaks to enjoy the scenic outlooks and to photograph the bison herds. This land is quite different from Houston which has a perfectly flat topgraphy. Many people extend this notion to the entire Texas topography, obviously oblivious of the canyon lands of the panhandle region!

I reached the campsite which was on the far side of the entrance to the state park. After taking rest for sometime, I decided to start hiking the "Upper South Prong Trail' which started from my camping area. The plan was to reach Fern Cave and then proceed to the "Upper North Prong Trail" and come back via the "North Prong Spur". The total distance would be about 6 miles. The upper south prong trail was a pretty easy hike except for the last half a mile which went straight up the canyon. Enjoying the beautiful views all around me, I made it to the top and finally to the Fern Cave area.

After taking rest for sometime, I descended via the upper north prong trail and reached the paved road using the north prong spur trail.

It was dark by the time I reached the camping site. I prepared my tent, bedding and other stuff for a good night's sleep. I could hear the hooting voice of an owl near by, and continuous howling of coyote pack from a distance. It was a full moon and the sky was studded with bright stars. It was a beautiful day and I soon fell into a deep sleep. The next morning there was a surprise visitor, a bison bull, in our camping area. He was checking out the visitors making sure that everything was in order, I guess.

After seeing the beauty of the canyons, I was eager to commence my journey to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the most spectacular and scenic landscape in the Texas panhandle.