April 2015
™
134
Where, when, and how
to discover the best
photography in America
The Lighthouse at Palo Duro Canyon 34,56.1546N 101,41.8013W
Published since 1989
Palo Duro Canyon, Texas
and
Northeastern New Mexico
In the middle of northern Texas is Palo Duro Canyon State
Park. South of Colorado, west of Oklahoma and east of
New Mexico, Palo Duro Canyon is located near Route 66,
twenty miles south of the city of Amarillo, the largest city
in the Panhandle of Texas and twelve miles east of the town
of Canyon, Texas. Palo Duro Canyon is not surrounded by
mountains–the rim of this canyon is at the same level as the
flat countryside of the Texas Panhandle. The entrance to
Texas’ second-largest state park is located at the northern
tip of this 120-mile-long and 800-foot-deep canyon, the
second-largest canyon in the United States.
issue 134 - page 2
Palo Duro (Spanish for hard wood–the
local junipers) gets deeper and
wider as it winds to the
southeast. It stretches
20 miles wide and
gets deeper toward
the southern end
of the canyon. For
a million years,
this canyon has
been working its
way northward.
For over 12,000
years, humans have
lived in this canyon.
History has recorded the
1541 arrival of Spain’s Coronado
Expedition, moving north from Mexico
on a search for treasure. They found
natives, called the Apaches, living in Palo
Duro. By 1700, Comanches, using horses
“borrowed” from the Spaniards, were
becoming skilled warriors on horseback.
By 1835, Comanche tribes were making
Palo Duro Overlook 34,58.7994N 101,41.4526W
hostile raids on settlements in the Texas
Panhandle. This lasted until 1874 when
the 4th US Calvary rounded up the tribe
in their Palo Duro camping grounds and
moved all Comanches to government
reservations in Oklahoma.
In the mid-1930s, during the Great
Depression, trails and roads were built
in Palo Duro Canyon by young men
recruited by the Civilian Conservation
Corps. Before the project was completed,
Palo Duro became an official Texas State
Park.
A fee is charged at the entrance. A short
distance into the park is a marked parking
lot at a panoramic viewpoint above
the Visitor Center. There are several
viewpoints above the canyon along the
steep and winding entrance road. When
you reach the bottom, the road crosses the
stream and forks to become a six-milelong loop road. Most of the campgrounds
and some of the most scenic trails are
within the loop road.
The Trails
You can drive to the bottom of Palo
Duro Canyon State Park on a paved
road. There are six river crossings on the
road through the canyon. Just beyond
Crossing #2 is a large parking area
at the trailheads for the Rojo Grande
Trail, the Juniper Cliffside Trail, and
the Lighthouse Trail. The Lighthouse
is a moderately strenuous trail that
gradually climbs 940 feet in 2.7
miles to the viewpoint at the base of
the iconic red rock formation called
The Lighthouse, for a total roundtrip hiking distance of 5.75 miles.
The park gate opens at 8:00 am.
Campers staying overnight can start
their hikes before sunrise. There
are many more hikers out there on
weekends, so plan a midweek visit
to avoid the mountain bikers that
fill the parking lots and share most of the
trails with hikers.
There are 30 miles of trails through this
state park. Most trails follow streams and
are fairly level and fairly short. You can
connect several of the shorter valley trails
issue 134 - page 3
and make a loop that returns to your car.
Some of the longer and more strenuous
trails climb to the canyon’s rim. A few
of the trails are for hikers only. Most are
for hikers and bikers and one trail is for
equestrians. The Equestrian Trail starts
at the far end of the loop road. Hikers
are welcome but the trail has no bridges.
Horses can wade the stream; but hikers
will not enjoy soggy boots and socks.
resembles the real Lighthouse that is
2.5 miles farther up the trail and hidden
from view at this point. Along the trail
to the Lighthouse, there are more good
tripod spots. A 300-mm telephoto lens
is perfect for the more distant hoodoos
along the trail. Watch the left side of
the trail as you approach milepost 1.1. A
weathered juniper stands below a distant
red-and-white striped canyon wall.
Hikers must stay alert for approaching
bikers, especially those behind you on
steep downhill trails. When a biker yells
“on your left,” you are expected to move
to the right side of the trail.
The Lighthouse Trail
Morning light is best on the formation
called the Lighthouse. The trail is always
cooler in the morning. The trailhead is
located in the first parking lot beyond
river crossing #2. On the north side of
the parking area, there are two trails.
Take either trail; they merge into one. At
some spots, the trail forks into two trails.
One may be smoother and easier for
bikes, and the other will be littered with
stepping stones that a hiker can navigate.
Hoodoo-Capitol Peak 34,57.2369N 101,40.452W
Trail marker stakes for the Lighthouse
Trail have an ‘L’ at the top and a number
showing the distance from the trailhead.
At one-third of a mile (marker .3), looking
toward the northwest, is Capitol Peak.
To the left of the peak is a tall hoodoo,
a visible pedestal rock formation that
Juniper on the Lighthouse Trail 34,57.2889N 101,40.9196W
This trail climbs gradually and feels
mostly level. There are dips into creek
beds that were dry for my hike in March.
There may be mud holes if you arrive
during the rainy season when summer
monsoons blow up from the Gulf.
When you reach milepost 1.4, you will
suddenly see the lighthouse in the
distance. Make this hike in the afternoon,
and the Lighthouse will be silhouetted
as you approach. There appears to be
two pinnacles. The formation on the
right is the freestanding Lighthouse.
What appears to be a pinnacle on the
left is actually the end of a narrow spine
connected to a higher mesa to the south.
A trail to the top of the pinnacle on the
left follows an inclined ridgeline on the
backside hidden from view. Follow the
trail and you can walk to the top and look
down on the Lighthouse.
issue 134 - page 4
At milepost 1.7, you are almost halfway.
Morning light is best for this view from
the trail. You may decide to take your
photograph right here, and then turn
around, without climbing any higher. If
you did not pack enough water for this
hike and the temperature climbs over
80˚ F, turn around and head back to the
trailhead.
Hoodoo and yucca on the Lighthouse Trail 34,57.2145N 101,40.4633W
As you near the end of the easy part of
the trail, your view of the Lighthouse is
hidden over the edge of the mesa
above. At the end of this trail are a
bike rack and a picnic table.
The last forty feet of trail to the top is the
steepest. You’ll be looking for handholds
like rocks embedded in the canyon wall
and roots and branches of junipers
growing along the trail. Many years of
hikers have worn this trail into a deep,
V-shaped notch up the side of this stone
canyon wall. Tiny pebble-sized stones
collect in the bottom of the V-shaped
notch, and it feels like you are
walking on marbles. They only
accumulate in the bottom of the
groove. Walk on one side of the
trail or spread your legs apart with
a foot on each side of the groove.
This works well on the way down,
especially if your hiking boots
have soft rubber lugs. On the way
down, you can slide down the
deep groove on the seat of your
pants.
At the top of the mesa, trails lead
in all directions. Follow the mostheavily-travelled trail toward
the west. A short walk from the
top of the trail takes you to the
base of the flat stone pedestal where the
Lighthouse sits.
The last section of the trail, the
short-but-steep climb to the base
of the Lighthouse formation starts
between the bike rack and the
picnic table and heads south. This
last section of the trail starts out
gradually and gets steeper until
you are climbing a hundred-foot
stairway of stones. Some hikers
Just below the Lighthouse 34,56.2131N 101,41.7976W
were using walking sticks, both
handmade wooden sticks and high-tech A trailside bench just below the base
metal poles, to help balance themselves. makes a good spot for your photograph
Without a walking stick, take your time of the Lighthouse, especially if you’ve
and find the most secure hand holds had enough hiking and climbing. If you
before you take each step, going up and want the perfect composition, continue
down.
issue 134 - page 5
the last short climb to the top, onto the
pedestal where the Lighthouse stands
next to its companion pinnacle to the
south. The pedestal is a flat, solid stone
mesa, twenty-feet wide and sixty-feet
long. Pack your wide-angle lens for this
subject. My 10mm wide-angle lens framed
the whole height of the Lighthouse from
the base. Move back, as far away from
the Lighthouse as possible. You’ll see a
narrow trail leading around the west side
of the other pinnacle. From that trail,
the foreground of your photograph will
include the ragged western edge of the
precipice, adding a long, curved leading
line to the Lighthouse (cover photo).
other balancing rocks (hoodoos) in the
park that are easier to reach.
On the right side of the road into the
park is a sign marking the entrance to the
Pioneer Amphitheater. As you drive into
the large parking lot, look to the right to
find a dark balancing rock atop a tall, red
and white sandstone pedestal. Park as
close to the base as possible, keep to the
left on a short trail that leads to the base,
and you will find the best camera angle,
placing the hoodoo against the sky.
From this location, you will be looking
to the north. Morning light or afternoon
light will give you lighting from both
sides. A hazy day will soften the shadows
and a blue sky filled with white clouds
works well here, too.
A trailhead sign reminds hikers to pack
plenty of drinking water and avoid this
hike when the temperature is over 80˚ F
to avoid heat strokes. There are several
thermometers along the trail. I drank
most of my water climbing the trail
and finished off the last of the water as
I returned to the trailhead. In my car, I
carried a plastic cooler with water bottles
packed in ice and always left a few extras
in the car for after my hikes.
I used two 1-liter bottles for the
Lighthouse hike and one more for the
return trip. I finished the last of the water
when I saw my car in the distance back
at the trailhead. A sign at the trailhead
recommends a gallon of water for this
hike–not easy when you have a pack full
of camera gear.
The Lighthouse is the iconic image of this
park. Photographers will want to add this
image to their collection. If you are not
able to make the climb, there are a few
Hoodoo at the Amphitheater 34,58.6783N 101,40.8201W
If the Lighthouse Trail is too much for
you, there are a dozen other trails in
this canyon. My favorite trails follow the
steam that flows to the end of the loop
road. The Rojo Grande Trail connects
to the Sunflower Trail. Each is 1.7 miles
long. For most of the distance, these
trails wind between the stream, vertical
red rock cliffs, and large cottonwoods.
Cottonwoods are thirsty trees, bare
in winter and green from late spring
through the summer. Depending on
summer rains, cottonwoods usually turn
butter-yellow in late October, the most
colorful time to visit Palo Duro. Autumn
can stretch through November, and
some years cottonwood color lasts into
early December. Their deeply grooved
bark provides textures that appeal to
photographers year-round.
issue 134 - page 6
For the best autumn color panoramas,
start at the viewpoint above the Visitor
Center near the park entrance. For a
variety of vistas across the canyon, stop
at all the other overlooks along
the switchback road as it winds
down into the bottom of the
canyon.
into the shadows of dark red bluffs can
be problematic. If I see a composition I
like, I can be sure of capturing it just the
way it appears to my eye. Exposing for
The Trading Post is next to the
Wildlife Viewing Blind on the
east side of the road. The Post
sells T shirts, some camping
supplies, and groceries. Although
the kitchen has a limited menu, it
gets compliments on the burgers.
The Wildlife Viewing Blind is
Along the Sunflower Trail 34,58.0246N 101,40.5163W
a short walk from the Trading
Post parking lot with a sign marking the the proper amount of shadow detail and
trail. Three plywood walls have cutouts highlight detail in the same image was
for your lenses at various heights. Birds a fantasy in the days of shooting film.
and wildlife are attracted to this spot by Compressing those extreme contrast
feeders filled with sunflower seeds and ranges is easy with a digital camera,
a small recirculating water bowl built HDR exposure techniques, and the right
of natural stones. The walls facing the software in your computer. Learn to read
birdwatchers are covered with dozens your camera’s histograms and develop a
of photos taken from this blind with repeatable workflow with your computer.
captions naming each bird.
Photograph a bird and then get a
snapshot of the matching photo
with the bird’s name for future
identification.
The Sunflower Trail
My favorite shady trail is the
Sunflower Trail, with yellow
trail markers. It is connected
to the Juniper Riverside Trail
and the Rojo Grande Trail.
Together, they cover six miles,
Along the Sunflower Trail 34,56.4005N 101,39.2968W
one way. These trails follow tall
vertical red cliffs facing the Red River Shoot RAW images not JPEGs, use a
winding through forests of cedars and tripod and a cable release, and take
yellow cottonwoods that provide colorful advantage of digital photography.
photography in the autumn.
There are two bridges and six water
On bright sunny days, photography along
trails through the cottonwood groves and
crossings on the east side of the loop road.
They are sometimes dry and sometimes
issue 134 - page 7
too deep and dangerous to cross. Depth
markers at each crossing remind drivers
not to try fording any stream more than
six inches deep. When these crossings,
all on the east side of the loop road, are
closed, you can still drive the west side
of the loop. This is the escape road for
campers in the canyon.
West to New Mexico
After a week of hiking and photographing
Palo Duro Canyon, I headed west to
A Jeep in a ford 34,56.9743N 101,39.8361W
explore and photograph some of the
There are six campgrounds in the canyon– more interesting sights along roads
for tents to RVs with full hook-ups. There through northeastern New Mexico.
are four rental cabins. Three have A/C
and a fireplace with indoor bathrooms,
towels, linens, pillows and kitchens. One
has no linens and no bathroom. All sleep
a maximum of four persons.
Make camping or cabin reservations at:
512-389-8900 or reserve online at: www.
tpwd.texas.gov/reserve
If you have trouble reading the free park
map given to all visitors, note that it has
been rotated to fit the printed page. The
arrow that points north looks like it is
pointed toward the east. Their free Trails
Map is correctly oriented.
Twelve miles west of the park, in the
town of Canyon, Texas, there are three
motels and a B&B, a good selection of
restaurants, a grocery store, a hardware
store and a Walmart. Amarillo has a
greater choice of facilities but is a 20mile drive each way.
Cadillac Ranch 35,11.2364N 101,59.2103W
From the town of Canyon, I headed north
on Highway 27 to Amarillo and then
drove west on Interstate 40 for one mile
to Cadillac Ranch–visible from Interstate
40 just west of Amarillo, Texas. Take the
Hope Road Exit and drive west on the
south side Frontage Road until you see
ten old Cadillacs that were half-buried
nose-first in the Texas prairie soil back
in 1974. They have been painted and
issue 134 - page 8
repainted many times and the public is
not discouraged from bringing their own
aerosol spray cans. This is a colorful work
of art and definitely worth a photo stop
along Interstate 40 (near the historic
Route 66).
Interstate 40 is a long, straight freeway between Amarillo, Texas, and
Albuquerque, New Mexico. I got as far as
Tucumcari before leaving the Interstate
on a search for more scenic byways.
Tucumcari, a boomtown along historic
Route 66, was bypassed by Interstate 40
in the late 1960s. The main street through
the bypassed old town is lined for miles
with antique cafes, motels and motor
courts in all states of repair–from fallen
rubble to restored splendor. In the 1930s,
this was a major overnight stop on Route
66 for those heading west.
Sacred Heart Church Bueyeros, NM
Across the road, one of the few dwellings
left in Bueyeros is slowly falling apart.
The roof has fallen in, the old water tank
is leaning toward the ground, and a fallen
windmill lies in the weeds. A wide-angle
lens frames the whole scene.
Tucumcari, NM Drive In
35,10.3136N 103,44.2152W
From Tucumcari, I drove north on Highway
64 to Logan, New Mexico, past the Ute
Dam on the Canadian River, then headed
northwest on La Frontera del Llano Scenic
Byway, definitely not a freeway. I turned
north onto Route 102 and followed a scenic
road past a dry ice plant built atop a natural
source of CO2. It’s five miles farther north
to Bueyeros, one of the most remote spots
in the center of northeastern New Mexico.
Bueyeros is almost dead center in the
wide-open grassland across northeastern
New Mexico. Beyond a few ranch houses
is the Sacred Heart Church (dating from
1894), one of the most remote churches in
northeastern New Mexico.
Bueyeros, NM
35,58.7753N 103,41.2024W
Ten miles farther north, Route 39 passes
through the center of Mosquero (pop.93).
Most of the businesses lining the road
have been repainted with colorful
portraits and local scenes brightening up
issue 134 - page 9
the community. The “Paint the Town”
project, started in 2008, taught local
school children how to re-plaster old
adobe walls and then do the planning
and the painting.
I slowed down to check out the photo
possibilities, made a U-turn, and then
pulled off the main road and drove the
back streets of Mosquero to find more
abandoned relics.
Union Church, Solano, NM
few businesses are still open (a hardware
store and Annette’s Cafe) but most are
weathering away. The population of
234 has been dropping. A large printing
company on the main street is long gone.
I drove the back streets and photographed
the most colorful relics. My favorite sits
across from the town plaza. The town of
Roy was featured in the movie “Did you
hear about the Morgans?”
35.815497N, -104.007555W
North of Roy, Route 39 passes
through 15 more miles of the
same landscapes–low rolling
hills and an occasional grove of
windblown cottonwoods around
a water-filled roadside pond. On
the map, this area is labeled the
“Kiowa National Grassland.” The
few cattle ranches have gates and
driveways leading for miles to a
ranch house hidden over a distant
rise. This is a typical cattle country
North of Mosqueros is an old church
near the village of Solano. I turned at
the post office and followed a dirt road
passing the front of a dressed-stone
building with “Union Church - 1912”
chiseled into the lintel. Across this empty
countryside, there are few services of
any sort outside the small towns along
the route. The Homestead Act of 1862
brought thousands of people to this
region, but it’s never provided more than
marginal grazing.
East of Springer, NM on Hwy 56
Roy, NM 35,56.6648N 104,11.7926W
Ten miles north of Mosquero is the
largest town in Harding County. “Roy” is
painted on the town’s tall water tower. A
36,18.3548N 104,22.4114W
road crossing the wide-open plains of
New Mexico. In March, it’s too early for
green grass, and winter snows are gone. A
great, cloud-filled sky or a colorful sunset
would help my photography, as I search
for details like wind-whipped American
flags flying from barns or gateposts.
issue 134 - page 10
Raton, New Mexico
When Route 39 ended at Highway 56, I
turned west and drove twenty miles to
Springer on Interstate 25. At that point,
the nearest community with motels
and restaurants was the historic city of
Raton. Fifty more freeway miles took
me to the first freeway exit and into
Raton. I followed First Street on the
edge of railroad tracks and a long line of
beautifully restored shops, restaurants,
and the Amtrak Depot where more than
60 trains a day used to pass through
Raton. The railroad industry, along with
lumber mills and coal mines, flourished
here and financed the rococo Shuler
Theatre with live performances. It still
The next morning, I stayed off the
Interstate and drove south on Highway
64 to Cimarron, a small town on the
edge of the Rockies with a short, scenic
old main street. The Buffalo Nickel
Store on 9th Street made an interesting
architectural pattern.
Cimarron, NM 36,30.6916N 104,54.9518W
The center of Cimarron’s social life
has always been the St. James Hotel,
where bullets are still embedded in
walls, ceilings, and in the main dining
room, where the hotel’s first chef was
once employed by Abraham Lincoln at
the White House. Many outlaws passed
through Cimarron and signed the St.
James guest register.
Fort Union
The Shuler Theater, Raton, NM 36,54.1895N 104,26.3691W
stands on Second Street. On the same
block is the Raton Theatre, an ornate
movie palace built in 1929. It now
shows first-run films with a stateof-the art digital projector.
Seventy-three miles south of Cimarron,
New Mexico, is a sign marking a paved
side road that leads eight miles west
to Fort Union National Monument.
Established in 1851, this fort was built
here when the area became United
I had a choice from a dozen motor
lodges, throwbacks from the 1940s,
lining the old highway through
Raton. At the south end of Raton,
I found an historic motor court
so authentic that I felt like I was
sleeping in a time machine under a
pastel blue chenille bedspread.
Fort Union Hospital 35,54.3291N 105,0.6459W
issue 134 - page 11
States Territory after the U.S.–Mexican
War. The U.S. Army tried to protect the
local inhabitants and the wagon loads
of supplies arriving from the east on the
Santa Fe Trail. The weathered remains of
this storage depot stretch across a huge
open plain. From the paths through the
Las Vegas, New Mexico
Back on the road, traveling south along
Interstate 25, I stopped for a quick
exploration of Las Vegas, New Mexico.
Traveling south along Interstate 25, I
took Exit 343, the University Avenue exit,
and drove west on Bridge Street to the
Plaza. I found many fascinating historic
relics in this old town. As I walked around
the old Plaza photographing, a film crew
was working there on the Longmire TV
series. I had to stay an extra night. Along
with the beautifully restored Plaza Hotel,
there are many other lodging options.
Wagons at Fort Union 35,54.5504N 105,0.9646W
ruins, deep ruts have been worn into the
desert soil by covered wagons. Supplies
were stored here and distributed to
other garrisons in the southwest. U.S.
Army troops guarded the warehouse and
drove off Indian raids until 1879 when
the Santa Fe Railroad replaced the Santa
Fe Trail. By 1891, the fort was no longer
needed and was abandoned.
The Plaza Hotel, Las Vegas, NM 35,35.5583N 105,13.6192W
The next morning, I had breakfast at a
local bakery and café, browsed a great
book store on Bridge Street, and picked
up some suggestions at the Las Vegas
Visitor Center in an old railroad car at the
south end of town.
Fort Union 35,54.5504N 105,0.9646W
Park at the Visitor Center and pick up a
map of the depot. Visitors must stay on
the gravel pathways through and around
the remains of eroding adobe buildings.
Walls are being stabilized but can fall at
any time. You’ll need a telephoto for the
old wagons weathering in the sun.
After another morning photo session, I
left Las Vegas and headed west to Santa
Fe on Interstate 25, crossing the narrow,
southern extension of the Rockies, with a
side trip into the historic village of Pecos.
The two-lane road–Route 50 to Pecos is
part of historic Route 66.
Have a great trip.
35,11.7445N 103,41.2762W
If you are an Historic Route 66 fan or
interested in tracing the wagon train
migration west along the Santa Fe Trail
in the 1850s, you can easily fill two weeks
with an exploration of the historic towns
and villages along the eastern edge of
the Rockies, from the southern Colorado
state line south to Albuquerque.
Photographers wanting to avoid the
heavy tourist traffic around Santa Fe
and Taos, should explore the remote and
by-passed parts of Northeastern New
Mexico on the other side of the Sangre de
Cristo Mountains. Plan your next photo
adventure to the southwest with a trip to
New Mexico. Discover colorful history
along the edge of the Great Plains with
a side trip to nearby Texas for a visit to
Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
My life-long career in photography began at San Jose
State University in 1957. After college, I enlisted in the
U.S. Army Signal Corps, serving as a photographer and
darkroom technician. In Germany, my skills and experience with equipment and lab work were developed
and polished. I took the opportunity to photograph
the beauty of nature in the Black Forest. Returning to
California in 1965, I produced industrial and military
training films for Raytheon Electronics and began
showing my color nature prints. From 1969 through
1981, my photography was exhibited and sold in West
Coast galleries. During the early 1980’s, I taught color
darkroom workshops, then expanded to include field
trips. Former customers, who had purchased my
framed photographs, wanted to learn photography.
My Pacific Image Photography Workshops offered
adventures to the Pacific Coast, the Southwest deserts,
national parks, Hawaii, New England, Canada, England, and the South Pacific. The workshops evolved
into writing and sharing my adventures with others.
Photograph America Newsletter provides information
on where, when, and how to discover the best nature
photography in North America.
Photograph America Newsletter
is published quarterly (four issues/year)
by Robert Hitchman
assisted by technical associate/wife, Katherine
Post Office Box 86, Novato, CA 94948-0086
1-415-898-9677
www.photographamerica.com
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copyright © 1989-2016 Robert Hitchman
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