Palo Duro Canyon State Park

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, near Canyon, Texas, protects a stretch of Palo Duro Canyon, often described as the second-largest canyon system in the United States after the Grand Canyon, roughly 120 miles long and up to 800 feet deep in places. Its colorful, layered rock includes the Lighthouse, a tall rock formation that has become the park's signature landmark. In 1874, U.S. Army forces defeated a coalition of Southern Plains tribes here in the Battle of Palo Duro Canyon, a decisive engagement of the Red River War that effectively ended independent Native life on the Southern Plains. Each summer the park hosts 'TEXAS,' an outdoor musical drama that has run since 1966.