Tag: Palo Duro

7-11 October 2020. Palo Duro Canyon, TX.

7-11 October 2020. Palo Duro Canyon, Texas.  During the summer of 2019, we participated in a Jeep Jamboree event in Wyoming.  We had such a good time, that we signed up for a Jeep Jamboree in Texas for 2020.  It was supposed to happen in May, but was rescheduled for October. So, with very little rest at home after our Utah adventures, we headed toward Amarillo and the Palo Duro Canyon for this year’s Jeep Jamboree Event. 

Palo Duro is a 60 mile long canyon that opens up in the middle of the desert.  It is the second largest canyon in the US.  The websites claim it is the most spectacular and scenic spot in the Texas panhandle.  The canyon descends down to 800 ft, but where we were it was closer to a 500 ft drop.  The Jeep Jamboree people hooked up with a private landowner (cattle rancher) who owns a huge amount of the canyon and lets large groups explore his property (you have to watch out for cows!). (There is also a Palo Duro Canyon State Park – same canyon, but further west – which is not where we were, they don’t allow 4×4’ing).

The rancher allowed our group to dry camp on the ridge above the canyon, then in the morning, the Jeep Jamboree folk took about 140 jeeps (in eight groups) down the very steep and narrow trail to the canyon floor.  We chose to be in a “mid level skill” group and were surprised by the constant obstacles that we encountered, but we had a great time for two days of hard wheelin’.

Here are some of the Jeeps lined up and waiting their turn to head down the canyon trail.
To head into the canyon, we left the “Main Road” and took the “Horse Trail”. That was definite foreshadowing of the difficulty level for our adventure.
Our GPS said this trail was a 500 ft drop to the canyon floor, but quite the view going down!
At the bottom of the canyon, you get see the beauty of the area. – and how dry it is…
Many of the trails were rocky.
Many of the trails were steep.
Many of the trails didn’t look much like trails.
Sometimes you had to help each other get through!
This obstacle was called Coyote Crawl. If your Jeep has good articulation, you drove through it like this.
If your Jeep articulation isn’t great/ or you forget to undo the sway bar, then this happens. Oh dear!
Why are all these jeeps waiting patiently coming off the hill?
Because this guy’s tire came off his rim! Got it patched up and off everyone went.
We had a slow climb getting out of the canyon!
It was a bit foggy in the rancher’s field the morning we left.

We are already making plans to do another Jeep Jamboree Event in 2021!