Page Type:
|
Route |
|---|---|
Lat/Lon:
|
34.98018°N / 101.69097°W |
GPX File:
|
Download GPX » View Route on Map |
|
Route Type:
|
Hiking |
Season:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter |
|
Time Required:
|
Less than two hours |
|
Difficulty:
|
Hike |
|
Overview
CCC is a 1.5 mile long trail that takes you from the park’s Visitor Center on the rim of Palo Duro Canyon, five hundred vertical feet down to Pioneer Amphitheater at the bottom of the canyon. Along the way a short side trail will take you to the top of a peninsula the end point of which is known as Goodnight Peak.CCC Trail was constructed by the depression era Civilian Conservation Crops in the 1930s. It apparently fell out of use for several decades until it was revived more recently.
Getting There
Upper CCC trailhead is at the visitor center a short distance after entering the park. The low end of it is at Pioneer Amphitheater on the canyon floor.Route Description
A one-way hike from the top trailhead to Goodnight Peak and then down to Pioneer Amphitheater is 2.25 miles long.Elevation at top trailhead is 3410 ft
Elevation at bottom trailhead is 2920 ft
View from the top trailhead near Visitor Center.
 |
 |
Following the trail down into the canyon.
This stone bridge was apparently constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s.
The red slopes will come to view.
 |
 |
You will then reach a place where you can see the park road below you down a steep slope/wall.
At an unsigned trail split, I took the right branch to a flat-top peninsula for 0.4 miles to the end of it where Goodnight Peak came to view.
Goodnight PeakPioneer Amphitheater was right below me.
Pioneer AmphitheaterI then returned to the same trail split and continued on the main trail further down.
Looking back at the peninsula.
Texas Longhorns
These huge Texas Longhorns were kept at the entrance to the park.