I was the first one in the park when the gates opened at 7am. This was my third visit to this park. As soon as I got on the paved road meandering down into the canyon, I lost phone and wifi connection, then couldn't verify my route to the Rock Garden Trail. I didn't want to do the Lighthouse trail again, the park's most popular trail, and wanted to see something different. The sun rose behind morning clouds and it was 62F when I started my hike on the Upper Comanche Trail, the first big trail once in the canyon. The trail head is outside the Pavilion. A larger thermometer warns hikers to be aware of the heat, wear hats, bring plenty of water, and to use sunblock which is provided at the trail head. These large thermometers are at all the major trail heads
The Upper Comanche trail starts out rather dull as it meanders around and into a wash before it straddles hills on the north side of the park. The wash had seen recent rain as the bottom was smooth. Today it was dry. The main road around the park is never far away; one can hear traffic and the sounds of campers at nearby campgrounds. It doesn't become interesting until 2.5 miles into the hike and past the Sagebrush campsite.
The Upper Comanche trail is not listed on Alltrails. (The Lower Comanche trail is.) I took this trail because I didn't want to lose time driving around the park looking for decent parking. Some of the trail heads are on dirt roads. The Upper Comanche trail is off a parking lot and easily accessible.
One thing I did like about this trail was how few people use it. Despite being close to two campgrounds, I only came across two mountain bikers and didn't see hikers until I finished the hike seven miles later. I had Zeke off leash while on the trail, but leashed him when I went into a campground to refill my half-gallon jug of water.
The shade was nice, but I knew the sun would rise and heat up the ground and hurt Zeke's paws. I felt good and could have gone farther than the 3.5 miles the mileage was telling me I was going. The Upper Comanche Trail is well-marked with red stakes every .10 mile, then ends at the intersection with the Lower Comanche trail marked with white stakes as it continues to hug the rocky hillside along the park's northern area. I would love to come back to this park and hike the entire Comanche trail, Upper and Lower, and make it a long 14-mile out-and-back hike.
Zeke spotted a herd of bighorn sheep and took chase briefly before I called him back. They were grazing in the shade as we walked by. A lone deer also ran across the trail, perhaps alarmed by Zeke.
I enjoyed this trail and could have hiked longer had I more time. Temperatures in the mid 90s were in the forecast, though, and knew I had little shade left when I turned around shortly after getting on the Lower Comanche trail. Fields of dead thistle shined in the sun, and the aroma of sage filled the air. It's a lovely aroma and quite different than the desert smells of southeastern Arizona.
Like most of the Palo Duro park, unique rock formations dot the path. They were all in the hot sun as we returned. Zeke was noticeably hot and thirsty, requiring me to stop at the Sagebrush campsite a second time for a water break.
The heat had gotten to me, too. I felt good, but the heat tired me out. I would have gladly hiked a second trail while in the park under cooler conditions, but that will be for another time. A young family with three small children was starting out on the trail as I got back to my Honda. The thermometer was now showing 93F. How quickly the heat rose in the 3.5 hours I was on the trail.
I drove around the park to try other trails near the river, but there wasn't much water in the river. There was desert willow, but the sand was too hot for Zeke. I scratched any plans of more hikes in the park, drove up the canyon rim to rest in the shade by the visitor's center, and finally drove off at 1:43pm, but had to rest again in Plainview for another 47 minutes and then again at a rest stop north of Lubbock until 6:41pm. The humid heat just wasn't allowing me to drive very far as I had no energy.
It was here at this rest stop, 1399 Co Rd 265, where I watched the sun set over the staked plains. The sun's rays created halos over the tall grass seeds. I took this moment to call Carol to see how she was doing, and we spent a good 45 minutes reminiscing about the summer of 2019 together. God, do I miss that woman already. Spending the summer with her in Northwest Indiana was a great idea.
I made it to Lubbock but didn't go into town. I parked on the Southeast part of town in a hotel parking lot for the night. I was too tired to spend any time in the Billy Holly district or enjoy any of their brewpubs.
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