An Ultra High Definition 4K Driving Tour from Caprock Canyons State Park to Canyon, Texas.
Join me for an ultra high definition 4K driving tour from Palo Duro Canyon State Park to the nearby town of Canyon, Texas. This is a bright sunny day drive on the highway through a rural part of the Texas Panhandle. The Texas State Park and the town of Canyon are just south of Amarillo, Texas.
The highway is Texas State Highway 217. It runs between Canyon, Texas and the entrance to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Inside the park the highway transitions into Texas Park Road 5. You can drive through Palo Duro State Park and I have a scenic driving tour of the highway inside the park here.
This drive starts at the entrance to the park and then heads west towards the town of Canyon. Canyon is located 12 miles west of the entrance to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park. Canyon is a small town of about 13,000 people. It is a college town, and home to the West Texas A&M University.
Where is Canyon, Texas?
Canyon is the county seat of Randall County, Texas. This means that the Randall County courthouse is located in Canyon, Texas. It is in the middle of the town, with the town square surrounding it.
Canyon, Texas is the northern part of Texas called the Texas Panhandle. It is about 20 miles south of Amarillo, Texas. Canyon is 383 miles from Dallas, Texas and 620 miles from Houston, Texas.
How to get to Canyon, Texas?
You can go to Canyon either by driving directly, or by flying into a nearby airport and then renting a car. Although you may find that you can get a Taxi or bus service to Canyon, you will probably also need a car when you are there.
Flying to Canyon, Texas
Amarillo (AMA):
The closest airport to fly into to get to Canyon, Texas is in Amarillo, Texas. The airport in Amarillo is called the Rick Husband Amarillo Airport, abbreviated with the code AMA. You can rent a car at the airport. The drive from the Amarillo airport to Canyon, Texas is about 30 minutes.
There are a number of car rental companies at the Amarillo airport such as Avis, National, and Enterprise.
Lubbock (LBB):
Lubbock is a bit further from Canyon and the drive will take about an hour and a half. The official name of the airport in Lubbock is the Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport. There are rental car counters available from Alamo, Avis, Enterprise, Hertz, and National.
Clovis (CVN):
Clovis Municipal Airport is located in Clovis, New Mexico. It will take about an hour and a half to drive from the airport in Clovis, New Mexico to Canyon. This is a very small airport, and even though it isn’t particularly far away Clovis is in a different time zone than Canyon.
Driving to Canyon, Texas
From Amarillo:
To get to Canyon from Amarillo take I-27 South for 18 miles.
From Lubbock:
To get to Canyon from Lubbock take I-27 North for 105 miles.
From Fort Worth:
To get to Canyon from Fort Worth take US-287 North for 350 miles. This will take about five and a half hours.
From Clovis, New Mexico
To get to Canyon from Clovis, New Mexico take US-60 East for 88 miles.
From Houston, Texas
The fastest way to get to Canyon from Houston is to go through Fort Worth. Take I-45 North from Houston to Fort Worth, then in Fort Worth take exit 247 to get onto US-287 North. This route is 609 miles and will take 9 hours and 15 minutes, plus bathroom and gas station breaks.
Another slightly longer route from Houston to Canyon is through Austin and Lubbock. This route is slightly longer at 620 miles and involves a few more highway interchanges, but it might make sense if otherwise you would hit Fort Worth at rush hour, but don’t underestimate what traffic in Austin can be like either. This route takes 9 hours and 49 minutes, plus bathroom and gas station breaks.
What hotels are in Canyon, Texas?
Canyon is a tourist town and a college town, so there are lots of hotels available. You can rent an Air B&B or stay at the Holiday Inn Express, Best Western Palo Duro, or Buffalo Inn – Canyon. All of the hotels are centrally located in Canyon, and easy to get to from Palo Duro State Park.
What is there to do in Canyon, Texas?
Canyon is a pleasant small town with lots of tourist activities and outdoor recreation.
Many people go to Canyon because of the University. There are also a lot of nice restaurants, a coffee shop and outdoor activities. There has been a long history of photographers and artists being drawn to the area due to the amazing landscape, including the famous painter Georgia O’Keefe.
Museums in Canyon
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum
Address: 2503 4th Ave, Canyon, TX 7901
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday 9 AM – 5 PM.
Tickets are $12.50 for adults, with discounted tickets available for seniors, children and groups.
The Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum is a museum dedicated to the history of the Texas Panhandle-Plains region.