Where the high plains meets the rolling plains sits Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway: the third largest state park in Texas in terms of acreage. The park features a diverse environment of plants and animals, most notably the Texas state bison, black-tailed prairie dog and Mexican-free tailed bat in the summer months. Over 25 miles of trails go through the park alone and a 64-mile-long trailway outside of the park provides visitors with a unique hiking, biking or horseback riding experience. Caprock Canyons also has Lake Theo, a no wake lake filled with a variety of different fish for fishing (even without a fishing license) or kayaking. Aside from the physical elements of the park, Caprock Canyons also prides itself on all the opportunities it provides visitors to learn about the environment found within the park.
LeAnn Pigg, the park’s interpreter, sees the impact that state parks make on people everyday as she interacts with guests. Whether it be through a tour, educational talk, guided hike or other activity, Pigg watches people connect with nature and have a spark of interest as they learn about different resources, wildlife and ways to conserve them.
“I love this particular park; this is my park that I am committed to, so I love to market it. I love to tell anybody about all the good things that we have going for us here at Caprock,” Pigg says.
One of the good things is the park’s bat tours hosted throughout the summer. The bat tours are held every Friday from June through August, but because of their popularity, a few Saturday tours were hosted so as many people as possible could experience it. The tour lasts roughly 3 hours and takes guests through about 12 miles of the most scenic parts of the trailway as the guide goes over its history. The trailway is actually across the abandoned railroad bed of the Fort Worth and Denver South Plains Railway. The railway was built in the early 1920s and began freight and passenger service between Lubbock and Estelline in 1928. The railway was used until 1989 and in 1992, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired it with the help of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy.
The section of the tour that covers bats is held at Clarity Tunnel, which is one of the last remaining railroad tunnels in Texas. Pigg says that visitors love the architecture of the tunnel as its look and feel of an authentic railroad adds to the experience. The guide goes over facts about bats and more specifically the Mexican free-tailed bats that call Clarity Tunnel their home in the summer. More than half a million bats live in the tunnel and the tour features time to watch them emerge as night falls. The canyons can be seen in the backdrop behind the bats’ emergence, enhancing the experience even more. There are only a few more bat tours this summer and they are reservation only, $10 a seat. Reservations for a bat tour can be made by calling 806-455-1492.
Though the bat tours are ending soon, Caprock Canyons is staying busy as events and educational programs are planned almost every weekend. One of their largest events is Bison Fest on September 25. Bison Fest is a Texas country music festival featuring well known artists and will be headlined this year by Pat Green. Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Cory Morrow Band, Max Stalling and David Beck’s Tejano Weekend rounds out the performers. The event is hosted all day in downtown Quitaque with food and vendors of all kinds. Pigg says it’s a fun way to experience the bison capital of Texas while enjoying a great event that’s for a good cause. All proceeds from Bison Fest go to the Texas State Bison Herd Restoration Project, which works to enhance the habitat for these bison and helps conservation efforts to ensure their future. General admission is $40, VIP tickets are $150 and there is a $10 cooler charge. For a full list of events at Caprock Canyon, visit the events page on their website.
While events are a big selling point for the park, Pigg feels that coming to Caprock Canyons at any time is a way to help people (local or visiting from afar) reconnect with the great outdoors and experience the unique resources at the park. The bison herd free roaming around the park is the last of the Southern Plains Bison, making their history and protection even more important and a huge highlight for the park. The different types of trails, wildlife, natural formations and scenic views make Caprock Canyons full of things to experience.
“All these resources are here for everyone and it’s important that they understand the value that parks have in their lives,” Pigg says.
Caprock Canyons State Park and Trailway is located 3.5 miles north of State Highway 86 in Quitaque on FM 1065. For more information about the park, visit their website.