Sweltering 🥵 7 mile Bull Canyon to Rocky Ledges loop in Copper Breaks TX

Описание: Hiking Copper Breaks State Park: Hidden Canyons, Rugged Trails & Big Texas Skies | This was our first time visiting Copper Breaks State Park in north Texas, right near the Panhandle.

I had no idea this was a designated International Dark Sky Park... but it makes sense as it's incredibly far from... well, anything 😂

Copper Breaks State Park TX is:
📍 2&1/2 hours southeast of Amarillo
📍 3 hours southwest of OKC
📍 3&1/2 hours northwest of Dallas

Due to its remote location this really is an underrated gem. It's only an hour south of Altus OK where we live. Located near Quanah TX, Copper Breaks is known for its red rock canyons, dramatic "breaks" in the land, and wide-open skies for stargazing.

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*Our route*
We parked up at the Bull Canyon Trailhead and set out on the short loop, which leads into an additional longer "Homesteader" loop.

🥾 Bull Canyon Short Loop = an easy 1 mile sandy trail with zero elevation, with parking right at the trailhead.
🥾 Bull Canyon Homesteader Loop = a 0.9 mile addition to the Short loop, bringing both to a total of 1.9 miles.

The Bull Canyon Loop connects to the River Run Trail, which is a slow meander through quiet grasslands, mostly flat with some rocky up-and-down parts! This trail connects the west side of the park (where Bull Canyon is), to the east side which offers rockier, more challenging trails.

Wanting to go further than just the Bull Canyon trails, we followed the River Run Trail all the way to the Rocky Ledges Loop.

🥾 River Run Trail = a 1.4 miles out-and-back, only accessible via the Bull Canyon or Rocky Ledges trails.
🥾 Rocky Ledges Loop = 1.1 miles, with a 0.05 mile MTB Trail connection to parking.

Rocky Ledges was the most challenging part of our hike, even though it was only just a mile or so. It was steep climbs in places, the terrain was mostly rough and uneven, slippery in places. But offered the most interesting scenery of all the trails.

Follow Rocky Ledges north and it connects with the Juniper Ridge Nature Trail, which has a fantastic overlook at the top, and some super interesting geographical features. Also not a long trail, it is steep in places but the park has built steps into the hill making it far easier to navigate!

🥾 Juniper Ridge Nature Trail = 0.7 miles, with parking right at the trailhead.

From the Juniper loop, we walked back to the car via the main road of the state park, to avoid having to go back the way we came! It came out to a little over a mile. In total, our trip came out to around 6 miles of rugged beauty, from canyon floors to high ridgelines.

Along the way is:
🏜️ Red-rock ledges and canyon views
🌳 Mesquite and juniper-covered trails
💦 Small stream that connects to the Pease River
And so much more.

While we just visited for a mid-morning hike, we 100% want to come back for some primitive camping (in winter... when there's no snakes or spiders 😂) to see all the stars, and also for Longhorn herd viewing, which the park organizes at weekends!

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📍 Copper Breaks State Park
• Near Quanah, Texas
• ~1,900 acres of rugged terrain
• Hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, stargazing
• Designated International Dark Sky Park 🌌

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Who am I?
You mean why is this yapping Brit posting videos on Texas and SW Oklahoma trails?! My USAF husband got stationed in SWOK in 2024 and together, along with our lil wannabe-mountain-goat beagle Louie, we’re making the most of our time here by finding outdoorsy things to do. We love hiking, we love nature, and we love tiring the dog out so we can head home after and curl up for a nap/with a good book 📚. Subscribe to follow our journey.

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