Lighthouse Trail -- A Happy Ending

This review is for the Lighthouse Trail, not the Givens, Spicer & Lowry Running trail.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a very beautiful park and the Lighthouse Trail, in my opinion, is the trail you will want to take if you don't have a lot of time and just want to get to see Lighthouse Peak, Castle Peak and Capitol Peak.

The trail is fairly flat the entire distance out and back, although you have some light climbing at the end of the trail near Lighthouse Peak.  What made this particular hike difficult was the extremely warm weather.  It was over 100 degrees in late September and so warm that I decided not to stay overnight and camp.  Although there are interesting sites along the way, the big attraction is Lighthouse Peak.  You have to ascend some hapzard steps to get there and the ascent is quite steep.  Once you get to the top, however, it is flat again and quite beautiful.  The trail runs out at the peak, although you can go adventuring beyond the peak if you want to brave it.  There are a few inviting canyons in the vicinity.

Aside from hiking, I recommend seeing the park by car as the park has many beautiful sections that can be seen from the road.

Be aware that there are a lot of snakes in this park.  I saw several crossing the paved road and another hiker told me she saw two snakes hiding in the shade beneath the steps.  They weren't aggressive, but you need to take caution regardless as medical help is not nearby in the event you are bitten.

One last advisory -- this park has several low areas that are prone to flash flooding.  In fact, there are 6 river crossings on Park Road with water height markers.  As a result, do not go hiking in inclement weather as dangerous conditions could arise.