The park is twenty miles east of Canyon, Texas. The canyon is a dramatic parting of the seemingly endless plains of the Texas Panhandle. The view from the bench sweeps down into its western reaches. Above the canyon, the llano estacado is a vast, treeless expanse. In the canyon, there are trees.
Colorful sedimentation abounds.
The Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River traces its course past crags of orange and red stone. Palo Duro Canyon is a sublime microcosm of southwestern landscape.