Weather conditions, closures cut 2023 attendance rate at Palo Duro Canyon State Park

AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - Roughly 400,000 visitors were welcomed to the Palo Duro Canyon State Park in 2023, a 15% decrease from 2022.

“We had a lot of rain this year. Of course an upside to having so much rain is the canyon was really beautiful this summer, really green out there with all that added moisture. The downside is it closed down a lot of our trails for a significant portion of the early summer here,” said Bradley Kliemann, park interpreter at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

Despite the attendance rate dip, the park is set to bounce back in 2024 with a calendar “full of community-focused events” looking to lure visitors back to rediscover the charm of this local treasure.

“A lot of events with the community, a lot of outreach there, could really get people thinking about places like Palo Duro Canyon State Park as a place to maybe spend their weekend. That’s a great way that we really want to connect the local community,” said Kliemann.

For more information about events taking place in Palo Duro Canyon, visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.

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