wichita falls rv park

Wichita Falls & Palo Duro Canyon State Park

25 04 2015

Near Childress, TX

After leaving Dallas we spend one night at Wichita Falls RV Park. After being here last year, we knew the park was a good option for a quick overnight. This time we parked in a full hookup site which is a bit closer to the Wichita River bordering the property to the rear. The fishing pond has been reduced to a muddy marsh due to what appears to be a rupture of the drain pipe that leads into the river. The swimming pool also has some type of excavation work nearby. Either they are making a major investment in this park, or it is slowly deteriorating. We hope it’s the former, the park occupies an pleasant location along this portion of the Wichita River.

Ever conscious of the weather in North Texas this time of year, we expect that we’ll drive through some showers before crossing a dry-line that is expected to bring dryer and calmer conditions along our route. Unfortunately this clash of dry cool air and warm humid air can fuel thunderstorms along its path. We encountered such a storm just SE of Childress, TX where we are forced to retreat about 20 miles and wait out the passage of the storm. Continuing into the panhandle with very gusty winds we were glad to finally arrive at Palo Duro State Park. Unfortunately our weekend in the Canyon isn’t to be – the campsites are already fully booked. Right next door to Palo Duro State Park is a zipline company that offers some rather run down RV sites. Not wanting to drive in the howling wind any further, we opt for one of these $25 full hookup sites and hunker down for the evening. By morning the winds have subsided and we head west along I-40 into New Mexico toward Las Vegas, NM. More from there…

Near Childress, TX

Palo Duro Canyon, from the top

Zipline RV “park”

19 04 2014

Wichita Falls RV Park

Leaving Arkansas we’ve headed directly west across northern Texas, parallel to the Red River which forms much of the Texas/Oklahoma border. The Red River is an actual river here on the east side of Texas, much different than the dusty gorge that we expect to see in the panhandle area. After entering Arkansas just north of Texarkana, the river turns south and flows across Louisiana where it joins the Mississippi north of Baton Rouge. It’s considered the southernmost major right tributary of the Mississippi.

About 300 miles west, we’re parked at the Wichita Falls RV Park by around 3PM. This is an older park, but the mature trees and grassy areas in between the level well-spaced gravel pads make it pleasant retreat in the busy city. We’re parked in site #15, right across from the office and as-of-yet, unopened pool. There’s a small fishing pond behind us and the Wichita River runs across the north edge of the property. Over half of the parks 100+ sites appear to be long-term residents, however the largest and most central sites are available for overnighters. Our site offers full hookups including sewer and about 65 cable TV channels. Tomorrow we’ll continue across north Texas, with our goal being about 300 miles further west around Dalhart. More from there…