This Texas state park is a great alternative to the Grand Canyon, Nat Geo says
One Texas state park is so similar to the wonder of the Grand Canyon, National Geographic named it an underrated alternative.
The U.S. National Parks had a record-breaking year for crowds in 2024. National Geographic created a list of alternatives to the most popular parks, for those who would like to experience the outdoors without lines and packed parking.
The nature magazine created underrated alternatives to the Smoky Mountains, Zion, Yosemite, Acadia, Joshua Tree, Mt. Olympic and the Grand Canyon.
Texas has two National Parks, both located in west Texas — Big Bend National Park and Guadalupe Mountains National Park. There are also 89 state parks in the Lone Star State which cover 640,000 acres of land.
Here’s where National Geographic says you should visit in Texas — and it’s only a road trip away from Fort Worth.
Palo Duro: Texas’ Grand Canyon alternative
Palo Duro Canyon State Park is the second-largest canyon in the U.S., according to National Geographic.
This is a great alternative to the Grand Canyon, especially after the devastating July 13 fire at the Northern rim of the national park. This catastrophic event destroyed more than 70 structures, including the popular Grand Canyon Lodge.
Before that disaster, the Grand Canyon had close to five million guests in 2024. By contrast, Palo Duro only saw a little more than 368,000 guests last year.
“Like the Grand Canyon, Palo Duro has layers of red, orange, and lavender-hued rock walls as well as rock hoodoos,” National Geographic said. “With elevation unusual to Texas, the whole scene feels like you’re in Utah or Arizona—until longhorn cattle amble by your hike or horseback ride.”
Palo Duro sits just south of Amarillo and is a five-and-a-half hour drive from Fort Worth. It is open daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (these are summer hours; regular hours change by season). Park admission is $8, children 12 years old and younger are free.
Other National Park alternatives
National Geographic suggests these parks for popular National Park alternatives (popular parks on the left, alternatives on the right).
- Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee/North Carolina: Black Rock Mountain State Park, Georgia.
- Zion National Park, Utah: Cathedral Gorge State Park, Nevada.
- Yellowstone National Park, Montana: Custer State Park, South Dakota.
- Yosemite National Park, California: Franconia Notch State Park, New Hampshire.
- Acadia National Park, Maine: Camden Hills State Park, Maine.
- Olympic National Park, Washington: Harris Beach State Park, Oregon.
- Joshua Tree National Park, California: Catalina State Park, Arizona.