Wild Horse Trail • Hike • Texas • All Triplogs • HikeArizona.COM

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Mar 05 2025

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 989
Photos 12,068
Triplogs 864

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

North and South Prong Loop, TX

Hiking		Mar 05 2025
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 864

Hiking	9.02 Miles	668 AEG

Hiking	9.02 Miles	5 Hrs 14 Mns	2.17 mph
	668 ft AEG	1 Hour 5 Mns Break

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Wild Horse Trail

Lower North Prong Trail

North Prong Spur Trail

Lower South Prong Trail

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mamakatt22

Desperate for a hike Ginny and I drove to Caprock Canyon State Park. We hiked the Lower North and South Prong Trails of the Little Red River. Arrived at 0800 just in time to see the buffalo herd crossing the road heading to where ever they go during the day. The park was pretty empty with the exception of a few campers. No one on the trails. Fairly easy hiking in this park not a lot of elevation change and the trails are in good condition. The South Prong had a little bit of water in sections from the recent rains but no flow. The weather was in the mid 60's, clear with an occasional light breeze.

The geology of this canyon is fascinating, mainly red Beds with cross cutting Gypsum capped with a couple layers of Calcium carbonate. The Calcium carbonate when polished by the water shows layers of multiple colors. Didn't see any buffalo along the trails but did see a lot of tracks.

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Mar 05 2025

mamakatt22

Routes 305
Photos 39
Triplogs 300

female

Joined Feb 02 2020
Shallowater,TX

North and South Prong Loop Caprock Canyon, TX

Hiking		Mar 05 2025
		mamakatt22 • Triplogs 300

Hiking	9.00 Miles	800 AEG

Hiking	9.00 Miles	5 Hrs 14 Mns		2.20 mph
	800 ft AEG	1 Hour 9 Mns Break	12 LBS Pack

no photosets

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Wild Horse Trail

Lower South Prong Trail

Lower North Prong Trail

North Prong Spur Trail

Partners

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markthurman53

Route Recorded on Route Scout | Pop | Map | Popup | MapDEX

Hooray for a beautiful day to go hiking! Started out at 0900 and it was 43 degrees. It was 64 degrees when we finished. As we got to Caprock Canyon we had a herd of Bison crossing the road in front of us. Mark got us a new Texas Park Pass today. They are good for a year from purchase. The trails were in good condition and easy to follow. The elevation isn't much so I didn't need my poles. We saw two hawks soaring in the sky. No wildflowers yet. It did look like they had gotten some recent rain. There was definitely evidence the Bison go wherever they want in the park. Except for the area fenced off for horses. We saw a Bison Bull along the fence looking for a way inside. Caprock is very pretty and the geology is interesting. In one area there's a nice sandy spot for a break. We took our boots off and enjoyed some snacks with our toes in the sand. We spotted a roadrunner when we were leaving the park. Back in Lubbock we went to Escondido Grill for dinner. It is a really cool restaurant in the country. They have peacocks that live on the grounds. It is really cool to watch them through the window while we eat.

2 archives

Jun 02 2020

markthurman53

Guides 187
Routes 989
Photos 12,068
Triplogs 864

72 male

Joined Jun 27 2015
Tucson, Arizona

Wild Horse Trail Loop, TX

Hiking		Jun 02 2020
		markthurman53 • Triplogs 864

Hiking	7.67 Miles	630 AEG

Hiking	7.67 Miles	3 Hrs 45 Mns		2.24 mph
	630 ft AEG	20 Mns Break	15 LBS Pack

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Mesa and Mesa Spur Trail

Wild Horse Trail

Lower South Prong Trail

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I was finally able to finish up the trails in Caprock Canyon. The park still requires reservations so Ginny made them and we headed up there. The 4 trails I still had to do were sections of the Lower South Prong, Lower North Prong and Mesa Trail and a new Trail for me, the Wild Horse Trail. These are fairly easy trails with two of them having an elevation gain of about 300 feet each. When not on the climbing sections most of the walking was along the Little Red River or on the mesas above it. The weather was a bit warm about 90 degrees by noon with a bit of humidity. Luckily there was a light breeze for most of the trail, a few places along the river bed there was no breeze so sweating was in order. I thought about Joe's post “What do you do about sweat” and wished I had read a few of the comments. Because it was so hot I opted not to finish the last mile of the Lower South Prong. It would have been a 2.5 mile hike back to the car if the heat got too bad, I did not want to break my new bride. Ginny did great on this hike even with the heat, also did well on the Peralta trail back in January. What more could a guy want a great women that loves to hike, I’m in heaven. We did finish the other section of the Lower South Prong from the other end it was a 1.8 mile round trip hike and figured even with the heat we could do that.

There was not a lot of wild life, most were smart enough to be in out of the heat. Saw a turkey, a quail and some Buffalo. Early in the morning the Buffalo were along the road and later in the day in and around a small lake. There were lots of wild flowers most of them new to me. I found the names of some, the rest will remain as unknown. I am glad I was able to finish up the trails in Caprock State Park, just wish I was able to do it in March when the weather was a bit better.

Flora

Flora [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] American star-thistle Berlandier's sundrops Blackeyed Susan Firewheel Mexican Hat Red pricklypoppy Silverleaf Nightshade

Fauna

Fauna [ checklist ]

[ checklist ] Bison (American Buffalo)

Wildflowers Observation Substantial

Holmes Creek

Dry

Lake Theo

51-75% full

North Prong Little Red River

Dry

	South Prong Little Red River	Dry	Dry
	light flow in sections further up stream by the road

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WARNING! Hiking and outdoor related sports can be dangerous. Be responsible and prepare for the trip. Study the area you are entering and plan accordingly. Dress for the current and unexpected weather changes. Take plenty of water. Never go alone. Make an itinerary with your plan(s), route(s), destination(s) and expected return time. Give your itinerary to trusted family and/or friends.

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