Where to base yourself
Highway hotels are clustered around the US-87 and US-54 junction. Trains run through town, so ask for a quiet room if you are a light sleeper.
Food
Small-town cafés, steak and Tex-Mex. Close-to-home options are limited on Sundays.
Understanding the Dust Bowl
In the 1930s, drought and over-ploughed soil turned to vast dust storms. Dalhart became a symbol of that disaster, and its story is central to Timothy Egan’s book The Worst Hard Time. Reading it makes the empty land feel very different.
Old Tascosa
South-east of Channing, this once-rowdy cattle town faded after the railway missed it. The site now lies within Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, with a small museum and a Boot Hill cemetery. Check visitor access first.
Sample plans
Half a day
Museum, monument and lunch, then a loop back to Amarillo via Channing.
One day
Add a slow drive through the Rita Blanca grassland, looking for pronghorn at sunset.
