Merus Adventure is a new overland and off road destination in Texas located in the world famous Palo Duro Canyon, America’s 2nd largest canyon behind the Grand Canyon. New to the Texas scene, it already offers more than 50 miles of off road trails in Texas with up to 120 miles planned. It provides an amazing experience for visitors but there are a few tips for visiting Merus Adventure that you should be aware of first. Read on…
Only Full Size Vehicles
Merus Adventure only allows full size vehicles on it’s off road trails. Side-by-sides (SxS), four wheelers, motorcycles, and UTVs are not allowed on the Merus trails. They have done this intentionally for the safety of visitors and to keep the park very quiet. Visit the Merus Adventure website for vehicle requirements and restrictions.
Bring a Fire Extinguisher and GMRS Radio
You are required to bring a fire extinguisher on board each vehicle. Additionally, you are required to have a GMRS radio in case of emergency so that you can contact the park. If you don’t have one you can rent one onsite.
Only Dry Dock, Boondocking, Dispersed Camping
Merus Adventure has 40+ campsites spread over 6 campsites. They offer amazing canyon views up top or rugged, secluded spots down in the canyon. Know before you go that none of the campsites offer electricity, water, or waste infrastructure. You will need to be self contained when camping.
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Come Prepared
Merus Adventure is a marvelously rugged, wild and natural destination for overland and off road enthusiasts. That said, it differs from any other off road destination park in Texas because it does not have the normal infrastructure you might expect. While the trails are very well marked (best in Texas in my opinion) there are no air pumps for airing up your tires, no spots for food, and you are potentially hours away from getting supplies. For this reason, you need to come prepared for whatever scenario you might encounter during your visit. Bring off road equipment you might need, extra food should you get hungry, a first aid kit and fire extuingisher, and other critical items you need.
It’s Rugged
Merus Adventure trails are rugged… more rugged than other off road parks in Texas of the same rating. Even the green trails can be a bit challenging or intimidating especially for first timers! Know that Merus offers terrain that would challenge any driver and understand that you need to be aware of which trail you are driving to avoid getting in above your head. Their website www.merusadventure.com does a good job of providing examples of vehicle setup for each kind of trail and you should reference it before visiting.
Trails Average Harder
Having visited many off road parks in Texas, we found that Merus Adventure trails are harder than other parks trails (of the same color/grading). For instance, drivers are encouraged to use low gear on the Drop In section of the green Merus 101 trail due to its degree of steepness and may be intimidating to some new drivers, especially if wheels begin to slide. The blue VR4 trail has many steep departures and approaches that may catch longer vehicles off guard requiring recovery assistance. The team at Merus Adventure has done an incredible job of designing trails that challenge drivers of all levels – just know that a green at Merus is slightly more difficult than a green at something like Northwest OHV or Hidden Falls.
Be Self Sufficient
Given the lack of infrastructure and the rugged nature of Merus Adventure you should plan to be self sufficient when visiting. In addition to bringing recovery gear for your vehicle,
- Bring plenty of water and food to match the length of your visit. (Rule of thumb for drinking water – 1 gallon per person, per day)
- Bring plenty of gas – if planning to stay onsite multiple days consider bringing supplement fuel in jerry cans
- Expect to not be ale to communicate with the outside world – in the canyon there are very few signals
- Weather in the canyon and Texas Panhandle can change rapidly – read expected weather in advance and be prepared for surprises. Summer heat can exceed 100 and fall and winter months can experience rapid drops in temperature (sometimes including frozen precipiation/ice/snow)
- Bring a first aid kit just in case.
No Cell Service
There is no cell signal in the bottom of the canyon. NONE. ZIP. ZERO. If you rely on a WeBoost cell signal booster it won’t work because there’s no cell signal to boost. You won’t have internet. No Instragram to post your epic trail pics. You won’t be calling your wife to let her know you are okay. Keep this in mind. We resorted to using a Garmin InReach satellite communicator to contact loved ones at the end of the day. If you are injured or break down you’ll need to rely on other people in your party, your GMRS radio to contact the park, or walk yourself out.
Some Trails Take Hours
Merus Adventure is 5,200 acres. That’s huge! It’s almost twice as big as the 2nd largest off road park in Texas and you notice it driving through the property. Some trails like VR4 or BERGFlow can literally take hours to drive due to the challenging terrain and obstacles encountered along the way. Don’t think you’ll cruise down most trails at 20 mph… I would suggest you plan on averaging closer to 3-5 mph.
Download Trail Maps
Merus Adventure has done a great job of mapping their trails and have made them available on their website for the excellent Gaia GPS app. Be sure to download the trail maps first, make sure they work on your phone without cell service, and bring them with you to make your experience more enjoyable and safer.
Fire Bans
Palo Duro Canyon has an expansive amount of grass, shrub and tree vegetation. The area often experiences prolonged periods of low rainfall and as a result there may be a fire ban in place when you visit. If a fire ban is in effect during your visit do not light a wood fueled fire or other fuel source that is difficult to extinguish or can produce airborne embers. They can cause fires in the surrounding vegetation.
Mountain Biking and Hiking Offered Too
Merus Adventure also offers amazing mountain biking and hiking trails. Mountain bikers will enjoy the well maintained trails with varied elevation and amazing views along the canyon rim. There’s a small section of jumps for more spirited riding. Hiking trails are also found around the park and provide some of the most amazing views within the park. Just remember to bring plenty of water and the appropriate gear!
No Food or Gift Shop
Although there are plans to add a permanent office with food and gift shop in 2022 (under construction as of May 2022), this does not exist at current time. If you need something (food, water, fuel, medicine, etc) you will need to drive 15 miles to Claude, TX. That’s 15 miles from the entrance… if you are in the canyon it might be several hours away.
No Lodging
There are no lodging options at Merus Adventure. 2022 plans include adding basic cabins for rent but until then dry docking/boondocking/dispersed campsites are available. Hotel options in nearby Claude, TX are available.
Gas is 15 Miles Away
The nearest gas is 15 miles from the park entrance in Claude, TX.
We hope these tips for visiting Merus Adventure help you have a more enjoyable, safer and succesful off roading and overlanding trip. Let us know if you have any tips for visiting Merus Adventure or questions about this information in the comments section below.