Around Amarillo, you can find various hiking spots, trails, and bike paths. Many areas of the Texas Panhandle contain beautiful regions of nature that provide excellent ways to explore the environment. For example, Palo Duro Canyon provides amazing views of the region and tons of hiking and bike trails. Many people even visit the area just to explore the canyon, but that is not the only scenic place in the area to discover. At Wildcat Bluff Nature Center, you can experience the Texas Panhandle environment along beautiful trails in nature. 

Wildcat Bluff Nature Center is on the northwest side of town at 2301 N Soncy Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124, and takes up more than 680 acres of land. The center contains trails where visitors can hike and bike along, seeing and learning about the nature of the panhandle. Wildcat Bluff is fully staffed by volunteers and relies solely on volunteer work to continue operating. While there is a small entry fee of $4.00, the center does accept donations and is a non-profit organization. 

The center was founded and established in 1992 and focuses on the study and conservation of the nature and environment of the Texas Panhandle. The land the center is located on was once part of the famous Frying Pan Ranch owned by Joseph Glidden. If you are not familiar with Glidden, he is the inventor of barbed wire, a revolutionary device for farmers and ranchers. Ownership of this ranch was transferred to Glidden’s son-in-law, William Henry Bush, who would come to have the non-incorporated community of Bushland named after him.

The nature center was established in order to promote a sense of responsibility among the community for the conservation of nature and the preservation of our world. Through educational programs and activities, the center accomplishes this goal and hosts many school groups. For these school groups, programs can be selected by teachers and can be tailored to follow and fit the TEKS. Tours can be provided to school groups as young as pre-kindergarten and as old as university level. The hands-on learning experience these programs provide is a great way to get outside and take in nature and our surrounding environment. For school groups, chaperones are free, and each student is $3. A maximum of 10 students to one chaperone is required. 

If you aren’t part of a school group, and still want to visit, you can either go during office hours from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Saturday, or you can hike while they are closed. The center trusts that you will place your fee in a slot box. Wildcat Bluff Nature Center also offers memberships that allow unlimited entry to the center, invitations to functions and events being held by the center, and member discounts. If you want to learn more about your surroundings while hiking, call to schedule a hike led by a naturalist. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities with Wildcat Bluff, you can visit their website to learn more. 

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Map from Wildcat Bluff Nature Center to William Wheeler, Amarillo REALTOR

Map from Wildcat Bluff Nature Center to Cadillac Ranch