Palo Duro Canyon

From the starkly beautiful mountains of Big Bend National Park in West Texas to the moss-draped cypress trees of Caddo Lake in East Texas, the Lone Star State often surprises newcomers with its sheer variety of natural wonders. One factor in the changing landscape across the state is the amount of rain each region receives annually. The deserts of West Texas may get only around 8 inches of rain per year, while the verdant pine forests of East Texas receive about 30 inches of rain annually. The terrain also changes as you travel from west to east, with mountains in the far west, rolling hills in Central Texas, and flatlands to the east.