For the first time in more than a decade, the skies above Palo Duro Canyon came alive with color Friday morning as hot air balloons lifted off from the canyon floor — something few people have seen since 2012. The Pirates of the Canyon Invitational Balloon Rally officially marked its return to the Texas Panhandle, bringing back a tradition that celebrates flight, freedom, and the striking beauty of the state park’s red rock cliffs.
“It’s just freaking gorgeous out here,” said veteran pilot Sharon Hartshorn, grinning as her balloon’s shadow stretched across the canyon walls. “To be able to fly down into the canyon again after all these years — it’s something special.”
Two hot air balloons rise together above the floor of Palo Duro Canyon on Oct. 24, 2025. The event brought pilots from across the Southwest for the first canyon launch in more than 13 years.
The rally, themed The Pirates Return, drew about 15 pilots from across the Southwest for a rare chance to fly in restricted airspace. Typically, aircraft are not allowed within Palo Duro Canyon State Park, but park officials made an exception to allow the event, which pairs the vibrant colors of the balloons with one of Texas’ most photographed landscapes.
Earlier story: Hot air balloons lift off in Palo Duro Canyon early Friday
For spectators gathered along the canyon rim, the view was equal parts serene and surreal — massive fabric sails rising in silence above a landscape that’s usually home only to hikers, bikers, and roadrunners.
For this reporter, it was also a first. I joined Hartshorn’s crew for the early morning launch, my first time ever aboard a hot air balloon. Floating above Palo Duro Canyon offered a breathtaking new perspective — an unhurried, dreamlike view of the park’s rugged cliffs and winding trails that few ever see from the air.
As we drifted above the canyon floor, the quiet was almost complete — only the occasional hiss of the burner broke the stillness. From above, the winding trails and the layered cliffs looked like a painting in motion. It was easy to understand why balloonists chase the wind wherever it leads.
Hartshorn, who has been ballooning for more than 20 years, said her love for flight began with a St. Patrick’s Day event in Los Lunas, New Mexico. “My mom never let me fly in a balloon,” she said with a laugh. “So I showed her. I took a ride, and I was hooked. Within a year, I had my own balloon.”
From above Palo Duro Canyon, a view of multiple balloons lifting off from Mack Dick Pavilion Parking Lot Oct. 24, 2025.
She said ballooning offers a perspective unlike any other form of flight. “You just see things in a way you can’t from an airplane,” Hartshorn said. “We fly lower and slower, and it’s mostly relaxing. You get to see the world in this quiet, beautiful way.”
The flight Friday, Oct. 24 wasn’t just picturesque — it was historic. Hartshorn said the last successful launch from Palo Duro Canyon took place in 2012, and many pilots had been waiting years for conditions to align again.
“It’s not easy to organize something like this,” she said. “I ran a balloon rally for a few years myself. It takes a lot of work and money. Sponsors are what make it happen — they cover propane, hotels, and logistics. We pilots pay a small entry fee, but it doesn’t come close to the real cost.”
Ballooning, she explained, is equal parts art and science. Wind direction and speed must be perfect, particularly when launching from a canyon where there are few landing options.
Hot air balloons drift past the canyon walls at Palo Duro Canyon State Park during the Pirates of the Canyon rally on Oct. 24, 2025.
“It took me three years before I could actually get my balloon out of here,” Hartshorn said. “The first two years I came, the wind was either too strong or blowing the wrong direction. If we go the wrong way, there are no roads for 250 miles. You’re stuck in the canyon. So, yeah — there’s a lot of luck involved.”
The Pirates of the Canyon rally continues through Sunday, with flights scheduled Saturday morning and evening at John Stiff Memorial Park in Amarillo, followed by a trick-or-treat balloon glow. Pilots hope to return to the canyon for a final flight Sunday morning, weather permitting.
A hot air balloon drifts low over a road inside Palo Duro Canyon during the Pirates of the Canyon rally. Pilots described the flight as both thrilling and precise — one wrong gust could change everything.
Despite the challenges, Hartshorn said the effort is worth it. When she’s not ballooning, she spends half the year in Alaska working as a veterinarian, returning to Texas for events like this one.
“I really hate the heat,” she joked. “I only come back from Alaska for ballooning.”
For Hartshorn and the other pilots, the reward isn’t just the view — it’s the connection with people who look up in wonder.
Pilot Sharon Hartshorn and her crew inflate their balloon before takeoff during the Pirates of the Canyon rally at Palo Duro Canyon on Oct. 24, 2025. It was the first time in more than a decade that balloons filled the canyon sky.
“Well, you saw what we had today — 15 balloons,” she said. “Now imagine six hundred. That’s what it’s like in Albuquerque. But even with just a few of us here, it’s still magic. It’s what keeps us coming back.”
As dawn broke over the canyon, the balloons rose quietly into the cool air, their colors reflecting off the red cliffs like sails on an open sea. For a few minutes, Palo Duro belonged to the pirates again — explorers chasing wind and wonder.
Two hot air balloons — including the Pepsi balloon — rise in formation over the red clay landscape of Palo Duro Canyon during the Pirates of the Canyon rally. The return of the event brought together dozens of pilots and crews for a rare flight inside the canyon.
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Hot air balloons soar again over Palo Duro Canyon in 2025
