Why Is This Land Unique? It’s The Only One Of It’s Kind In Texas.

North of Amarillo, there's a swath of land that is incredibly unique. It sits near the Canadian River. If you've ever driven north on Dumas Road, you've passed by it. So, what makes it so unique?

It's the only one of its kind in the whole state of Texas.

Say Hello To The Cross Bar SRMA

The Cross Bar SRMA is roughly 12,000 acres north of Amarillo. What sets it apart from all other land in Texas, is that it is the only land managed and maintained for public use by the Bureau of Land Management in the state.

That's right. The only BLM land in the entire Lone Star State has been sitting just north of Yellow City, and you probably didn't even know it.

Why Haven't You Ever Heard Of This?

I'm going to take a stab in the dark and guess that it's because it is really tough to get to at the moment. It's surrounded by private ranch land.

For now, you need a permit from the BLM office, and then you're going to have to park your vehicle on the bank of the Canadian River and basically hike your way in.

At least, according to this information I found on the BLM.gov website.

There are a lot of rules in place at the moment too, when it comes to how you can use the land once you're on it.

I wouldn't get dreams of pulling up in an RV and starting a campfire. You can't do either one of those things.

The Push To Open Up The Cross Bar BLM

All hope is not lost though. There is a movement to get better access built to the BLM so that you and I can actually make our way out to our public land. Which again, is the only BLM land in the state of Texas.

It's pretty special, very unique, and it would be great to be able to have easier access to our public land.

The group, Friends of Cross Bar SRMA, will be participating in Panhandle Gives this year to help raise funds. They're needing to raise their grant match in order to get the easement built to the land, which would give us all easier access to it right off the highway.

If you love the outdoors, the panhandle is a great place to be. We have Palo Duro Canyon. There are several other areas too, with trails and scenic views.

Hopefully soon, we'll have easier access to even more.