MERUS wants to bring outdoor adventure to Texas Panhandle
MERUS Adventure Park held its official grand opening last weekend, showcasing more than 5,500 acres in the heart of Palo Duro Canyon with dual ribbon cuttings from the Claude and Canyon Chamber of Commerce in attendance.
The park, which offers off-roading, hiking, caving mountain biking and other activities and accommodations for visitors, gave a tour of their trails that overlook scenic canyon views and a rare ability to drive in the canyon and see nature up close. Within the park, there are cabins, glamping, RV, and primitive campsites. The park is located about 35 miles from Amarillo and a few miles from Claude.
Dirk van Reenan, founder and CEO of MERUS Adventure, spoke about the aim of his adventure park. According to Reenan, his park is the largest private adventure park in Texas.
“We provide a premium outdoor experience that is very family-friendly and about bringing the community together in the outdoors,” Reenan said. “It’s a place for people to come together and experience Palo Duro Canyon in a way that you cannot find anywhere else in the Palo Duro Canyon system. Because of that, we are attracting people from all over the United States.”
Reenan said that the project was started more than 30 months ago while being open to members only as they have been putting in the infrastructure to be able to be open to the general public. Day passes are available, as well as a membership pass, which gives 24-hour access to the immense park.
“Our park is open seven days a week for members to come and go as they like,” Reenan said. “We also have at least seven different members-only events per year that give free excursions with other members. Every weekend we have members out here camping and exploring the canyon together.”
Reenan said that one of the biggest differences between MERUS Adventure and state parks will be the exclusivity, where they will not be waiting in line to get in, with an ability to get up close to areas of the canyon. He said that the park caps out visitors at 300, so that they can get a premium experience.
“We really wanted to create options for people when it comes to lodging that gives them everything from primitive campsites right on the rim of the canyon, along with sites deep in the canyon that will not be near other campers,” Reenan said. “We also have many other options, from glamping to cabins as well as the ability to bring your RV.”
The groundbreaking, according to Reenan, was a way to announce to the local communities that their facilities and infrastructure are ready for them.
“We want to let the local community know who we are and what we do,” Reenan said. “Over 90% of our business right now comes from two hours or more away from Amarillo. There are a lot of people that have no idea about this park, and we want them to know that there is an amazing place right here in the Texas Panhandle, which you do not have to go to other states to see.”
Another focus that MERUS Adventure has is being able to help people get into off-roading by giving training to give people a better understanding of off-roading with their vehicles.
“So, for people that are thinking about off-roading and have never gone or do not have much experience, this is an amazing place to really learn and get your confidence up so that you can do it safely anywhere,” Reenan said.
With this venture, which is still expanding, Reenan hopes to be a great business partner to cities in the Texas Panhandle.
“We are excited to be an Amarillo area business and bringing people from around the country together to experience the rich outdoor landscape that Palo Duro Canyon has to offer. And to especially share the true hospitality of Amarillo with all our visitors,” Reenan added.
For more information on MERUS Adventure, go to https://merusadventure.com/
This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: MESUS Adventure Park looking to be a destination for Amarillo
