State Parks: Enchanted Rock State Natural Area

Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is one of the most unique parks in the state of Texas.  The park is named for Enchanted Rock, a tall pink granite dome rising approximately 425 feet above the base elevation of the park’s surrounding Texas Hill Country landscape.  The park’s scenery, rock formations, and the legends surrounding Enchanted Rock have led to the park’s slogan of “Magical, Mystical, Enchanted”.  The granite dome is a small and visible part of a huge underground area of granite, called a batholith. It  is the second tallest geographic feature of its type in the United States.

Acitivities at Enchanted Rock

The park offers visitors the opportunity to hike along nearly 11 miles of hiking trails.  Rock climbing is also available on several areas of the dome.  Visitors can explore several caves accessible from the rock.  To explore the caves you’ll need to make sure you have the appropriate attire and equipment for crawling through some fairly narrow areas along the way.  For those interested in stargazing or photographing the night sky, the geology of the park and darkness of the surrounding rural area make it one of the best public areas for stargazing in the hill country.

Camping At Enchanted Park State Natural Area

Enchanted Rock features 35 walk-in campsites, 20 primitive backpack campsites, and primitive backpack campsites for large groups. Reservations can be made online or over the telephone, and should be made as far in advance as possible.