![]() ![]() There are a number of hiking trails here, but hiking Enchanted Rock is definitely family-friendly. The climb looks quite steep and daunting as you approach the rock, but it’s really not as bad as it looks. The base of the rock is beautiful with a small creek running through, lots of trees, and grassed picnic areas. To guarantee entrance reserve passes online, or by calling the customer service center, before you visit. While not required on regular weekdays, Enchanted Rock usually reaches capacity every day. Reservations are required for day passes and overnight stays are required on weekends, school breaks and holidays. It’s slightly annoying, yet at the same time, I’m grateful they are implementing measures to reduce the human impact on this significant site.Ī dvanced reservations are highly encouraged. It’s not that Enchanted Rock State Natural Area is over run with people, it’s just that they have limited parking lots and once they’re full it’s closed. We returned at 3pm to another 30-minute car queue before making it in. They would reopen at 2pm and that pass would guarantee us access. We arrived at 11am, after a late start (not good), and joined the queue of cars patiently waiting to get into one of the most popular Texas State Parks.Īfter about 30 minutes we received a pass with the notification that the Enchanted Rock State Natural Area was at full capacity and closed. We were on our RV trip and spending most of the winter in the Southwest. It seemed like everyone was out to find their inner peace and wisdom when we visited during the busy holiday season over Christmas. Plan your trip carefully The amazing views from Enchanted Rock ![]() I felt like I was back in Australia where vastness surrounds you and gives you space and silence to connect to yourself. I found a spot with little people in the way of my view on top of the rock to do the same. ![]() I could imagine this would be a place to climb in solitude and look out at the landscape and contemplate. The Enchanted Rock Texas has thought to be a spiritual place for the local Apache and Comanche tribes for hundreds of years. Upon seeing this a princess threw herself off the rock and now the spirits of both the princess and warriors haunt the mystical rock.Įnchanted Rock is part of a series of granite hills that includes Little Mountain, Turkey Peak, Freshman Mountain, Buzzard’s Roost, and Flagpole Mountain, all located in the State Natural Area. It is said that a group of Tonkawa Indian braves fought to the death on top of Enchanted Rock defending themselves from another tribe. This once mysterious trait created many legends as to the “enchanted nature of the rock and surrounding region. These sheet of granite contract and expand against each other with fluctuating temperatures, which can sometimes be heard as a the rock groaning and creaking especially at night. The dome is made up of curved sheets of granite that range in thickness, called an exfoliation dome. This ancient dome is a spiritual place in Texas. I immediately thought of Uluru in Outback Australia – a rock far more striking rising out of the desert floor, but holding a similar magnetic power. Just like its name promised, I was enchanted. As soon as we rounded the corner at the top of the hill, the massive pink granite dome in Central Texas pulled us into its vision.
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