Fredericksburg, Texas ~ Enchanted Rock

By now you may have read my previous posts on Fredericksburg being the “New Napa” and my magical Swiss lodging, but there is more to the magic of this region than just wine and rooms. Being an avid hiker, I always seek out some kind of trail to ground myself when I travel. In preparing for Fredericksburg, I discovered The Enchanted Rock state park, which is about a 30 minute drive from Fburg.  The pictures online, and certainly in my post, do not do this natural marvel justice.

Enchanted Rock state park is home to the largest pink granite monadnock (aka; really big rock) in the United States. What that means is that it is a single large rock that takes up 640 acres and rises 425 feet above the general land mass surrounding.  You can see this rock about 5 miles out from the entrance to the park. It’s big, really, really big.

How did it get it’s name? Originally the natives (Tonkawa, Apache and Comanche tribes) called it Spirit Song Rock because they believed it to have magical powers and be a portal to other worlds. They believed if you slept on the rock at night, you would become invisible.  Likely because they survived several raids as settlers moved through this region by hiding on or in the rock. The name was changed to Enchanted Rock as the park was formalized. And while I didn’t disappear nor did I “teleport” anywhere, it is an “other worldly” hike with its unusual rock formations and flora.

You need to plan ahead to visit Enchanted Rock by booking online and scheduling a time slot on the Texas State Park website.  The park has several trails and some that you can take your dog on.  Note that the summit trail hike, which is the most popular, does not allow dogs due to the risk of “hidden creatures” in cracks on the rock that might bite them while they are sniffing around.  Such was the case when I went as I brought my dog.  The trail around the rock is about 4 miles and is relatively simple provided there are no detours. The day I went there was in fact a detour that took us up the side of the rock and it was tricky.  Fun, but tricky.  So, if you are a novice hiker and want certainty in your trail path, be sure to ask about detours on any of your trails when you check in at the gate.