I recently had off of work for Good Friday and knew I wanted to use the day to check something off my ever-growing Texas bucket list. After doing some research on nearby hikes, I decided to make the 1.5 hour trip from Austin to Enchanted Rock in Fredericksburg, Texas.
My drive through Texas hill country took me past wineries, about 20 peach stands (are peaches a thing in Texas??) and a ton of bbq joints. It was so refreshing to get away from congested Austin highways for a day. One of my favorite parts of taking day trips is driving to the destination, and the drive to Fredericksburg definitely did not disappoint!
The most beautiful part of the drive was actually the last ten minutes, when I finally saw Enchanted Rock peeking out of the hilly landscape. Enchanted Rock is a huge pink granite dome that rises 425 feet above ground and looks as if it was transported from another planet. The local Tonkawa, Apache and Comanche tribes believed that Enchanted Rock had magical powers after hearing unexplained groaning coming from the rocks at night. Geologists later determined that the strange noises were caused by the dome’s night-time contraction after being heated by the sun.
Enchanted Rock has a few different trails to choose from, along with rock climbing and bouldering areas. I hiked the Loop Trail first (about 4 miles) and then hiked up the .6 mile Summit Trail that takes you to the top of the dome. I would probably recommend hiking the summit trail first because it’s so much more strenuous, despite being a shorter distance.
The view from the top of Enchanted Rock is indescribable. Seeing the hill country and rock formations in the distance made me feel like I wasn’t even in Texas. I could have taken hundreds of photos and found myself stopping every few minutes to take in a new completely stunning view. Here are a few of my photos from the climb:
I think that all levels of hikers would be fine hiking both Loop Trail and Summit Trail. There are also picnic areas to enjoy a lunch and camping areas if you wanted to make Enchanted Rock into a weekend trip. Just a heads up- if you visit Enchanted Rock on a holiday, plan for an hour wait to actually get into the park.
Have you ever been to Enchanted Rock? Do you have any other suggestions for hikes near the Austin area that I should check out?
No Rain Checks 