Enchanted Rock | Fredericksburg Texas Hill Country Hiking

20 minutes North of Fredericksburg, Texas, you’ll find the 425 foot tall pink granite batholith known as Enchanted Rock. People drive from neighboring metropolitan cities like Houston, Austin, and Dallas in hopes to climb this over 30 degree slope up.

The Enchanted Rock Summit Trail is only 1.3 miles up and back and you don’t really understand how steep it is until you’re already invested in your climb and find yourself suddenly out of breath.

Worried about falling off? You might think about it once or twice along the climb, but in reality, only two people have ever died while in the park. And, since Enchanted Rock is made of granite, it produces a good amount of friction in order to help you stay put.

If going straight up isn’t your thing, you can also walk over 11 miles of hiking trails around the base of the Texas icon.

This over 1600 acre park provides a great display of the wide array of Texas landscapes – from rocky terrain and cacti to beautifully tall trees and grassy areas. Camping is available in the park as well as day passes for $8 per person. But this popular park is a busy one, so make sure to reserve your pass well in advance of your trip so you don’t get rejected when you arrive. You’ll also want to make sure to check weather reports before you leave home too. Because of it’s steep slope, the park closes all trails when there’s bad weather – the last thing you’d want to do is be caught on a big slippery wet rock and try to get down safely.

I’ve heard of Enchanted Rock for years and I’m so glad I finally got a chance to hike around it and up it. Overall, the whole thing took about 3 hours to walk around, up, and down. But that view from the top – that’s what makes it all worth it. I highly recommend you go hike Enchanted Rock soon!