Of all things uniquely Texan, climbing Enchanted Rock is right up there with strolling through the Alamo, searching for the Marfa Lights, floating the Guadalupe River, and buying useless stuff at the world’s largest flea market at Canton. Now, outdoors fans can lace up the hiking boots and smear on an extra layer of sunscreen because the Enchanted Rock experience is about to get bigger and better.
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Foundation recently purchased adjacent land parcels with more than 3,000 acres of rugged real estate adjoining Enchanted Rock. Funded by the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, a billion-dollar pool of money approved by Texas voters in 2023, the acquisition triples the size of the park from 1,685 acres to 5,388 acres.
The new property, previously used for ranching and hunting, will offer expanded recreational opportunities for visitors, protect the delicate ecology and conserve the cherished night sky in the rapidly developing area. A plan for the property is in the works with details yet to be determined.
“We are evaluating all our options with the new property,” Park Superintendent Doug Cochran, says, “and getting input from the public. Enchanted Rock is important to a lot of people, and we want to hear their ideas. We hope to have a plan within a year. Development will take another 2 to 3 years.”
“Water is a major consideration as we plan for the future,” says Hanna Pickens, Interpretive Ranger at Enchanted Rock. “Hikers and campers need water for drinking, showers and restrooms. And water is not abundant out here.”
Already one of the most popular TPWD sites, over 300,000 nature lovers visited Enchanted Rock in 2024. The place frequently reaches capacity by mid-morning on Saturdays and Sundays. To show up without calling ahead is risky. On weekends, vehicles without reservations need to be in line on Ranch Road 965 by sun-up or they may not get in.
Like the existing state natural area, the new property has unusual rock formations, spectacular scenery and some interesting features not found in a lot of places. Microhabitats have developed where pools of rainwater collect in low spots on the granite surface. Some pools have tiny freshwater shrimp that eat algae. The shrimp lay eggs that survive the dry season and come alive when the rain falls in the spring. Public ownership of the land means greater protection for these ecologically fragile areas.
‘Magic Mountain’
The expansion has created a lot of excitement, but the star of the show is, and always will be, Enchanted Rock, the bald granite dome that rises defiantly above the rough Hill Country landscape. The Rock has been an object of curiosity and wonder since humans first saw it. Located near the Pinta Trail, one of the oldest roads in Texas, Enchanted Rock has lured Native Americans for centuries. The Natives heard mysterious moaning sounds coming from the rock as it expanded in the heat of the day and then contracted as the temperature cooled in the evening. They saw spirit fires dancing on the rock after the sun went down. They believed spirits lived in the mountain. The place has enchanted humans ever since.
The Germans and other early Hill Country settlers soon fell under the spell of Enchanted Rock. The place was a getaway, a picnic spot and a recreational area for Hill Country people long before the rest of world knew anything about it. The Germans called it Zauberberg, or “Magic Mountain.” Fredericksburg men kept the old dirt road to Enchanted Rock in good shape so families and friends would have an easy time getting there.
In 1921, 80 volunteers from Fredericksburg, using hand tools, worked on the road to Enchanted Rock. After the repairs, the Fredericksburg Standard boasted that “the road is in such fine shape any car can make it (15 miles from Fredericksburg to Enchanted Rock) in an hour and a half.
“The men joining in the road work had taken along two kegs of La Perla,” the article continued. “Two goats were barbecued at the Enchanted Rock. The barbecue was delicious, but the two goats seemed not to have sufficient meat to quench the hunger of the eighty hard-working road men. Thus, it also seemed to them that the contents of the two kegs of La Perla were emptied too soon.”
Family land
The Moss family acquired the Enchanted Rock property in the 19th century, and Tate Moss opened the Rock to campers in 1927. The family operated Enchanted Rock as a private park for the next 50 years, until the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department bought it in 1978.
Lincoln Borglum, son of Gutzon Borglum (the man who carved presidents’ faces on Mt. Rushmore, South Dakota) once visited Enchanted Rock. He floated the idea of carving the faces of famous Texans in the granite. Thankfully that idea sank.
While a climb to the summit is a good 45-minute stretch of the legs, there is more than one way to get there. In the 19th century, people from Willow City and Eckert rode their horses to the top of Enchanted Rock for a worship service. What better place to hear Rev. Dan Moore preach a sermon, based on Matthew 16:18, “Upon this rock I will build my church.” At least two vehicles climbed Enchanted Rock as publicity stunts. Boys rode their bicycles to the summit for bragging rights and to get their picture in the newspaper. When polio confined Robbie Schandua of Fredericksburg to a wheelchair, his classmates at St. Mary’s High School carried him to the top of Enchanted Rock to celebrate their high school graduation.
Unlike more intimidating peaks, Enchanted Rock invites people to climb it. And people come by the thousands from all over the world. On busy days climbers on the Rock look like ants crawling on a scoop of ice cream.
Enchanted Rock is a Texas Treasure that is about to be even better. The new property will provide a buffer from development, preserve the view, protect the delicate environment and offer the best family recreational experience for years to come.