Enchanted Rock

Our son loved his first visit to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area a few weeks ago.

Located less than 20 miles from Fredericksburg, Texas, and just under 100 miles from Austin, it is a widely-known and well-trafficked part of the state parks system. While tent camping is available, the majority of visitors access the natural area via day passes, which are available here (you can reserve a day pass up to 30 days in advance).

If you’re heading to the park from the Austin-area, consider taking the northern route via Highway 29. This will take you through Llano, where they have a public parking area with river access just past the bridge over the Llano River. Find a spot to park and head down to the river for a few minutes. This scenic view is worth your time and, if you have small kids, it’s a great place for a quick bathroom stop (there is a public restroom near the parking lot).

The Llano River with the Highway 29 bridge in the background.

Once you arrive at Enchanted Rock and find a parking spot, your options are pretty straightforward. There are eight trails, most of which are either loops or connecting trails leading to another trail. This provides a number of options for walking around the three exfoliation domes (the official term for these rock formations): Little Rock (left, when facing north), Enchanted Rock (middle) and Freshman Mountain / Turkey Peak (right). Other well-known formations of this type in the U.S. are Stone Mountain in Georgia and Half Dome in Yosemite National Park.

This was our five-year-old’s first visit to Enchanted Rock. He loves to climb on rocks, large and small, so this was an ideal day trip for him. We started on the summit trail, a 0.8-mile one way path that starts near the restrooms (and a Kona Ice truck) and heads straight up the main exfoliation dome at the park. After our hiking, we ate lunch in the picnic area near the trailhead and let our son get a Kona Ice (this was used as enticement to keep him walking on our hike when he decided he was too tired to continue and wanted to be carried).

Near the start of the Summit Trail at Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.

Our son was able to walk most of the way up to the summit of Enchanted Rock on his own, though I did carry him on the steepest segment. If you take your time, anyone in reasonable shape can summit the formation, which rises around 419 feet from the trailhead. Once we reached the top, we walked around the dome for awhile, letting our son explore and climb on several of the larger pink granite boulders.

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After taking in the views, exploring the dome and sitting down for a snack, rather than head back down the Summit Trail, we made our way down the western side of Enchanted Rock to the Echo Canyon Trail, which runs between Enchanted Rock and Little Rock. The canyon trail is very rocky in certain segments, so take your time.

Looking north on the Echo Canyon Trail after descending from eastern side of Enchanted Rock (to the right).

We used the Echo Canyon Trail to connect to the Base Trail (to do so, veer right at both of the trail splits — the first is just past three large boulders and the second is around 0.1 miles after that). This Base Trail provides excellent views of the northern side of Enchanted Rock, and you might even see a few folks climbing portions of the formation.

Looking south at Enchanted Rock from the Base Trail.

After roughly 0.6 miles, we took a right on the Turkey Trail. You’re now heading south, between Enchanted Rock (on your right) and Freshman Mountain / Turkey Peak (on your left). The sheer size of the boulders at the base of the formation and the fragments still resting high on the dome are hard to capture in a photo. We paused often in this segment, not only to give our son’s legs a rest, but also to appreciate the intricacies of the formation.

After around 0.6 miles, the trail splits at Frog Pond. Both options will bring you back to the Summit Trail trailhead, with the right option being about 0.25 miles in length and the left option about 0.33 miles long.

We recommend starting with the Summit Trail while everyone’s legs are fresh, but it’s really a “choose your own adventure” situation. You can complete full trails, or, like we did, combine segments of several trails to create your own loop around the formations.

This is a very family-friendly natural area, with easy hikes on well-maintained and frequently-traveled paths. There are many options to choose from, so you’ll be able to find a distance that works well for your group. A park map is available here and a trail map is available here. If you have a free day available, this is worth the trip. But be sure to grab a day pass well in advance, as only a limited number of visitors are allowed in each day and passes often sell out weeks in advance.

*Some photos from a trip in December 2022 are available here.

At the top of Enchanted Rock.