Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
Enchanted Rock is one of the most popular Texas State Parks! Located deep in the heart of Texas Hill Country, we highly recommend visiting other nearby state parks during your visit here. Nearby parks include LBJ State Park & Historic Site, Garner State Park, and Lost Maples State Park.
Tips for Visiting:
- Bring your hiking shoes and poles for this one. The hike is steep!
- There is limited phone service in the area. Make sure to download offline google maps for the area in advance!
- Make sure to reserve in advance. Reservations are currently required to visit due to Covid. Entrance fee is $8 per adult.
Hiking the Summit Trail
The Summit Trail is the most popular trail with good reason. Why visit Enchanted Rock if you don’t climb to the top to see those open views of Texas Hill Country. Total distance is only 0.7 miles, but elevation gain is 419 ft, which puts the hike in the moderate to challenging category.
There is a designated trail with some light tree cover for the first 1/3 of the trail, but soon enough the trail and tree cover ends and transforms into a choose your own adventure climb to the top of the rock!
The latter 2/3 of the trail features a very steep climb to the top. Take a look at the angle of the rock you’ll be climbing in the picture below.
Create your own switchbacks:
The latter section of the trail is unmarked. Rather than climbing straight up the steep mountain, we recommend you create your own switchbacks. Switchbacks are zig-zagging shapes that allow you to hike up a mountain or hill without climbing straight up the middle. We hiked up and down the rock in a zig-zag pattern and found it saved some leg burn.
Once you make it to the top, enjoy some views from the top, take some insta-worthy pictures, and relax before you make the steep hike back down.
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