Hi friends! A few Saturdays ago I traveled about an hour and a half from my home in San Antonio, Texas to climb the beast of a pink granite mountain called Enchanted Rock! This was my third time taking on the challenge. The first time was for an 8th grade field trip. The second time was for a sisterhood with my sorority in college. The funny thing is, I don’t really have a lot of memories from either of those occasions, which is another really great advantage to vlogging/blogging these days……getting the chance to experience everything and documenting it to share not only with the world but for my own personal diary as well.
In case you’re not from the Texas area and you are wondering what Enchanted Rock is, let me fill you in. Enchanted Rock is the largest pink granite mountain in the United States. It’s located just North of the charming town of Fredericksburg, and covers approximately 640 acres, rising 425 feet high. Yes, it’s a beast!
So….after enjoying the short hour and a half drive through the beautiful Texas Hill Country we (my best friend Sophie and I) arrived at the Enchanted Rock State Natural Park.
You can expect to pay an entrance fee of $7 dollars per adult. Children 12 and under are free. I should also mention that once the park reaches, they do not let anyone else in so just plan accordingly and arrive early. They’ll give you a free map inside the check-in office as well. For us, it was a summer Saturday, and we arrived about 10am with no issues.
Tip: About four minutes out from the park, pull over and snap this pic! It’s a beautiful wide shot of the dome from the road!
After checking in we were ready to start the hike! There are several trails to choose from, but we choose the most popular, and in my opinion the best one called the Summit trail. Just before starting the trail though we made sure to take some photos for the Gram with this view behind us…woo hoo!
The trail started off with some basic maneuvering over rocks and passing cacti along the way, but about half through it’s an intense climb straight up. It only took us about 30 minutes or so to get to the top, but just to stress this hike is not for those with mobility issues or very small children. It’s not stroller friendly either. Although, I did see a few kids around but they were older, like maybe ten. We stopped a few times on the way up to snap some pics of the cacti and rock formations as our natural props.
After the intense climb you will be rewarded with this view!
It’s very windy at the top, but after a rigorous climb it feels great! The views of the Texas Hill Country are insanely gorgeous. It’s so peaceful at the top and a great place to reflect on all you are grateful for in your life. We sat there for a bit and took in the views. Luckily, it wasn’t super crowded at the top, so getting great photos was easy!
Going down is much easier! On the way up we had spotted a couple of rock formations in the distance that we wanted to stop by on the way back to get some photos, which of course we did!
My biggest tips for climbing Enchanted Rock are to bring water, wear proper hiking shoes with a good grip, do the summit trail, and come either early or later in the evening to avoid the sun at its peak.
Until next time Enchanted Rock…it’s been real! I hope you enjoyed reading this travel blog…if so please comment below! I’d love to hear from you! Oh by the way, I vlogged the entire experience too. You can watch it here!
