On Sunday, March 25, 2018, my daughter and I hiked up and around Enchanted Rock (elev. 1823 ft) in the Enchanted Rock State Natural Areain the Texas Hill country between Llano and Fredericksburg. It was a beautiful day with highs around 80 °F, clear skies with a few clouds, and not too much wind. We hiked on the 0.75-mile Summit Trail 425 feet up the south side of the rock to the top and then hiked down and around the rock on the Echo Canyon Trail, Base Trail, and Turkey Pass Trail. The views of the surrounding countryside from the peak of Enchanted Rock were splendid. The Echo Canyon and Turkey Pass trails to the west and east of the rock, respectively, allowed passage between it and neighboring peaks. These trails passed through desert scrub with cacti, hoodoos, granite boulders and slabs, and sand. The Base Trail to the north of the rock passed through open oak woodland with creeks and vernal pools.
↑ Photo 1. A view of Enchanted Rock from the North on the Base Trail. There are a lot of oaks, grasses, and prickly-pear cacti. There are many rock climbing routes on this side of the dome.
↑ Photo 2. Hikers on the Summit Trail that leads up the south side of the dome from the campgrounds and parking lot.
↑ Photo 3. The view to the northeast from the top of the dome. Freshman Mountain can be seen in the distance.
↑ Photo 4. The view to the south showing ephemeral pool basins on the top of the dome (larger basins make vernal pools) and Cretaceous limestone mesas in the distance. The granite that makes the Enchanted Rock is older than the surrounding sedimentary rocks and has an interesting geologic history and setting.
To view photos from our hike around the base of the Enchanted Rock dome, see part 2 of this series.