Enchanted Rock - Fredericksburg - TravBuddy

If you want to walk (or climb) a big rock and are heading to central Texas, Enchanted Rock is a great stop for you! Similar to Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia, Enchanted Rock is a huge, pink granite exfoliation dome, that rises 425 feet above ground, 1825 feet above sea level, and covers 640 acres. It is the second largest batholith (underground rock formation uncovered by erosion) in the United States after Stone Mountain.

We stopped early in the morning to avoid the heat and also because the parking lot often fills up by 11 am! The climb wasn't too difficult, but make sure to bring water! The views were nice, but I was more impressed with the geological features I was seeing: the exfoliation blocks (curved rocks breaking off the surface and sliding down the mountain), rock donuts, the granite and the rock climbers.

Yep, you can do technical rock climbing out here. Cool! They also have camping sites, all are walk ins. There is also a 4 mile trail that circles the bottom of Enchanted Rock as well as an interpretive visitor center and store. The entrance fee was about $6.