Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Fredericksburg

Beautiful place for the weekend trip. But be aware of the rattlesnakes. When I hiked through the Walnut Spring Campsite in the morning, I saw a 2' rattlesnake on the trail (About 100' away from someone's tent, 200' from the compost toilet). I camped at the moss lake site. Couple of neighbors saw a huge rattlesnake near our campsite.

Great scenery. Lots of hard hiking, but well worth it. You better be in shape :)

Enchanted Rock is a great campsite that has it all! The hiking is phenomenal, and you can easily lose yourself for hours navigating the trails. My favorite time to explore the park is first thing in the morning. I've watched does & fawns snuggle as I headed out on the trail, and spied everything from birds to squirrels rummaging around in the brush. The Rock is definitely the main attraction, though. Upon reaching the top you find a lovely little plateau to stop and rest before you have to turn and head back down again--and that's a heck of a climb, both ways! Make sure to seek out the cave for a cool, quiet spot!

Great view from the top of the rock! Interesting indian history of the area. Climbing to the top will show you what kind of shape your in!

This is where we go to get away and renew the spirit... Climbing to the top is certainly an adventure, but we like to camp for at least a week at a time, and it opens up an entirely new world. One of the most unique ecosystems in the world, place where the first 'revolver' pistol was ever deployed and used in a military action, and sacred ground for the many Native American tribes that sought refuge in the rocks... Great for kids, but make sure to keep an eye on them!! Do yourself a favor... camp out. Don't just make the climb and leave... you'll miss out on so much!

I'm not sure why every website I've read says to avoid the weekends. I went on a Saturday, maybe 10 campers in all, and I was told by the Ranger that there were only 4 families on Friday night. There was no soap in the camping restrooms but plenty of toilet paper, no street lights, no lights outside of the restrooms, but inside the restrooms were well lit. The nighttime sky WAS FANTASTIC. I've never camped without a streetlight around, but it was great. I could even see the milky way. I haven't seen the milky way in about 15 years because of the city lights in my town. I felt like I was on planet Earth again. Wildlife: deer, raccoons, atleast 20 species of bird (finally saw a woodpecker), insects galore but NO MOSQUITOES!!!!! The different species of plants and lichen/brachen that you can find is amazing, the types of scat to classify is even better. Beware of the fire ants and red ants, the ants did not bother us at the tent, just around our car. The climb is easier than it looks. My daughters hiked in leather sport sandals. I don't care what anyone says, visit when the sun is hot and really warms up the rocks, at night the hills really do moan with contraction of the rocks. It was so COOL and CHEAP!

I had a blast. Saw many fabulous and natural things. Had very little trouble navigating the trails, using the maps provided at check in. Avoid weekends almost all year due to over population and lack of natural setting when the place is crawling with people!