Nestled in the Texas Hill Country less than two hours west of Austin, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area draws visitors from across the state and country looking for an accessible escape. More visitors will soon be able to enjoy the iconic landmark, as it more than doubled in size after the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department purchased a 3,073 acre property next to the park.
Known for breathtaking views from the boulder’s summit, Enchanted Rock is one of Texas’ most visited state parks or recreation areas, ranking as the sixth most visited of the 87 parks in 2022, according to data from Texas Parks and Wildlife.
The addition is Enchanted Rock’s second in recent months following a 630 acre purchase announced Sept. 24. The additions take the park from 1,685 acres last summer to 5,388 now, providing more than three times the land for Texans to explore just 20 minutes from Fredericksburg.
Texas Parks and Wildlife plans to add recreational opportunities like hiking trails to the often at-capacity area. The latest purchase will also protect the view from atop the park’s namesake, which could’ve been heavily affected if the land was developed.
“For a park like Enchanted Rock or any property that we have, it’s always going to be important to us to preserve the viewshed and the view that the visitors enjoy, but also to help protect boundaries from encroachment,” said Rodney Franklin, director of State Parks for Texas Parks and Wildlife. “One of the biggest (factors we consider) is making sure a piece of property will have adequate availability for outdoor recreation.”
The latest purchase was made with supplemental funding from the state legislature, but developing the property will require dipping into the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, which was approved by voters in November 2023.
“When you talk about parks in Texas, there are a few parks that a lot of people in Texas are very much aware of. … Enchanted Rock is absolutely one of those,” Franklin said. “What I’m excited about (with) this purchase is that now the view from the top of Enchanted Rock will remain pristine for future generations to come.”
Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas, a statewide non-profit advocating for environmental causes at all levels, views this pursuit as vital to conservation on multiple fronts.
“Unless action had been taken, instead of seeing just a beautiful vista, you could see big housing developments and strip malls,” Metzger said. “At the same time, this is an area that’s really important for wildlife. It’s also over the Edwards Aquifer, so it’s critical for drinking water. So for lots of different reasons protecting that area was really important.”
Metzger pointed to Texas’ ranking as 35th in the nation for State Park acreage per capita as one indicator of the need for investment in additional parks properties. According to a Texas Tech survey, the state would need to add a million acres in park properties by 2030 to keep up with demand. Metzger said the Enchanted Rock expansion is one step toward combating low supply and large demand.
“So many people have the experience of needing to book a campsite many months ahead of time in order to have a chance to go camping in a popular park, … and that’s especially the case near our biggest cities,” Metzger said. “Half of our acreage of the state park system is in Big Bend Ranch State Park down in West Texas, which is pretty remote and one of the lesser visited state parks … we really need those parks real close into our cities, where people can drive just an hour and a half to get to them.”
Texas Parks and Wildlife also has plans for more than half a dozen new properties and parks in the near future, Franklin said. The department’s website lists properties along the Gulf, outside of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area and west of San Antonio as just a handful of locations where a park is planned.
Beyond added trails and recreation opportunities, Franklin said overnight opportunities that aren’t currently available at Enchanted Rock could be developed with the expansion.
“Most of all, I’m just excited about what this means for future generations of Texans to make new memories and smiles at Enchanted Rock,” Franklin said.