Pierce Wanderings
Texas Hiking (and elsewhere)
Enchanted Rock – Loop Trail 1/29/17
Sunday, January 29, 2017
Enchanted Rock – Loop Trail
Clear, sunny, comfortable, low 70s
Ian, Court, and Biff
5.2 miles
We drove out to Fredericksburg on Friday for our anniversary, as we usually do every year, and hiked the Loop Trail around Enchanted Rock on Sunday morning. It turns out, the Loop Trail is the only trail dogs are allowed on, but I had kinda planned on doing that trail anyway.
The morning actually started out a bit chilly. We had to get out to the park somewhat early, as the lines to get in get very long and the park actually usually closes by 11am on weekends due to the crowds. Starting the trail in our puffy jackets, we gained a little elevation and soon has some pretty nice views of the surrounding country.
The streams were flowing nicely, which is not always the case in this part of the state.
As we wound around Enchanted Rock, we got better and better views of the rock itself and the large granite slabs that clung to it. I wondered aloud what it would be like to witness one of these house-sized slabs come sliding down the side of the massive rock.
We reached Sandy Creek and the trail followed it for about the last 1/4 of the route, back toward the parking area. We had to cross one time and got our feet wet. The water was very cold, but felt good after about a 4 mile dusty hike.
We got to the end of the trail and walked through the parking lots back to the trail head. As we headed out, the park entrance was indeed closed to new traffic. We’ve got some good hikes set up for this coming year and are starting to gear up for the new season.
One Comment on “Enchanted Rock – Loop Trail 1/29/17”
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Pierce Wanderings 
The first few times I went to Enchanted Rock it was busy but nothing that would provoke shutting the park down. I tried to go back in 2012 and the line of cars was ridiculous. I headed up to Llano, ate at Coopers and then went back over to Marble Falls, for my best friends rehearsal dinner. I am not one adverse to crowds (i.e. national parks) but that was over the top. I don’t think I would want to be there at all. I always thought it would be cool if the state were somehow able to buy the Katemcy Rocks and turn that into a park. There would be some great hiking and scrambling there.