Texas Treasures: Ranch Purchase To Expand Iconic And Popular Texas State Park

An extremely popular and exceedingly beautiful Texas State Park is growing by nearly a third and will offer more natural beauty and outdoor fun for Texans in the coming years, according to Texas Monthly.

Texas Parks and Wildlife recently purchased Commanche Rock Ranch to expand Enchanted Rock Park to a total of 2,274 acres. The ranch contains a portion of Sandy Creek, stock ponds, springs, and some existing structures that could be utilized by future park guests.

The ranch had been listed for sale at nearly $19 million, luckily, the expansion of public lands has been a bipartisan issue here in Texas.

Multiple funding sources including the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund and the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund exist, making the purchase possible.

Texans and other folks from around the world flock to Enchanted Rock for its beautiful scenery, hiking, bird-watching, and star gazing. It is only a two-hour drive from the Austin area, 20 minutes north of Fredricksburg.

Camping reservations at the popular park are usually booked as soon as they are posted- five months in advance. Day passes are only $8, but should also be purchased well in advance.

Not only is Enchanted Rock's pink granite beautiful, but it is also a unique environment for rare Texas animals and plants, including rare birds, unique translucent shrimp, and the incredibly rare rock quillwort.

These microhabitats form in and around vernal pools, which are ephemeral ponds that form in depressions in the granite.

96 percent of land in Texas is privately owned, meaning that publically accessible lands are a rare commodity for our large state. Hopefully, more lovely and precious places can be preserved for Texas to enjoy for generations to come.