Balancing Rock??? - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

04-23-2002, 06:37 AM

When i was younger my family traveled alot.....and in my early 20's i camped alot as well.....and remember going to see the Balancing Rock....near Fredricksberg......
If memory servers me i recall reading that it is no longer there....that someone finally succeeded in pushing it over.....

My question is ...... is that correct...does anyone know for sure......have any ideas where i might learn a bit more.....

This came up in a discussion one day at work.....and of course i could not find a thing about it at the time....

Thanks all......

And Shannon........Great site.....Thanks....

04-24-2002, 06:54 PM

Never heard of it. You don't mean Enchanted Rock?

04-25-2002, 06:25 AM

actually if memeory serves me......balancing rock was on the way to Enchanted Rock.......used to camp there before it was owned by the state.......great place.....

thanks for the response....

Shannon · 05-03-2002, 01:50 PM

The only "balancing rock" I was aware of in Texas is located in Guadalupe Mountains National Park. See this site for a photo of El Capitan and that balancing rock.

However, I did a google.com search (the ultimate search engine!) and found the following statement:

Quote:

Just north of Fredericksburg, Texas. Yes, the name is Enchanted Rock. Located in the same area used to be Balanced Rock which was perched on a very tiny pedistal. It has since fallen over.

Source: FunTrivia.com thread about Enchanted Rock

For some unique photos of Enchanted Rock, visit the Siar Anthranir Wildlife Photography site, among others. WildTexas.com's own Enchanted Rock page is also worth checking out.

09-11-2002, 02:29 PM

I remember Balanced Rock well! Someone did push it over or somehow destroy it. I've even heard some kids blasted it off it's perch with some type of explosive. Rumor?

09-12-2002, 08:23 AM

hey thanks for the reply......i didn't think i was loosing my mind.....
sure wish i could find an article about that.......seems like i did read something about it a long time ago.....
its a shame it was destroyed....

again...thanks for your reply....

09-29-2002, 02:30 PM

I, too, have visited "balanced rock" just north of Fredericksburg. It was many years ago, mid to late 70's. It did exist!

10-05-2002, 04:43 PM

Balancing Rock existed just south of Enchanted Rock until 1989, when local high-school kids knocked it over using explosives.

The balancing rock was quite large, approximately half the size of a passenger van, and was balanced on 3 points spaced about 3 feet apart and each one being less than a foot long.

A trail to the rock was outlined with paint, and the rock was located about 100 yards from the road. Many rocks in the area are balanced to some degree, but the Balancing Rock was unmistakeable.

10-10-2002, 04:51 PM

I saw the balanced rock several times.... too bad it's gone... it was amazing....

10-27-2002, 08:27 PM

I know that this is a late post to this but...I used to spend my summers at my Uncle's in Fredericksberg. He took me there first when I was about 9 years old. That was around 1961. I remember trying to climb up it and also trying to push it over. The rock was on land owned by some people who ran a granite quary. The last time I was there was around 1975.

About two or three yeard ago I tried to find the place. I stopped on the side of the road where I remembered, and found where the trails were, and the old parking area, but it was all fenced off.

When I got home I did some research and found that in the early 90s (I think) some teenagers blew it up with some dynamite they stole from the quary.

I don't know if the story is true, but the area is fenced off now. If you wnat to find the site just look for the granite quary on the east side of Fredericksberg.

11-20-2002, 10:17 AM

I used to go to Enchanted Rock(ER) in Boy Scouts in the early 70's. We would drive through Fredrickburg from Austin, & stop at a rest area about 10 minutes from ER. At the rest area(on the right), there were arrows going up the side of a rock that led up to Balanced Rock. It was about an 8 feet in diameter sphere.

In the 80's, someone knocked it off it pedestal. I know because my wife & I stopped there, went over the fence & even found some of the old painted arrows (ER used to also have these arrows leading all over...cave, queens chair, etc). We got to balanced rock & I them knew I was not crazy either. It was there knocked off its pedestal.

I also have one of the Balanced Rock post cards that shows a girl sitting on top of Balanced Rock. That pic was also in the Texas travel guide in the 1970's.

ER was much more fun when the Mosses owned it & it was private. They had a neat mom & pop campground that allowed campers & even had a small store that you could buy Snickers bars etc. You could also pitch a tent anywhere you wanted then...even on top of the rock! Since the state took it over(donated) in ~ 1984, it has been nothing but a restriction by state environmentalists complaing about "erosion." They limit the number of people in the area & make it a mess getting in when it is crowded. Instead of being able to camp by ER, you now have to camp by Little Rock. That makes the daily treks to ER when you are camping, a major pain!

If you go, don't forget to climb Turkey Peak also! When you are on top, the land looks just like "Land of the Lost!" You are just waiting for a dinosaur to just walk over the horizon.

Go there & have fun! It is still a great place even the the government has spoiled it!

Shannon · 11-20-2002, 03:11 PM

Some would say TPWD ('the evil government', if you must) is protecting the park. Due to increasing use, restrictions are placed on many parks -- not just Enchanted Rock or other Texas State Parks, but national parks and and recreation areas as well. It's the same reason concerts and baseball/football games only sell a certain number of tickets, even though MANY OTHERS want to participate in those events on that date/time. And just like those events, a small but growing contingent of stupid/lazy visitors trash up the place and expect a cleaning crew to come in behind them regardless of if they're within 2 feet of a trash bin.

In regards to your memories, the park is still open and very much accessible. It's not spoiled, except by those who do things like blow up/ruin the Balanced Rock, paint graffitti or etch their names in every tree within ten paces of their campsite.

It's always easy to look back on the past with rose-colored glasses, but many families still camp, hike and explore Enchanted Rock. Would it be better if the government just issued lottery numbers every year and you were out of luck entirely from visiting? Or if the park were allowed unlimited visitation and, as a result, its facilities became increasingly decrepit and over-used, including the rock and vegetation itself? For me, the decision of TPWD is the least of all evils and helps keep the park around for when/if I have children, not just for me in the here and NOW.

Regards,

- Shannon Moore

11-22-2002, 07:17 PM

Like Shannon said, all parks are getting more crowded. You can't just show up and camp at a popular park. You have to make reservations well in advance if you want a spot. I would hope this would spur state and federal government to create more parks, but as always funding is limited and parks are the first to feel budget shortfalls. Enjoy what we have.

12-08-2002, 06:29 PM

Yes, in order to insure that the resources are there for us and our children, there has to be regulations restricting use and numbers of visitors. The main objective of the Federal and state parks is to preserve nature unimpaired for the enjoyment of present and future generations...

01-25-2003, 07:21 AM

wow.....i can't believe all of the responses......i have been away from the site for a while and i now wonder why.......
this site is fantastic....and just keeps getting better.....shannon thanks for all of your hard work.......

and thanks to all who have posted replies.....greatly appreciated......
i to used to camp alot at enchanted rock when it was privately owned and loved it..........and agree with both sides.....

and a little of me wants to think that "back then" there were not quite as many people using the outdoors and the group that did.....seemed to have a little more respect.......now that could just be me......

but anyway.....it would be great if there was more money available for the outdoors......

again thanks to all.......and shannon i am getting rid of all my other outdoor places on my favorites and just using this site.....
you have everything you need right here.....including all the necessar links....

thanks again...