I am going to be in Texas next week for business and plan to spend 2 or 3 days climbing at Enchanted Rock SP over the weekend. Since I am on the east coast none of the climbing shops I have stopped in have had guides, and I have found only very high level information online.

I'd love information and route recommendations - looking to climb anything from 5.7 to 5.10 trad, harder if it's bolted (I believe it is not). Also campground information would be useful.

I have not climbed at Enchanted as it was before I began to lead trad. No, it is not bolted. There is a guidebook to the Texas area called, I believe, "Central Texas (something or other)." There are other places to climb around the Austin area, most of which are shorter, bolted limestone crags. They tended to be significantly easier than their rating would suggest. If that is what you're looking for, I would recommend Rhymer's Climbing Ranch. I have heard good things about enchanted and hope to get there next time down.

Rock on

-cool

Climbing or Rock and Ice did a write up on Enchanted Rock a few months ago. Visit their respective web sites and search recent back issue highlights for the correct one.

http://www.climbing.com/
http://www.rockandice.com/

If you still can't find the article, e-mail me and I can look it up.

Tim S.

The guidebook you want is "The Dome Driver's Manual". It's a very cool little book. You ought to be able to get it at most gear stores in Texas (there are REI stores in Dallas, Austin, and, I think, Houston, and there's a Whole Earth (IIRC) in Austin that's very good).

I haven't climbed there very much but it seems to be mostly slabs with minimal to decent gear, depending on the route, and the occasional bolt. We did a few easy climbs (including Dome Driver, which was just plain terrific) that seemed a bit runout.

Cool place. I'd like to climb there more.

Thor

Aside from Whole Earth in Austin, there's one in San Antonio as well. A group out of the SA Rock Gym often goes to Enchanted Rock to climb. You may want to call and see if they'll be going the same time you are: 210-593-9799. They also climb at Rymer's Ranch...