FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — Enchanted Rock State Park – an expansive piece of granite offering some of the best views of the Texas Hill Country – receives an average of about 300,000 visitors each year. As of Monday afternoon, however, the park is under a Heat Advisory until at least Tuesday.
"I compare it to opening up an oven when you're cooking a pizza, in that big rush of hot air comes at you. That's what it's like on the summit," said Doug Cochran, park superintendent for Enchanted Rock State Natural Area.
In the summer heat, the surface of Enchanted Rock can reach up too 100 degrees, with very little shade available on the park's popular summit trail.
"The rock just bakes in the sun," Cochran said. "So all that heat is emanating from that rock up."
Officials at Enchanted Rock tweeted they’ve made 38 rescues this year. Over the weekend, however, they added another rescue to that list.
"We're up to 39 now," Cochran said. "Now's not the time to test your endurance. It's very, very hot out there."
Some rescues ended with helicopter escorts, while two others were dogs in need of rescue.
"Wait till the fall when it's cooler to bring the pets out here," Cochran suggests.
The hike from the parking lot to the top is less than a mile, but that can be enough to put you at risk
"A lot of times they start off as someone that's lost and it just kind of gels into a heat rescue," Cochran said.
Rescues also put staff at risk.
"We have to carry backpacks and our search and rescue gear to go out there. And a lot of times we don't know exactly where the people are. So it takes us a while to find them," Cochran said.
That’s why he recommends bringing a liter of water per person for each hour you expect to be out in the element. He also suggests visiting early in the morning or in the evening, bringing a friend, and staying on the trails.
Visits during the summer dwindle to about 150 to 200 people a day at Enchanted Rock,