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I always take my son to the wichita wildlife refuge and am looking for somewhere new. Needs some tough climbs (hes only 4 so not death defying), good scenary, etc. I looked at pedernales but may be a lil cold as it looks like u need to get wet to do a lot of it. Enchanted rock looks cool but for a whole weekend im not sure and I think hes tough young to do the cave. Any suggestions?

4 years old? Wow. I was at enchanted rock with my 14 year old daughter last weekend, and I thought she was young

ER has great scenery, and can be climbed virtually year round (check with the Rangers for when they close it down for hunting season). Plenty of routes for a weekend, and nice hikes if you want a break from climbing. It is mostly granite slab friction climbing - all feet and no hands - for better or worse. Several nice routes starting around 5.6, and a good amount of bouldering.

I definitely recommend ER, and I think it would be a good match for what you are looking for. Have a great trip!

There are portions of the cave you can get into and out of relatively easily. There are some fun squeezes to get through. It's been years but I recall it basically being built of slabs of granite that fell in on each other. My last trip to ER was not a good time as it appeared that all of the moderate routes had been set with top ropes by large(ish) groups and it was windy as hell.

For either scenery or climbing, you are not going to find anything within a reasonable distance from Dallas (assuming you are in Dallas, since you go to the Wichitas and would an equal distance to the south for an alternative). If you don't want to go to the wildlife refuge, have you considered Quartz Mountain? Scenery is just as good with A LOT of climbs. I know it is against Texas state law to say this, but nothing in the Hill Country even comes close to the Wichitas in terms of scenery, hiking or climbing. For what it is worth, Lake Mineral Wells has some climbing and that is not far from the metromess. You probably know that though.

Excluding your four year old, if you are looking for a cool challenge not too far from DFW, try exploring North Cita Canyon out in Palo Duro Canyon State Park. By far the best trip in Texas outside of the Transpecos.