#33. The “Devil’s Sinkhole” near Rocksprings, TX

Imagine discovering a huge dark vertical hole in the ground some 50-60 feet across. You walk apprehensively to the edge of the hole, lay down on your stomach and peer over the rock edge to discover that the bottom of the hole is REALLY deep (close to 361 feet deep). As your vision adjusts to the hole, you see that the bottom of the hole is much larger than its mouth, some 250 feet by 450 feet. You also see a large cone shaped pile of rock, some 200 feet tall, rising up from the center of the cavern floor. The pile of rock consists of remains from the roof of the cavern after it collapsed into the cave to create the surface hole you are peering through. At the base of the rock pile you notice two small lakes filled with crystal clear water.


A man by the name of Ammon Billings experienced this find in 1876, but he was not the first discover the hole. Man has visited this hole since at least 2,500-4,000 B.C. Now it’s your turn to discover the sinkhole.

The Devil’s Sinkhole is a collapsed underground cave in the Texas Hill Country near Rocksprings. It is the main drawing card to the 1,800 acre Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area (DSSNA). The sinkhole is the summer home to one to four million Mexican Free-tailed bats (up to three times more bats than Austin’s Congress Ave. Bridge). It is an amazing sight at sundown when the bats begin to come out, a trickling out at first in handfulls, then more and more until they become a swirling mass, like a “tornado” of bats reaching upward in the sky.

Visitors are shuttled from a meeting location in the town of Rocksprings to peer down into the sinkhole’s mouth. The Rocksprings Visitors Center serves as the meeting spot. The Visitors Center is located on the town square at 101 N. Sweeten Street in Rocksprings. Rocksprings is located at the junction of State Highway 55 and US Highway 377 on the western edge of the Hill Country, south of IH 10.

Four types of DSSNA tours are offered.

1. Evening bat flight tours are available to the public from May to mid-October, Wednesday through Sunday evenings. Space is limited, so call ahead for reservations. Evening bat tours leave from Rocksprings about 45 minutes before the bats are expected to emerge and then return to town about two hours later.

2. Afternoon sinkhole tours are available to see the sinkhole from a viewing platform located on the edge of the sinkhole, but the bat flight will not been seen during the afternoon tours. The afternoon tours are conducted from January through October. There is no regular afternoon schedule; so you must arrange your tour several days in advance.

3. Guided walking tours of the DSSNA are offered two Saturdays a month, January through October. Reservations for walking tours are required and special group tours can be arranged with prior notice. Walking tours meet in Rocksprings about 10:00 am. and leave about 10:15am.

4. Birding tours are also offered by reservation on the first and third Saturday’s of each month, January through October. The Devil's Sinkhole State Natural Area has nesting sites for black-capped vireo, Montezuma quail, and many other birds. The birding tour involves a walk of about a mile on fairly level undeveloped ranch paths. People taking the bird tour must be ten years old or older.

The Devil’s Sinkhole SNA was established by Texas Parks & Wildlife in 1985. Minimal development was completed in September 1996 to include picnic sites, a chemical toilet, and some trail development. A wheelchair accessible viewing platform is now available and allows visitors to look down into the sinkhole.

Spanish speaking guides are available for each type of tour, but such tours must be arranged several days in advance.

To arrange tours, call 830 683-BATS or 830-683-2287.


Evening Tour Fees (Bats)

Adults— $12

Child 4 to 11—$6

Over 65—$10

Children under 4—Free

Afternoon Tour Fee (No bats)

$6 per person

Children under 4 years old—Free

Minimum 5 persons or $30

Web sites:

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/devils_sinkhole/

http://www.devilssinkhole.org/

-Don Gray