Kickapoo Cavern

Kickapoo Cavern SP https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/kickapoo-cavern https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kickapoo_Cavern_State_Park Kickapoo Caverns is located 22 miles north of Brackettville, Texas, straddling the Kinney and Edwards county line. Interesting features of the park include 20 known caves, two of which are large enough to be significant. Kickapoo Cavern is approximately .25 mile in length (1400 feet). It contains 14 miles of mountain biking trails, and 18 miles of undesignated hiking and birding trails.

For assistance using this map, contact the park. Kickapoo Cavern State Park TexasStateParks.org/App 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Please proceed directly to headquarters building (3.2 miles ahead) and obtain permits and information. N Ma .6 mi. in P ark t-off u ave C Way Long ail r The T e Hom at C ar t B Ro ad Park Entrance Stu Stuart Bat Cave 1.1 mi . 1. 7 m i. (Protected Habitat) Cave is closed year-round. Bat flight viewing March – October. SPEED LIMIT 25 .9 m i. MPH Kickapoo Cavern Road The Long Way Home Trail The Long Way Home Trail • Headquarters Visitors Center is open from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. • Park gates are open from 8 a.m. Friday until 5 p.m. on Monday. • CHECK OUT time is 12 p.m. or renew permit by 9 a.m. (pending site availability). • Park quiet hours are from 10 p.m. – 6 a.m. • Pack out all trash. Park does not have dumpsters. • For your safety and protection of cave resources, unauthorized entry into caves is prohibited. • Avoid bat collisions by keeping a safe distance from flight path. Be quiet during bat flights and do not shine lights at bats. • It is illegal to disturb, collect or remove fossils, artifacts, plants or animals from public lands. • Vehicles are limited to paved areas only. • Pets must remain on leash. Please pick up after them. Pets are not allowed in buildings. • Public consumption or display of any alcoholic beverage is prohibited. • Gathering of firewood is prohibited. Campfires are permitted only in fire rings. • Ice and firewood available by donation at park HQ. 9 7 674 Barbado Ridge Trail Seargeant Memorial Trail i. 2m . mi 1 .65 mi. i. m .3 i. m d te Ro ad mi. The Long Way Home Trailhead 3 (2 m ile s) TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone (TTY) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989 or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. © 2023 TPWD PWD MP P4501-147C (2/23) Showers Picnic Area Hiking Trail Biking Trail Guided Tours Water Only Sites Full Hookup Sites This publication can be found at tpwd.texas.gov/spdest/parkinfo/maps/park_maps/ Dump Station Scenic Overlook Bird Blind Residence 12 Maintenance Seargeant Memorial Trail For bat flight viewing and cave tour information and reservations, call (830) 563-2342 No Unauthorized Vehicles ill e Cr ow 9 Pine Canyo n Lo n op tio Armadillo c e n Lookout Trail on Restrooms Wheelchair Accessible 14 Ga To Bra c kett v i. m 1. .8 mi. oC re ek C . mi .4 ta Vis eo Vir Ind ig 15 2 11 13 Barn 2.1 .5 Headquarters Parking 10 uth Water Plant Sites 1, 3, 4, 5 and 7 are Full Hookup 6 3 .7 mi. So oa rR ve . o n mi .8 8 5 4 k (Dr y) Cree ore cam Sy 2.4 PRIVATE #BetterOutside Group Camp To Park Entrance 2.1 #TexasStateParks LEGEND PLEASE NOTE To Rocks prin gs ( 3 9 miles) To protect the Black-capped Vireo and its habitat, visitors are restricted to roads and trails during the breeding season (from March 15 to Sept. 15). TexasStateParks.org/SocialMedia Headquarters Pine Canyon Loop Trailhead PARK RESERVATIONS TexasStateParks.org ParquesDeTexas.org (512) 389-8900 20939 Ranch Road 674 Brackettville, TX 78832 (830) 563-2342 Proud Sponsor of Texas State Parks 

For assistance using this map, contact the park. For a web version of the map text, visit our Trails Information page. For information on #TexasStateParks, visit texasstateparks.org Sign up today for free email updates: texasstateparks.org/email /TexasStateParks @TPWDparks @TexasStateParks Sponsor: Whole Earth Provision Co. 

PHOTO: ALLAN COBB AND TRAVIS SCOTT PHOTO: TRAVIS SCOTT INTERPRETIVE GUIDE KICKAPOO CAVERN STATE PARK TOURS AS RECORDED IN HIS 1889 DIARY, METHODIST CIRCUIT RIDER HAL CUNNINGHAM AND A PARTY OF EIGHT RELIED UPON LANTERN AND TORCHLIGHT EGYPTIAN TO ENTER DARKNESS OF “THE THE SUBTERRANEAN WONDER” KNOWN TODAY AS KICKAPOO CAVERN. FROM THE TIME OF THIS FIRST WRITTEN ACCOUNT TO THE PRESENT, THE CAVES OF KICKAPOO CAVERN STATE PARK HAVE STIRRED GREAT CURIOSITY AND INTEREST. THE Guided flashlight tours of undeveloped Kickapoo Cavern are available on scheduled dates, through advance reservation only. Participants can see the largest “speleothem” in Texas – a natural column formation rising as tall as an eight-story building. Although the cave is now mostly dry, dripping water once played an important role in shaping this and other formations, such as icicle-like stalactites and stalagmites, rippled sheets of flowstone, and moonmilk that resembles white cream cheese. For additional information about Kickapoo Cavern tours, birding tours and bat flight observation, contact the park at: P.O. Box 705, Brackettville, TX 78832 • (830) 563-2342 www.tpwd.texas.gov/kickapoocavern FURTHER READING William Elliott and George Veni, editors, The Caves and Karst of Texas, National Speleological Society and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, 1994. Marshall Enquist, Wildflowers of the Texas Hill Country, Lone Star Botanical, 1989. INTRIGUE OF THE PARK, HOWEVER, Mark Lockwood, Birds of the Texas Hill Country, University of Texas Press, 2001. LIES AS MUCH ABOVE GROUND AS Merlin Tuttle, Texas Bats, Bat Conservation International, 2003. NATURAL DIVERSITY AND A RICH HUMAN HISTORY AT EVERY LEVEL. Proud Sponsor of Texas Parks and Wildlife Programs © 2016 TPWD. PWD BR P4501-147D (7/16) In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available at the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries. TPWD receives funds from the USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. To request an accommodation or obtain information in an alternative format, please contact TPWD on a Text Telephone (TDD) at (512) 389-8915 or by Relay Texas at 7-1-1 or (800) 735-2989. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, please contact TPWD or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. Texas State Parks is a division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. PHOTO: ALLAN COBB AND TRAVIS SCOTT BELOW, FOR IT BOASTS EXCEPTIONAL S T A T E P A R K The endangered Black-capped Vireo, a specialty of the Edwards Plateau, breeds at Kickapoo Cavern State Park. SURFACE LIFE The park lies at a crossroads of nature, where three vastly different natural zones meet and intermingle to create a remarkable blend – a patchwork of plant and animal life. At Kickapoo, sprawling live oaks from the Edwards Plateau interplay with Chihuahuan Desert cacti and thorny shrubs of the subtropical South Texas plains. This type of mixed vegetation creates habitat for abundant and varied animal life. Birds provide one example: 240 migrant and resident species have been recorded within its boundaries, half the number that regularly occur in the entire state. Several vulnerable species rely upon habitat that Kickapoo provides. The papershell pinyon, widespread in West Texas during the cooler and wetter Pleistocene ice age (about 10,000 years ago), clings to survival in isolated patches, dependent on moisture caught in the park’s low-elevation limestone. Three endangered species persist in specialized environmental niches at Kickapoo – Tobusch fishhook cactus, Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. STUART BAT CAVE KICKAPOO CAVERN W The park’s namesake cavern chronicles roughly 4 million years of nature’s handiwork. Formation began when slowmoving, acidic groundwater carved passageways through 105-million-year-old Devils River limestone. As the water table eventually dropped, the passageways drained and thereby lost their buoyant support, causing massive collapse within the cavern. The floor of Kickapoo Cavern was once its ceiling – a breakdown of jumbled limestone blocks from the collapse that measures 130 feet thick – the equivalent of a 16-level underground parking garage! hile Kickapoo Cavern supports relatively few animal species, Stuart Bat Cave teems with life. Cave swallows build mud nests on rocky protrusions just inside the cave mouth where they raise their young. Up to a million Mexican free-tailed bats roost deep within the cave from spring through fall. At dusk, the air comes alive with a flutter of bat wings as these flying mammals stream into the night in search of insects. A large mound of burned rock and chipped stone near the cave records visitation by prehistoric Native American groups. In dry per

TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE BIRDS OF KICKAPOO CAVERN S T AT E P A R K A FIELD CHECKLIST 2012 Cover: Illustration of Black-capped Vireo by Rob Fleming. INTRODUCTION K ickapoo Cavern State Park is located 22 miles north of Brackettville on RR 674 along the Kinney-Edwards county line. The park was purchased in 1986 and is composed of 6,400 acres. The landscape is predominately steep limestone hills with extensive canyons as is typical of the southwestern Edwards Plateau. Interspersed within these limestone hills and canyons are areas of deeper soil where small, open grasslands are found. The southwestern Edwards Plateau is dominated by Ashe Juniper (Juniperus ashei) and Plateau Live Oak (Quercus fusiformis). Another interesting feature of this area is a relictual population of Pinyon Pine (Pinus remota). The vegetation in the canyons is comprised mainly of wood shrubs, primarily Texas Persimmon (Diospyros texana), Vasey Shin Oak (Quercus pungens var. vaseyana), Agarita (Berberus trifoliolata), and Evergreen Sumac (Rhus virens). This provides nesting habitat for a variety of passerines. The avifauna of Kickapoo is a unique combination of birds that are found within the three physiographic regions of Texas which surround the park, the Edwards Plateau, South Texas Brush Country, and the mountains and basins of the Trans-Pecos. This interesting combination of birds provides a unique birding opportunity. The birds that are probably of the most interest to visitors are the endangered Black-capped Vireo and Golden-cheeked Warbler. Kickapoo Cavern State Park has a large population of the vireo and a small, fairly recently arriving, colony of the warbler. The Black-capped Vireos nest in canyons and other areas where fairly open shrublands. The Golden-cheeked Warbler is found in somewhat atypical habitat dominated by oak motes surrounded by juniper. Other species of interest that can be found on the park include Zone-tailed Hawk, Gray Vireo, Painted and Varied Buntings and three species of orioles. The grasslands and arroyos are particularly good for a wide variety of sparrows throughout the year. 1 This checklist includes all species known to occur within the boundaries of Kickapoo Cavern State Park. Checklist nomenclature and organization follow the A.O.U. Checklist of North American Birds, 7th Edition (1998) as currently supplemented. Please help us protect the natural avian communities in our parks by refraining from using playback tapes of bird songs. Frequent use of these tapes disrupts essential territorial behavior and may lead to nest failure. Thank you for your cooperation. LEGEND Seasonal Occurrence SP = Spring (March, April, May) S = Summer (June, July) EF = Early Fall (August, September) LF = Late Fall (October, November) W = Winter (December, January, February) Abundance Designations A = Abundant, always present and observed, expect large numbers in proper habitat and season C = Common, always encountered in proper habitat and season, numbers may vary from low to high U = Uncommon, usually present in proper habitat and season but may be overlooked, never common or abundant O = Occasional, not always present but usually encountered at least once during season indicated, may occur in a narrow time frame within a season or in a very specialized habitat, numbers may vary R = Rare, seldom recorded, not expected each season as designated, may not be recorded each year X = Accidental, may be observed only once in ten years or more, not expected I = Irruptive/Irregular, invasion species which may be absent some seasons/years-abundant others 2 CHECKLIST SP S EF LF W ____ Gadwall X ____ American Wigeon X ____ Blue-winged Teal X X ____ Northern Shoveler X ____ Green-winged Teal X ____ Ring-necked Duck X ____ Montezuma Quail R R R R R ____ Northern Bobwhite C C C C C ____ Scaled Quail X ____ Wild Turkey C ____ Wood Stork A A C R X ____ Double-crested Cormorant R ____ American White Pelican X X ____ Great Blue Heron O O ____ Great Egret X ____ Cattle Egret O O O O ____ Green Heron X ____ Black Vulture U U U O ____ Turkey Vulture A A A C ____ Osprey O ____ White-tailed Kite X ____ Mississippi Kite R R O O X ____ Bald Eagle X ____ Northern Harrier O O U U ____ Sharp-shinned Hawk U U U U 3  SP S EF LF W ____ Cooper’s Hawk U U U U U ____ Harris’s Hawk O O O O O ____ Red-shouldered Hawk X ____ Swainson’s Hawk U U R ____ Zone-tailed Hawk U U U R ____ Red-tailed Hawk U U U U ____ Ferruginous Hawk X U ____ Golden Eagle R R R ____ Crested Caracara O O O O O ____ American Kestrel U O U U U ____ Merlin X X ____ Peregrine Falcon R R ____ Sandhill Crane U U O ____ Killdeer O O O O O ____ Lesser Yellowlegs X ____ Solitary Sandpiper X ____ Spotted Sandpiper X

-Official- FACILITIES Get the Mobile App: MAPS ACTIVITIES TexasStateParks.org/app T O Y O T A T U N D R A The Toyota Tundra is built to explore the great outdoors. No matter what the weekend throws at you, your Tundra takes it on with ease. | toyota.com/tundra Official Vehicle of the Texas Parks & Wildlife Foundation CONTENTS 4 100 Years of Texas Parks 6 Parks Near You 8 90 Checklist DIRECTORY TEXAS PARKS AND WILDLIFE DEPARTMENT 52 68 20 38 60 30 84 68 David Yoskowitz, Ph.D. Executive Director Rodney Franklin State Parks Director Mischelle Diaz Communications Director TPW COMMISSION Arch “Beaver” Aplin, III, Chairman Lake Jackson Dick Scott, Vice-Chairman Wimberley James E. Abell Kilgore Oliver J. Bell Cleveland Paul L. Foster El Paso Anna B. Galo Laredo Jeffery D. Hildebrand Houston Robert L. “Bobby” Patton, Jr. Fort Worth Travis B. “Blake” Rowling Dallas T. Dan Friedkin, Chairman-Emeritus Houston Lee Marshall Bass, Chairman-Emeritus Fort Worth 52 Panhandle Plains 48 State Parks Map Special thanks to Toyota and advertisers, whose generous support made this guide possible. Texas State Parks is a division of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Cover illustration: Brad Woodard, bravethewoods.com Texas State Parks Official Guide, Nineteenth Edition © TPWD PWD BK P4000-000A (3/23) TPWD receives funds from DHS and USFWS. TPWD prohibits discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin (including limited English proficiency), disability, age, and gender, pursuant to state and federal law. If you believe you have been discriminated against by TPWD, visit tpwd.texas. gov/nondiscrimination or call (512) 389-4800 for information on filing a complaint. To obtain information in an alternative format, contact TPWD on a Text Telephone (TTY) at (512) 389-8915, by Relay Texas at 7-1-1, (800) 735-2989, or by email at accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. If you speak a language other than English and need assistance, email lep@tpwd.texas.gov. You can also contact Department of the Interior Office of Diversity, Inclusion, and Civil Rights, 1849 C Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20240, and/or U.S. Department of Homeland Security Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties (CRCL), Mail Stop #0190 2707, Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave., S.E. Washington, D.C. 20528. In accordance with Texas State Depository Law, this publication is available at the Texas State Publications Clearinghouse and/or Texas Depository Libraries. WELCOME from Rodney Franklin, State Parks Director This year is very special for Texas State Parks: We are celebrating our 100-year anniversary in 2023. More and more Texans are discovering the beauty of State Parks and exploring the outdoors in new and adventurous ways. Our teams across the state are incredibly excited to welcome outdoor enthusiasts, especially those who have yet to discover what our parks have to offer. The variety of Texas’ lands is unmatched; from the mountains of west Texas to the Gulf shores, the Texas State Park system celebrates and preserves the natural and cultural treasures that make Texas such a special place. The 640,000-plus acres that make up the state park system are nearly as diverse as the people of Texas. Since 1923, our mission has been to help connect our visitors with the outdoors. As we honor those who have come before us, I invite a new generation to be a part of the story of the lands that connect us all. There is more to enjoy in our parks than you know, so please join us in our celebrations and activities. Every day we look for new and better ways to ensure your state parks are welcoming to every Texan, regardless of their background or experience being outside. I hope you’ll visit soon and often, while bringing your friends and family along. YOU are a natural and we’re looking forward to celebrating the 100-year anniversary of state parks with you! WHAT’S NEW IN STATE PARKS Galveston Island State Park reopened the beachside of the park with a new headquarters, campsites, restrooms, and more. Bastrop State Park unveiled an extensive new group of trails, the “Tree Army Trails,” many of which are ADA-accessible. Improvements and major repairs are planned for Indian Lodge, Tyler, Inks Lake, Cedar Hill, South Llano River, Eisenhower and several other state parks All-terrain “GRIT” wheelchairs are now available at 10 parks with more adaptive equipment on the way to help people of all abilities experience Texas State Parks. Learn more about our accessibility efforts, page 14. More information: TexasStateParks.org/whatsnew 100 Years of Texas Parks The crown jewels of Texas road trips started as an unfunded wish list before the Depression. Back in 1923, Governor Pat Neff realized rising numbers of new car travelers needed places to camp overnight on multi-day trips. Neff convinced the state legislature to create a six-member State Parks Board, half men, half women. Isabella, the Governor’s mother, and her family donated acreage on the Leon

Guía de Parques INSTALACIONES Descarga la Aplicacíon Móvil MAPAS ACTIVIDADES texasstateparks.org/app ¡Los niños entran gratis! La entrada es gratis para los niños de 12 años y menores. Encuentra un parque: parquesdetexas.org Contenido Estero Llano Grande SP 2 Actividades y Programas 4 Parques Cercanos 6 Lugares para Quedarse 8 Tarifas y Pases 9 Directorio 10 Mapa de Parques 18 Instalaciones y Actividades BIENVENIDO Rodney Franklin, Director de Parques Texas tiene algunas de las tierras públicas más diversas del país, con una gran riqueza natural y cultural. La vida silvestre está por todas partes, los paisajes florecen con belleza, y la historia es abundante. Sus parques estatales son parte del legado que nos enorgullece. La gente de Texas ayuda a asegurar ese legado para las generaciones futuras al visitar y ser voluntarios. ¡Gracias! Estos más de 630,000 acres exhiben algunos de los grandes tesoros del estado. Los parques nos ayudan a crear recuerdos con la familia y a encontrar consuelo en la naturaleza. Los parques fortalecen las economías locales y unen a las comunidades. Sobre todo, los parques nos permiten pasar tiempo al aire libre para recargar energías, estar saludables y relajarnos a nuestra manera. Les invito a disfrutar de sus parques estatales, explorando lo mejor de Texas con amigos y familia. Los parques están aquí para todos. Nos pertenecen a todos. ¡Visítelos, diviértase y ayude a protegerlos para siempre! Foto de portada: Estero Llano State Park, Chase Fountain © 2021 TPWD PWD BK P4000-000A (5/21) TPWD recibe fondos del Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de EE.UU. (USFWS por sus siglas en ingles). TPWD prohíbe la discriminación por raza, color, religión, nacionalidad de origen, discapacidad, edad y género, conforme la ley estatal y federal. Para solicitar un acomodo especial u obtener información en un formato alternativo, por favor contacte a TPWD en un Teléfono de Texto (TTY) al (512) 3898915 ó por medio de “Relay Texas” al 7-1-1 ó (800) 735-2989 ó por email a accessibility@tpwd.texas.gov. Si usted cree que TPWD ha discriminado en su contra, favor de comunicarse con TPWD, 4200 Smith School Road, Austin, TX 78744, o con el Servicio de Pesca y Vida Silvestre de EE.UU., Office for Diversity and Workforce Management, 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041. De acuerdo con la Ley de Depósito del Estado de Texas, esta publicación está disponible en el centro de Distribución de Publicaciones del Estado de Texas y/o las Bibliotecas de Depósito de Texas. ACTIVIDADES Y PROGRAMAS ¿Qué puedo hacer en los parques estatales? ¡Disfruta de un día de campo, visita un sitio histórico o elige entre muchas otras opciones! Bicicletas Pedalea a lo largo de los parques a cualquier velocidad, en cualquier estilo, con cualquier grupo. Elige las rutas, el tipo de terreno y las distancias que cumplan con tu zona de confort. Caminatas Empieza con un circuito más corto, avanza a terrenos más difíciles o únete a una caminata guiada. Pescar Puedes pescar sin licencia en tantos como 70 parques estatales. Muchos parques ofrecen equipo para pescar a manera de préstamo y eventos especiales para aprender a pescar. Barcos Renta canoas y kayacs y explora uno de los senderos acuáticos en Texas. Nadar Animales Silvestres Acampar Descubre aves, mamíferos y plantas que tienen su hogar en Texas. Muchos parques tienen señalamientos y listados que te ayudan a aprender más. Encuentra un lugar que cumpla con lo que quieres. Prueba nuevas recetas, comparte historias favoritas y disfruta de las estrellas. 2 Más información y reservaciones: parquesdetexas.org Escape del calor en arroyos, ríos, lagos, manantiales, piletas y playas del mar. Tu seguridad en el agua es muy importante. Lleva el chaleco salvavidas. Aprende a nadar. Guarda a los niños. (512) 389-8900 ¡Pregunta en tu parque cuáles están disponibles! Los niños de 12 años y menores entran GRATIS Cielos Estrellados Escapa de las luces de la ciudad y goza de maravillosas vistas del cielo que no encontrarás en ninguna otra parte. Ven a una fiesta de estrellas o toma una excursión de constelaciones auto-guiada. Familias en la Naturaleza Elige un taller o diseña tu propia aventura. ¡Monta una tienda de campaña, cocina al exterior, prende una fogata y juega al exterior! Nosotros te Toma una publicación gratuita de actividades o pregunta por los paquetes gratuitos con los parques proporcionamos todo el equipo. No es necesario tener experiencia. participantes. Usa los binoculares, lupas, libros de bosquejos y libros de guías para explorar el parque. Mochilas para Exploradores Soldados Búfalo de Texas Descubre la historia con cuentos, vestuarios y herramientas. Sigue la pista de un animal, pesca con caña, cocina sobre una fogata, visita los fuertes y más. Adéntrate en las historias de vida de aquellos que sirvieron valientemente en los primeros regimientos Áfrico-Americanos de las Fuerzas Armadas. ! Seguridad en el Parque Ten cuidado con el agua Pre