What a vision to behold – millions of bats spiraling upward out of a tunnel tucked away in the heart of the Hill Country!
Sure enough, a 920-foot-long tunnel on the abandoned Fredericksburg and Northern Railway line still performs an important environmental mission after rail traffic between Fredericksburg and Comfort ceased in 1941. Today, the tunnel serves as the centerpiece of Old Tunnel State Park as well as home to an estimated 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats and 3,000 cave myotis bats. This remote “airdrome” lies in Kendall County on the Old San Antonio Road, 11 miles south of Fredericksburg and 13 miles north of Comfort.
Prime bat-viewing occurs at dusk from May through October, says the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department’s (TPWD) Nyta Brown, who’s served as park superintendent for the past 13 years, and the volume peaks at 3 million in August and September. Like migratory waterfowl, the bats dislike cold weather and head south to Mexico for the winter.
More than 60,000 visitors, primarily from Texas, flock to Old Tunnel annually to witness the bat spectacle. “Most visitors are awed by the experience and are also appreciative when they learn of the bats’ importance to the environment,” Brown adds. For example, Mexican free-tailed bats feast on destructive corn ear worms and cotton boll worm moths. Three million of the frequent fliers can consume 120 million moths, or 25 tons, a night in a 60-mile radius of Old Tunnel.
Configured like a natural limestone amphitheater, the park offers three options for witnessing the bat emergence. An upper viewing area near the park’s parking lot offers a panoramic view of the Hill Country and bleacher seating for up to 250 people. A lower viewing area at the end of the half-mile Old Tunnel Nature Trail can accommodate up to 70 visitors first-come, first-served on Thursday through Sunday evenings, May through October. The park charges a $5-cash-per-person (age 4 and older) activity fee for this near-tunnel experience.
The third viewing opportunity – a special group tour on Monday through Wednesday evenings, May through October – can be arranged by emailing [email protected]. Fees for organized groups (35-person minimum, 70-person maximum) are $1 per person for youth groups and $2 per person for non-youth groups. Tours begin approximately an hour before the bats appear.
To get the latest information on estimated time of the bats’ emergence, call (866) 978-2287.
Covering just 16.1 acres, Old Tunnel happens to be the smallest of Texas’ state parks. TPWD acquired Old Tunnel in 1991 for the protection and conservation of the bat colony. “It was a Wildlife Management Area until 2011when it was transferred to the Parks Division because of the growing numbers of visitors coming out to see the bats emerge,” Brown says. “Wildlife research continues to be conducted under the Parks Division and allows biologists to make sound management decisions.”
She’s not only the resident expert about Old Tunnel but also its only staff person. As such, Brown uses a master’s degree in applied geography with an emphasis in environmental education to tackle a variety of duties in diverse areas. These include wildlife biology, habitat management, educational programming, visitor outreach, budget preparation and monitoring, administration, maintenance, safety, purchasing and volunteer-group coordination.
In addition, Brown offers helpful Old Tunnel dos and don’ts:
Do bring comfortable hiking footwear for the nature trail that opens daily at sunrise and closes at 5 p.m. Keep in mind the trail is primitive and can be steep in spots.
Do stay on the designated trail near the tunnel in order to minimize disturbance to the bat colony.
Do pause to read helpful signs along the trail that identify plant species. Likewise, do take a look at the educational kiosks about bats, trains and Old Tunnel on both the upper and lower viewing areas.
Don’t plan on camping because there are no overnight facilities. However, camping is available at other nearby state parks – Blanco, Guadalupe River or Enchanted Rock.
• Don’t bring pets to the park.
• Do bring drinking water.
• Do make use of the park’s picnic tables.
• Don’t smoke.
• Do realize that restroom facilities are extremely limited. Composting toilets are available at the upper viewing area during evening hours only, May through October.
• Do bring binoculars for viewing the “acrobats” and cameras for recording their incredible air show.
• Do bring a cell phone to communicate with civilization because there’s no phone at Old Tunnel.
Brown says many visitors to Old Tunnel do indeed suffer from “tunnel vision” – they’re apprehensive and even scared about the “creepy” bats that live there, but they undergo an attitude adjustment once they learn more.
“After I explain that bats are important to the environment, that they’re not purposely going to attack and that all the scary myths are just that, myths, most people have a change in attitude,” she says. “My greatest satisfaction is knowing that I’m doing something to help protect and conserve a mammal that, in my view, is not only beautiful to look at but also is very important to our environment.”
