This Hidden Cave in Rocksprings Is Home to 3 Million Bats

There’s a hole in the ground near Rocksprings, Texas, so massive you could fit the entire Texas Capitol inside it. And every summer evening, it performs one of nature’s most spectacular shows.

Welcome to Devil’s Sinkhole, a registered National Natural Landmark since 1985 that plunges a remarkable 400 feet with a 40-by-60-foot opening. It’s the largest single-chambered cavern and the third-deepest in the state.

But the real magic happens when the sun starts to set and about 3 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerge in what witnesses describe as a “tornado of bats” spiraling into the Hill Country sky.

@jsorsby

🦇The Devil’s Sinkhole is 50 feet wide at the mouth and drops straight down opening up into a cavern 350 feet in diameter and reaching 400 feet deep in places, making this sinkhole big enough to hold the Texas Capitol building. H.S. Barber is the first person known to venture into the depths of the sinkhole. He carved his name and “1889” into a rock at the bottom. But how he got down there has been lost to history. The Devil’s Sinkhole is only open part of the year, and you can only access it through guided tour out of the visitor center in nearby downtown Rocksprings. The best months of the year to see the bats are August and September…I was actually here on the last tour of the year as most of the bats had already flown south for winter. I did see a few flying around though. But the sinkhole on its own is more than worth the price of admission. I was not expecting to walk up on such an immense cavern. 🧢👕: @Texas Hill Country Provisions #DevilsSinkhole #Texas #THCProvisions

♬ Highway to Hell – AC/DC

A Cathedral Carved by Water

The sinkhole was created when an underground solution cavity collapsed, leaving behind a vertical chasm in the limestone bedrock on the far western reaches of the Edwards Plateau.

A 50-foot-wide shaft drops 140 feet into the cavern, which itself has a diameter of over 320 feet and reaches 350 feet deep.

You can’t see all the way to the bottom from the viewing platform — a massive 200-foot hill of rubble blocks the view, evidence of the ceiling collapsing layer by layer over millennia.

The cave holds three lakes, including one that’s 20 feet deep and 80 feet across, and is home to the Devil’s Sinkhole amphipod, a rare, blind, shrimp-like creature found nowhere else on Earth.

The sinkhole has been drawing people to its depths for centuries. Archaeological evidence indicates Native Americans considered the sinkhole sacred, using the area for burying the dead.

In more recent times, early 20th-century entrepreneurs mined bat guano from the cave to process into ammonia fertilizer, and spelunkers etched their names into the limestone walls.

The Nightly Bat Spectacular

From May through October, Mexican free-tailed bats inhabit the sinkhole seasonally, migrating to Mexico during the colder months.

Scientists estimate this colony consumes up to 30 tons of beetles and moths each night—that’s roughly the weight of four adult elephants in insects, every single evening.

The evening emergence creates a “tornado of bats” as they leave the cave to forage.

If you’re lucky enough to catch it at just the right time, you might witness about 3,000 to 4,000 cave swallows returning to the cave for the night while the bats are just beginning to emerge. It’s a mid-air changing of the guard that feels almost choreographed.

What Visitors Should Know

Access to Devil’s Sinkhole State Natural Area is only by guided tour, and reservations are required.

The park is only accessible by scheduled tours — call the Devil’s Sinkhole Society at 830-683-BATS (2287) Wednesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., to make reservations.

Evening bat flight tours run Wednesdays through Sundays, May 1 through October 31. Day tours are available Wednesday through Sunday, at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. year-round.

Bat tour admission prices are $14 for adults 12 to 64, $11 for senior adults 65 and over, and $8 for children 4 to 11, with children 3 and under admitted free.

Year-round day tours and nature walks are also available at lower prices.

It’s smart to call about a week in advance to secure your spot, especially during peak bat season in summer. Bringing folding chairs is a good idea, as seating at the sinkhole itself is limited.

The walk from the parking area to the viewing platform takes about 10 minutes.

Nature’s Underground Cathedral

Have you witnessed the bat tornado at Devil’s Sinkhole?

This hidden cave near Rocksprings proves that some of Texas’s most extraordinary experiences require a little extra effort to reach.

Indeed, the Devil’s Sinkhole offers a rare glimpse into the wild, untamed beauty that still exists in the Texas Hill Country.

Just remember to call ahead, bring your patience, and prepare to be amazed by what nature has carved into the limestone over thousands of years.