Rising to an elevation of 1,951 feet above sea level, Cross Mountain is located on Ranch Road 965 (North Milam Street). A sign at the entrance makes the entryway easier to spot.
Visitors can walk up the hill on a stairway path to reach the top of the mountain for a panoramic view of Fredericksburg and surrounding area, thanks to the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center.
There are also two trails that circle the mountain, one at the base and the other half way up the mountain, where visitors can look at the different plant life and wildlife in the area.
Restrooms and benches were installed in 2017, and a butterfly garden was planted by the Friends of the Fredericksburg Nature Center. No vehicles are allowed up the hill but parking is available at the foot of the mountain.
History
The history of Cross Mountain reaches far back.
When the early settlers arrived here in 1846, they found the remnants of a wooden cross that had been erected there most probably by the Spanish missionaries who had by then established missions in San Antonio, San Saba and other areas of Texas.
For the Indians, too, it was a landmark as it lay on the Pinta Trail, one of the oldest Indian trails in the state. From the Pinta Trail crossing on the Pedernales River, the trail divided, with this branch following the Upper Crabapple Road in the direction of Bear Mountain and then on to Enchanted Rock and beyond.
Cross Mountain gained its name when an early-day German settler, John Christian Durst, found the old cross of heavy timbers at its summit that was presumably erected by the Spanish missionaries. He named it “Kreuzberg” (Cross Mountain), a name that has never changed.
In the summer of 1848, Father George Menzel, a Bohemian priest, erected a more substantial cross as a symbol of redemption and civilization.
During the Diamond Jubilee of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in 1921, a more permanent cross was placed on top of the hill. It was constructed of concrete, reinforced steel and sheet metal.
When rural electrification came to the area in 1946, the cross was illuminated. It burns bright each evening from dark to dawn.
The park was purchased by Dr. J. Hardin Perry in the 1900s to keep it from being developed. It then ended up in the ownership of the Gillespie County Historical Society.
In 1999, the City of Fredericksburg obtained ownership of the historic landmark.
The park is now maintained by the City of Fredericksburg Parks and Recreation Department.
An official Texas Historical Commission marker was dedicated in observance of Founders Day on May 7, 1977, and the Nature Trail was dedicated during the 1978 Founders Day activities at the site.
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