Kickapoo Cavern State Park, formerly the Seargeant Ranch, is about 22 miles north of Brackettville, straddling the line between Kinney and Edwards counties. Its 6,368.4 acres lie on the southern Edwards Plateau.

Three very different natural zones intermingle here, creating a patchwork of plant and animal life.

Sprawling live oaks of the Edwards Plateau, cacti of the Chihuahuan Desert, and thorny shrubs of the South Texas plains coexist in the park. This mixed plant life provides habitat for many animals.

About 240 migrant and resident bird species have been recorded here half the number that regularly occur in all of Texas.

Mammals common in the park include white-tailed deer, raccoons, ringtails, gray foxes, rock squirrels, porcupines, rabbits and various rodents.

The parks namesake caverns chronicles roughly 4 million years of natures handiwork. Formation began when slow-moving, acidic groundwater carved passageways through 105-million-year-old Devils River limestone.

The water table eventually dropped, draining the passageways and leading to massive collapse in the cavern. The floor of the cavern was once its ceiling

Stuart Bat Cave teems with life. Cave swallows build mud nests just inside the cave mouth where they raise their young. Up to a million Mexican free-tailed bats roost deep in the cave from spring through fall. At dusk, these flying mammals stream into the night in search of insects.

TPWD acquired the land in December 1986 and opened it on a limited basis in 1991. Full access to the park became available in 2010.

The .75-mile Seargeant Memorial Trail starts near the campground and crosses creek beds and ridges before it reaches an overlook. At the overlook, youll see a plaque honoring Tommy Seargeant, who sold the land to TPWD and strongly supported developing this park.