Every acre, every visitor cap, every mile of trail is the result of a 1946 promise: keep this land wild, on purpose.
A Texas State Natural Area
Witness the Hill Country, Unchanged.
Protecting 3,800 acres of pristine Texas history, rare species, and the surreal quiet of the Albert and Bessie Kronkosky State Natural Area.
Resource First
A living time capsule, kept wild on purpose.
Most of the Texas Hill Country is disappearing into rooftops and pavement. ABK SNA is different. Donated to the people of Texas in 2011 by Albert and Bessie Kronkosky, this land was set aside to remain unworked, ungrazed, and undisturbed — so that fifty years from now, our children still know what "wild" really looks like.
By the Numbers
A Sanctuary, Measured
Why ABK SNA is unlike any other place in the Texas Hill Country.
3,814
Acres Protected
2011
Year Donated
152+
Bird Species
~25
Miles of Planned Trails
Three Miles of Inclusion
Nature Without Barriers.
From families with strollers to seniors and mobility users, ABKSNA is being built for you. We’re transforming the rugged natrual area into a modern sanctuary where inclusion is as much a priority as conservation.
Our History
A Gift for Generations to Come
Albert and Bessie Kronkosky spent a lifetime stewarding this Hill Country land. Their gift to the people of Texas ensures these 3,814 acres of canyons, springs, and endangered habitat will be protected and shared for generations.
Building the Foundation
While Texas Parks and Wildlife manages the land, the Friends of ABK SNA are busy behind the scenes funding the research, history, and heart of the natural area. We are working now to ensure that when we open in late 2026, the "surreal peacefulness" is preserved for everyone.
Guardians of the Gift
Meet the Friends of ABKSNA — the volunteers and donors funding what the state budget cannot.
Rare & Surreal
Home to the Sycamore-leaf Snowbell, the Dark-stem Noseburn, and a salamander found nowhere else but the Texas Hill Country.
From Ranch to Refuge
Then-and-now photos of the Kronkosky property as it transforms into a public sanctuary.
Support the Friends of ABKSNA
The next eighty years start now.
Albert and Bessie Kronkosky gave the land. The State of Texas manages it. The Friends of ABKSNA fund the work that nobody else will — the field research, the trails, the signs, the small details that turn a state property into a place Texans feel they belong to. Your support is what bridges the gap.
