Crabapple Creek — Llano County

Crabapple Creek flows through the Llano Uplift between the Crabapple settlement corridor and the Sandy Creek / Enchanted Rock watershed in southern Llano County. Regional prospecting guides and Llano County gold compilations list Crabapple Creek among Central Texas streams where hobby panners find fine placer gold eroded from upstream lode sources. Geology: Town Mountain Granite and related Precambrian rocks of the uplift shed gold-bearing quartz debris into creek gravels. Expect small flakes and colors in inside bends and behind boulders after floods — not commercial nugget gold. Pyrite is common; test specimens before assuming gold. Most creek frontage is private ranch land. Obtain landowner permission before panning. Enchanted Rock State Natural Area rules apply on adjacent public land — no digging or prospecting inside the park boundary. Related entries document Sandy Creek, Coal Creek, and the Riley Mountains / Los Almagres mineral district in the same upland.