The Castle Rock and Badlands in Kansas look like a small version of the South Dakota Badlands

This is Castle Rock, a famous cluster of chalk pillars south of Quinter, Kansas.Photo byJames St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Castle Rock is located in west central Kansas. It’s considered a geological wonder inviting those who love nature and are curious travelers. The badlands near the tall Castle Rock almost give you a small taste of the Badlands in South Dakota, which I saw as a teenager. It's fascinating to see something unique outdoors you’ve never seen before.

The chalk was deposited during the Cretaceous Period of geologic history, about 80 million years ago, when the central interior of the U.S. was covered by a seaway. (Source.)

Castle Rock is an iconic formation around 12 miles south of I-70 between the towns of Quinter and Collyer, Kansas in eastern Gove County. The formation of Castle Rock rises tall in its surrounding badlands. If you visit this area, you’ll see an interesting contrast compared to the flat plains of Kansas.

Overlook of the badlands near Castle Rock in Kansas.Photo byNgresonance, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

How did this natural wonder happen?

While it may seem hard to fathom, Castle Rock was formed over millions of years. This involved a combination of erosion and processes of sedimentation. Gradually, the elements of wind and water wore away the soft rock layers. This left behind what rises from the ground.

It’s said that scientists would go to western Kansas to see and study how prehistoric oceans reached Kansas. More chalk pyramids in Kansas known as Monument Rocks were named a National Natural Landmark in 1968.

Chalk badlands (Castle Rock & nearby chalk bluffs, Gove County, Kansas).Photo byJames St. John, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

A place for tourism

If you ever tire of driving through Kansas when going to Colorado, don’t assume there’s never anything to see. The Castle Rock formation and its nearby badlands are in the Smoky Hills region of the state about 11 miles south of I-70 close to Quinter, Kansas. Sometimes there are places to see in the state you live in but never knew about.

Castle Rock was on the Butterfield Overland Despatch (despatch is the British variant of dispatch) route in the 1860s. This was a mail and freight service that operated across the Great Plains by stagecoach.

Like the Monument Rocks, Castle Rock is on private property. However, the landowners allow visitors and it's expected all visitors will be respectful of the property. Visitors are asked not climb, go fossil hunting, camp, litter, or start bonfires. You're only expected to leave footprints and take photos.

These are directions to Castle Rock according to the Kansas Sampler Foundation:

Take I-70 Quinter exit 107 (Castle Rock Road), go 15 miles south to the intersection of GO 80 and GO K, then 4 miles east to Castle Rock sign, and north across a cattle guard (dry weather road only).

The roads to Castle Rock are not paved and are likely better traveled in an SUV and probably impassable during wet weather.

Thanks for reading and sharing.