Natural Wonders of Western Kansas - « Prev - Next » - 1 of 10 |
Steer down byways in Western Kansas, and you may stumble across
some remarkable and unexpected scenery. In the state’s extreme
northwestern corner, Parks Road leads to the Arikaree Breaks (a
two-mile wide “break” in the terrain), a rugged badlands
landscape of yucca-studded cliffs, caves and gullies. Formed
during the Ice Age, the loess soils harbor two species of sage
and16 rare native plants and grasses ideal for cattle and
wildlife. Stop in St. Francis for a self-guided tour brochure.
Southeast of Oakley, a soft sedimentary layer known as Niobrara
Chalk has been exposed and sculpted by eons of wind, water and
river ice. The result is spots like Monument Rocks (from Oakley,
20 miles south on US-83, eight miles southeast) where
otherworldly bright-white turrets, spires and other formations
rise from the prairie like dissolving sand castles. Fifty miles
east, Castle Rock (15 miles south of Quinter) resembles a
moonscape, a bizarre maze of narrow