Monument Rocks National Landmark, Kansas

Driving Into Monument Rocks

If you are going to be driving through Kansas, you need to check out the internet site www.kansassampler.org/8wonders. Kansas has done a wonderful job of finding the wonders of Kansas (Geographic, Art, Commerce, Cuisine, Art, History, etc.) After I found it on the internet, I checked out all the possibilities along our route to Iowa. We normally are most inclined to look at Geographic wonders so, of course, I looked those up first.

Our first geographic wonder was Monument Rocks National Landmark. It and our next stop, Castle Rock, won in the Overall 8 Wonders category. They were a duo entry because they are spectacular landmarks which were formed from ancient chalk beds.

Monument Rocks in on the western edge of Gove County. We didn't have much trouble finding it. It is such a spectacular sight because there are all these large white (chalk) formations out in the middle of really flat Kansas landscape. The rocks are on private ground but are open to the public.

A Large Arch Created By Wind Erosion

The wind was something else as we arrived. It just whipped around the rocks and as I opened the truck door to get out, the wind slammed into the door and it flew back springing the door. There was no way I could have caught it in time. So, it is a hassle right now opening and shutting the door. We hope to get it fixed soon!

As we walked around and through the chalk columns, we quickly forgot our problems and started snapping hundreds of pictures. They are simply an amazing sight and one you should try to visit on your way through Kansas!

Lee Standing Under The Arch

Mary trying not to blow away with the wind

It was a gorgeous site with all the wild flowers blooming!

Panoramic View of Monument Rocks

The Kansas landscape around Monument Rocks

The 8 wonders site explains the geologic formations of both sites: "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. The several hundred feet deep water contained single-celled animals that drifted to the sea floor for eons, creating a mucky ooze. This material was perfect for trapping and preserving the remains of animals that lived in that ocean, such as fish, turtles, sharks, swimming reptiles called mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, swimming birds, gliding reptiles called pterosaurs, as well as invertebrate animals such as giant clams. Today the chalk beds routinely give up these fossils. Probably the best-known fossil from these beds is the famous "fish-within-a-fish" on display at the Sternberg Museum in Hays."

Another small formation in the distance

A window formed by the wind

Lee trying to keep his hat on!  He had already 
lost it a couple of times!

Nests on the rocks

If you are driving through Kansas, this is definitely worth a stop!