70 ft tall limestone pillar landmark said to look like a castle rising above the prairie

How to Get There

From Wichita (243 miles): Get on I-135 N/KS-15 N/US-81 N from E 1st St N. Follow I-135 N/US-81 N and I-70 W to KS-198 S in Collyer. Take exit 115 from I-70 W. Take 130 Ave/Banner Rd to Gove 80 in Larrabee.

Overview

Castle Rock is a 70 ft (21 m) tall limestone pillar landmark in Gove County, Kansas. The formation and the nearby badlands are located in the Smoky Hills region of Kansas, which is approximately 11 miles south of I-70 near Quinter, Kansas.

Castle Rock was a landmark on the Butterfield Overland Despatch route (Overland Trail). The chalk was deposited in the area by an ancient inland sea. The formation was formed by the weathering of the chalk by wind and water. It received its name because it is said to look like a castle rising above the prairie.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Castle Rock (Kansas)", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0