Before we headed to Dodge City we took a little time to visit the Mushroom Rock State Park which is one of the smallest state parks in Kansas at only 5 acres.
“One of the 8 Wonders of Kansas Geography, Mushroom Rock is the smallest, but one of the most unique, state parks in Kansas and boast one of the most unusual rock formations anywhere. The rocks served as meeting places and landmarks for Native Americans and early pioneers such as John C. Fremont and Kit Carson.
Resembling giant mushrooms rising above the horizon, the Dakota formations of Mushroom Rock State Park are the remains of beach sands and sediments of the Cretaceous Period, the interval of geologic time from about 144 to 66 million years ago. Sandstone and sedimentary rock is held together by natural cement. The concretions that make up Mushroom Rocks are cemented calcium carbonate. The largest rock measures 27 feet in diameter.” — Mushroom Rock State Park, KS
The park was in the countryside down a dirt road which was a nice drive in itself.
That looks like it would be quite a sight, Brooks! You just never know what you’ll come across in this country.
Yes, this was an interesting find. Thanks, Tom.
What a history our world has to offer us when we learn to read the book of nature. It also helps us to realize how small we are in the scheme of time. Not sure just how large they are from the images but a guess would be 10-15 feet. They also stand out in the landscape around them.
You are about right on the size of the upright ones, Monte. There were bigger stones that looked like the tops of mushrooms flat on the ground that were much bigger. The world is certainly an interesting place.
That’s fantastic, Brooks. Kudos to you for heading down that dirt road and “discovering” this treasure. I think that it’s very cool to be in the presence of something 144 MILLION years old! Humbling!
Yelp, I’m always happy these days when I find something that makes me feel young, Paul! :-)