It's been a hot minute since I wrote a travel blog post! There was a time when we used to travel a lot. Do you know that we have traveled to all 50 states plus Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands! Sadly, I haven't yet blogged about all our adventures! So with the new year, I thought of catching up with some of those due travelogues! Why not start with the latest ones! We went on a road trip to the Top of the Rockies, in Leadville, Colorado this December. But our first stop was at the Kansas Badlands! When I use the broader term Kansas Badlands, it refers to a few different formations nearby! In this blog post, or in this trip, we covered Littel Jerusalem State Park and Monument Rocks, both situated in Oakley, Kansas! It was our first trip to the former and our second trip to the latter!
Let us start with Little Jerusalem State Park! Oakley, Kansas is about 5 hours away from the KC metro area and most people yet haven't explored it! I mean for all the people who drive to Colorado, this could be the perfect scenic pit stop, almost midway during the drive! We devoted a day to explore these beautiful landforms with our family! Our 7-year-old is quite the geology enthusiast and loves her hikes! Little Jerusalem State park used to be a private property till about a few years ago, but now it's a state park! There is a vehicle permit of $5 per car, for the day!
Little Jerusalem State Park provides one of the most dramatic Niobrara chalk landforms in Kansas! Long ago, this area was a giant sea! In addition to the present-day wildlife, the remains of swimming and flying reptiles dating back 85 million years have been found here. According to folklore, these chalk outcroppings used to resemble the ancient walled city of Jerusalem, hence the name "Little Jerusalem." There are two trails: Overlook Trail which is 0.5 miles and the Life on the Rocks Trails which is around 1.5 miles! Hiking on both the trails can take multiple vantage points of the rock formations! It was a huge hit with our elementary schooler who loved hiking and reading all the information boards which were set at regular intervals, informing hikers about the wildlife, vegetation and so much more! Bonus points, they are pet friendly, as long as your pet is leashed and you clean up after your pet!
Our next stop was Monument Rocks, which is only a short drive away! This was our second visit to this place and it was equally awe-inspiring as the first time. While at Little Jerusalem, you can view the formations from the overlook points, you can walk through the formations, here at Monument Rocks! The 70 feet tall sedimentary formations of Niobrara Chalk were created by the erosion of a sea bed which formed during the Cretaceous Period. 80 million years ago, this land was the sea bed beneath the Western Interior Seaway which covered much of what is now North America. This geological formation is the Niobrara Chalk, named after bluffs of the same chalk on the Missouri River near the mouth of the Niobrara River in northeast Nebraska. There are no developed trails at Monument Rocks, nor is camping allowed! You do not have to pay for a permit to visit, which is open to the public during daylight hours!
It made a perfect choice while traveling during the pandemic! Visitors stuck to trails, with their masks one, and socially distanced themselves! People did remove their masks to take pictures, as everyone was socially distanced, it made it seem safer! So next time, someone tells you, what is there to see in Kansas, here is just a tasting menu! There is so much to explore, if only you wanted to! Before you plan long trips to faraway places, how about explore our very own Kansas!
