Monument Rocks, Kansas delivers

On the way back from an epic trip to Colorado with the twins, we found a little red dot in the Western Kansas section of our Rand McNally map book. That little red dot south of Oakley, KS said "Monument Rocks" and there wasn't a paved road nearby.

That's usually the first sign of a great side trip - no paved road and the closest town has a population less than 3,000 people.

The sunrise peaks through one of the formations

So, we arranged to stay in the closest hotel off I-70, got up before dawn and headed south on 83 for about 30 miles to Monument Rocks to catch the morning light. And boy did we. Check out our pictures below.

According to the National Park service website, the Monument Rocks Natural Area includes pinnacles, small buttes, and spires of chalk of the Niobrara formation, and erosional remnants of sediments deposited in the ancient Kansas Sea of Cretaceous time. The site is a rich source of fossils of Cretaceous marine animals.

Established as a National Natural Landmark in 1968 and one of the natural wonders of Kansas, Monument Rocks (also known as the Chalk Pyramids) is located on private land, so if you visit, please respect the rules and don't climb on the formations, leave trash or deface the formations.

First glimpse of the sandstone formations

Sunrises against the arch

Klinger the Jeep in a natural environment

Don't take our word for it, read more about visitors' trips to Monument Rocks on Trip Advisors here.

In lieu of a paper map, find Monument Rocks via the Google map below.