Monument Rocks

Cool little family stop, 25ish miles on dirt roads but worth the trip. Kids (and parents) learned a bit and cool rock formations in the middle of nowhere. Beautiful blue skies when we visited. Towed a 35ft bumper pull, just go slow you'll be fine. Wish we could have stayed til sunset for more photos.

Absolutely beautiful! Made this stop along our 8,000 mile road trip and so glad we did! It is a bit of a detour (~30 min off of 70) and you'll be taking about 10 miles of gravel road to get here. My husband was definitely questioning what I got us into but it was well worth these unbelievable views! We visited on a Wednesday in June and there was no one else there.

Went to visit Castle Rock and I saw Monument Rocks on Google Maps, thus we traveled another 50 miles to check it out! It's a lovely piece, well preserved and unlike Castle Rock.. Monument Rocks are smaller in size, but still massive in beauty. Plenty of parking here and its free to visit, lots of History and its very peaceful and quiet out here. Monument Rocks is private property - no camping and all that. And also.. No Climbing, there is a sign that says that.. but I wish they'd also put a similar sign on the opposite side so that folks who enter Monument Rock from the other side don't accidentally break the rules - unknowingly.. And also, gotta keep dogs on the leash. Monument Rocks is treated like an actual park - whereas Castle Rock doesn't appear to have any listed rules. Monument Rocks is a beautiful piece of nature from another time in an ancient world. The very fact that it still exists in Kansas to this day and we can enjoy it like this is an honor.. Thank you so much to the family / landowners for allowing the general public to observe and appreciate this relic of ancient Earth History.

Very cool rocks that provide evidence of how an inland sea used to exist here. Be mindful that the monument stands on private land and that the owners graciously provide access to the public. You can drive up to the base. A family was taking what looked like formal pictures. Please leave no trace.

This is a great place to dip off to from I-70 going across KS. It’s about 15 min from highway and cool to see. Private property that allows visitors for free if they don’t cause any damage or litter. Definitely a great place to get out of the car and stretch your legs. It’s free to visit.

Super cool place. Standing close to them puts into better perspective how tall they are. The second set is impressive too. Favorite part to be honest. There’s prairie dog colonies all over the field just before you get there. Stop and watch them poke their little heads up and you can hear them ‘barking’ at you!

These towers of rock are very impressive, the road in is just a dirt country road, we only saw one other car the whole time we were at Monument Rocks. You can drive around the rocks, but AS THE SIGN SAYS, RESPECT THE ROCKS! They are on private property but there are no fences and there are plenty of places to park.

Worth going to see if you make it out to western Kansas. Although, there was a wedding going on at the popular rocks, so we did not visit that section out of respect. You do have to go out on a mud/gravel road when you get closer. Overall, it was a good experience.

A cool little spot out in the middle of nowhere Kansas. I wouldn't go out of your way to come here, but if your "passing through" it's definitely worth a stop.

I think my rating would have been a lot higher if we had actually made it to the formations. And maybe we didn't follow the correct directions! But GPS took us down this really long dirt road...they said it was about 13 miles. I knew from other reviews (here and other places online) that said this was on private property but open to the public. Well about 3 miles down this dirt road, we came to an impasse. A herd of cattle blocked the road and said, YOU SHALL NOT PASS! LOL. Since we were in the middle of nowhere (and not super sure where we were) AND in a rented vehicle, we decided to turn around and find Little Jerusalem. I'm still hoping to one day see this place...hopefully with better directions next time.

Beautiful rock formation in the middle of the most unlikely place in Kansas. Definitely worth a visit if you like places such as Monument Valley in Utah.

This place was a stop for us on our cross country RV trip. It's a good 40 minute drive off the highway, so it's not really a quick stop. The formations are pretty cool. There are two different groups of them on either side of the road. We probably spent less than an hour here total. It's not a big area. It's really interesting that the formations are in the middle of no where. There's just completely flat land around. If you're looking for a stop, this one is a good one. I'm not sure it was completely worth it to me, but they are impressive.

A truly amazing sight in the flat Kansas prairie It is absolutely worth the side trip off I-70 30 minutes south from the interstate

Monument Rocks is truly a hidden gem in Kansas. I heard about Monument Rocks on the internet, and just had to stop through on the drive through Kansas -- I'm definitely glad I did! Getting to Monument Rocks isn't too difficult, but be aware that the section of dirt road on the way into it can get fairly muddy if it's rained recently. On a clear day with good weather, I think just about any vehicle could navigate the road (albeit potentially uncomfortably depending on the state of the dirt). We went in an off-road ready truck and it was easy going, but there were crossovers and RVs that had pulled in as well. Monument Rocks itself is a great experience and honestly reminded me of some locations like Zion and Arches National Parks -- except with way less people and you can get much closer to the spectacle! If you happen to be going near this area on I-70, I'd set aside 2 hours and deviate course a bit to check out Monument Rocks!

Made it just in time for sunset and it was beautiful! Is on private property so not bathrooms

This place is literally in a field, off of a highway in the middle of nothing, in absolutely nowhere Kansas. Kidding! Sort of. It's definitely off of the beaten path. And there is definitely a lot of nothing. Make sure if you go, follow the signs, and NOT the gps. The gps will just take you to the other side of town, to another field, in the middle of nothing. And some of the signs just pop up out of nowhere and are smaller and harder to see. Would I go back? Probably not. Absolutely not. But was it worth going at all? Absolutely! Just make sure you hit the bathroom at the gas station when you get off the exit, or you're screwed if you have to pee. The rocks are listed as the first natural historic landmark in the US. So it's pretty cool to see first hand. It's also a fossil site, but no digging. It's located on private property, and it is a bit of a drive off of the highway. The land owners are gracious enough to keep it open to the public as long as their property is respected. It's usually surrounded by their cattle herd, but when we went they were a bit off in the distance. It is beautiful. And I'm glad to knock it off my travel/bucket list. Not too many people can say they've seen them if they don't live in the area. So if you ever do find yourself in the middle of nowhere Kansas, right near Oakley, check this place out. Completely worth the hassle, train crossing, and long drive.

Beautiful place, though pretty hard to find using GPS. We eventually located it. A friend visited last year and I put it on my bucket list after seeing his great photos. It reminds me of a miniature version of The Badlands, but still gorgeous and awe-inspiring. I love that the cows in adjacent fields are free to roam through here too. Privately owned and free to all, which is refreshing. A must see!

One of the 8 wonders of Kansas. On my solo road trip, I debated if I should stop by here because it is off the beaten path and then I thought I might not have the chance to come this way again. I am glad I did go to see this wonder. It is located on the western edge of Gove County. I was on my way from Colorado to Topeka, KS. Monument Rocks, a series of large, heavily sculpted chalk monoliths, sometimes referred to as the Chalk Pyramids. The site has been designated as a National Natural Landmark. The history was that 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. As I recall, it is on a private property but the landowners are amenable to visitors and there is no special permission is required. The drive was less than 20 miles from busy Interstate 70, and they are perfect for a short side trip.  It was peaceful and great opportunity for photo stop. There is no camping, bathroom or anything like that.

such a cool site!! really in the middle of nowhere, but you can drive right up to landmark and see everything with no hike at all! very unique structure that contrasts greatly with the rest of the kansas terrain. cool picture opportunity!

Good place, not a good drive for a sedan. This is one of those landmarks that God says let's do something against natural explanations.

beautiful natural rock formations in quiet area with no one for miles around. We came here on our road trip across country and we were the only ones here. One thing to note: you drive about 10-15 miles on unsaved roads to get here.

If you like the unusual this one is for you. This place is about a half an hour south of Oakley, via Highway 83 and Jayhawk road. It's on private land and although there is no fee to visit it is easy to find following abundant signage. If you visit either early or late in the day the shadows and angles are fantastic. Jayhawk road is a well maintained dirt road, easy accessed by 2wd vehicles in good weather. A great way to break up the excitement of counting grain silos on I-70 or Highway 40 and give the kids a chance to burn off some energy.

Really off the beaten path make sure to use restroom..... beautiful. Even the toddler && kindergartener enjoyed. So glad we made the stop

Okay, so we are driving from PA to CO and going through Kansas. My husband says: look on Yelp and see if there is anything to do around here. AROUND HERE?!?!?!?!?! SERIOUSLY, we are in the middle of NOWHERE land! I found the Monument Rocks reviewed by others. So we thought: why not? We were driving a 38 foot motor home and half way there we thought we were CRAZY!!! But: we made it and it was truly worth the very scary drive out. They were grating the roads and there was at least five foot ditches very close on both sides of the road. Otherwise, we would have been fine in our RV. A true gem: GO!!!

Not necessarily worth a long drive to see, if you are in the area it is most definitely worth it. I spent about an hour walking around these impressive pillars, taking pictures.