Mushroom Rock State Park

State park in Kansas, United States

38°43′33″N 98°01′50″W / 38.72583°N 98.03056°W / 38.72583; -98.03056Area5 acresElevation488 m (1,601 ft)Established25 April 1965Visitors290,436 (in 2022)^[1]OperatorKansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and TourismWebsiteKDWP Website

Mushroom Rock State Park is noted for its mushroom rock formations. It is located in the Smoky Hills region of north-central Kansas in Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States.

These rocks 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.^[2] There are two mushrooms and a giant shoe rock, as well as numerous other rock formations in the 5-acre (2.0 ha) park.

Mushroom Rock is Kansas's smallest state park;^[3] as well as being "one of the 8 wonders of Kansas Geography."^[3] Mushroom Rock State Park is managed by Kanopolis State Park,^[2] under regulation of Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. The rock used to serve as meeting places for pioneers and Native Americans.^[2]

Gallery

Rock formation at Mushroom Rock State Park, Kansas (1916)^[4]

References

^ Self, Matthew (August 18, 2023). "Top 5 most popular Kansas state parks revealed". KSNT.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Kanopolis State Park". Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks, and Tourism. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2018.
^ ^a ^b "Mushroom Rock State Park". www.kansastravel.org. Archived from the original on August 20, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2020.
^ Darton, N.H. 1916. Guidebook of the Western United States: Part C - The Santa Fe Route, with a Side Trip to Grand Canyon of the Colorado. U.S. Geological Survey. Bulletin 613, 194 pp. (See Plate 3-A)

External links

Mushroom Rock State Park - Official Site
Mushroom Rock State Park - Trip Report
Mushroom Rock State Park - Photographs
Ellsworth County map, KDOT

Protected areas of Kansas

Federal

National Historic Sites and Historical Park	Brown v. Board of Education Fort Larned Fort Scott Nicodemus
National Wildlife Refuges	Flint Hills Kirwin Marais des Cygnes Quivira
National Grasslands	Cimarron
Other Protected Areas	Big Basin Prairie Preserve Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

State

State Parks	Cedar Bluff Cheney Clinton Crawford Cross Timbers Eisenhower El Dorado Elk City Fall River Glen Elder Hillsdale Kaw River Kanopolis Lake Scott Lovewell Meade Milford Mushroom Rock Perry Pomona Prairie Dog Prairie Spirit Trail Sand Hills Tuttle Creek Webster Wilson

Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism

v t e Municipalities and communities of Ellsworth County, Kansas, United States
County seat: Ellsworth
Cities	Ellsworth Holyrood Kanopolis Lorraine Wilson	Map of Kansas highlighting Ellsworth County
Unincorporated communities	Black Wolf Carneiro Langley Venango Yankee Run
Ghost towns	Terra Cotta
Townships	Ash Creek Black Wolf Carneiro Clear Creek Columbia Ellsworth Empire Garfield Green Garden Langley Lincoln Mulberry Noble Palacky Sherman Thomas Trivoli Valley Wilson
Points of interest	Faris Caves Fort Harker Kanopolis State Park Mushroom Rock State Park
Kansas portal United States portal