Mushroom Rock State Park

Mushroom Rock
State Park
Pedestal formed by nonuniform weathering
Country  United States
State  Kansas
Region Smoky Hills
District Ellsworth County, Kansas
Nearest city Ellsworth, Kansas
Elevation 488 m (1,601 ft)
Coordinates
Geology Dakota Sandstone, Early Cretaceous
Opened 25 April 1965
Management Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks
Status Open to public
Map showing location of park
Website: KDWP Website

Mushroom Rock State Park, located in the Smoky Hills region of Kansas, is noted for its mushroom rock formations. These rocks were formed through a process of nonuniform erosion and weathering in which a hard mass of Dakota Sandstone resisted erosion while the underlying softer stone weathered away, forming a "mushroom" shape. There are two mushrooms and a giant shoe rock, as well as numerous other rock formations in the park. The 5-acre (20,000 m2) park is located near Salina, Kansas, just south of I-70.

References

  1. ^ 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)

See also

Other rock formations in Kansas:

External links

Federal
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Cedar  • 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