castle rock

Castle Rock itself isn't as impressive as it is starkly different from its surroundings. It just juts up right out of the flat plainness of Western KS. It's close to the "badlands" though, which you want to be on to see Castle Rocks best. See these, monument rocks, and maybe even Scott City Park if you want a full day in KS that actually has a few natural, 'Western" looking sites.

I visited on November 22nd and found the drive and the place to be very interesting. The badlands are chalk formations on the Kansas plains. The location is off a dirt road in farm country. To get here drive south on Castle Rock road from the Quinter Exit. The road is a hard surface dirt road, if you are driving in an offroad vehicle no issues. If not, drive carefully and slowly. I was driving a 2005 AWD CRV LX.After about 25 minutes of slow driving, the road will lead you to a sign for Castle Rocks, turn left for a mile then turn left again at the Castle Rocks sign. The road gets rougher and when you cross the cattle gate, it gets real bad. Be very careful and avoid the deep ruts and potholes. I turned left and took that route to the badlands. If you survive the drive you will descend to a stunning view of a large chalk formation. The road then continues to the badlands. Turn around and head back the way you came. The road got worse and I came upon a portion that I could not navigate. As I was walking along the road to gauge if the car would make it across, I heard the eerie howls of a nearby Coyote pack.At the end of the trip my car was covered in streaks of fine chalk powder that took several washes to remove.The trip was a lot of fun and memorable. I met a farmer while driving towards Castle Rocks and he provided me directions. He and his daughter were taking advantage of the milder weather to move some equipment on their farm. Real friendly and funny guy, I enjoyed chatting with him.

At the top it was extremely windy. The sun was intense. So much fun to explore all by our selves hope to go back to get to explore more.

We picked up a brochure at the Kansas Welcome Center which said it was one of the 8 Wonders of Kansas and it indeed look interesting so we set out for it-the GPS was not usable as there was no specific address so you had to watch for the landmarks. Once we crossed the cattle gate we took the road to the left and climbed to high rock by auto-a Ford Escape which gave us plenty of clearance on the road across the canyon top It was very bumpy and full of potholes- It would have been a lot more acceptable if we could have gotten to the bottom of the canyon and looked up-but since I use a walker that was not an option, We ended up coming out on the road that when we come in would have been to our right. As previously mentioned by others we were the only ones there and was glad we had no problems.

Castle Rock Badlands are a beautiful sight. However, they are LITERALLY in the middle of nowhere. Unkept dirt road takes you to the sight. I was in a honda accord and was not ablet to follow the road to the bottom, however the view from up top is still nice. Just be careful....I made the mistake of trying to turn around to leave since the road is not made for low cars, and I got stuck. It was evening and I ended up calling 911 and the Sheriff waited with us until a tow truck came. It took the Sheriff about 40 minutes to reach us and another 40 for the tow truck. It ended up being a $260 experience for me. Not sure worth that price....but if you have a high 4 wheel drive vehicle, definitely worth the detour! Also...if you choose to try to walk to the badlands because your car will not go further....watch out for snakes....we saw them too while waiting for the Sheriff. It is a very remote location for sure!

This is worth the adventure, but know that the 15 miles is a bit more. Keep going, there IS a sign when you get to the correct road. Country road names have changed so do NOT rely on the names you may have. I think the current name of the road is K. But, watch for the sign.... there is another sign to tell you where to turn into the formations. As of July 2014, take the road to the left and follow it all the way around to get to the formations at the bottom. This road, while very bumpy is very suitable for any car. The road to the right, which also takes you down has some washed out pieces and you will need 4 wheel to get down that piece. Once down, you can drive around any of the formations and enjoy. FYI... there are a couple of roads to the top, do not bother, they provide you some "scenic" views but not much else.

Very cool diversion from the monotony of the Kansas highway! My boys and I loved this remote site. It's abt 20miles off the highway on a dirt road. It is accessible by car for the most part. There's not another soul in site. So cool.

I was driving along I-70 and was told about Castle Rock. I put it in my GPS (I would not have been able to find it otherwise) and ignored the warnings about bringing a car there. It was quite a ways down some dirt roads before I finally got to the property. At that time, I hit a fairly large, sharp rock and it took a good sized chunck out of my tires, but it was worth it.We were the only ones there the few hours that we stayed and drove all around the cliff face, Castle Rock, and the nearby badlands. It was an amazing location just smack out in the middle of nowhere. I was lucky I was still able to drive on my tires because I dont think a spare would have lasted long on those roads.Ever since I have been there, I have recommended to both friends and co-workers to check it out.

As others have stated, the road is rough. You will be traveling by dirt road for a large portion of the trip there. We were able to make it up in a Honda but it probably would have been loads easier with a car with more ground clearance. We happened also to go when it was dry, if it have been wet we probably wouldn't have made it up. It was well worth the trip though. Castle Rock stands by itself but what I think is more impressive is the Castle Rock badlands right by. I would recommend that small children be very closely watched as there are steep cliffs and no railings. Go up to the top provides wonderful panoramic views of Kansas. It is worth another trip!http://www.kansastravel.org/castlerock.htm

I had a real surprise in store when I left the interstate and found myself traveling on dusty gravel roads for 25 miles. From the satellite view, Castle Rock Road looked paved! I was able to find very specific directions online, and used my trip odometer to anticipate the turns. I went in the early morning, which proved to be a winner for picture taking. Castle Rock itself sits in a small bowl behind the bluffs. The final stretch of dirt road, on private land, is very bumpy in a passenger car. When I passed over the cattle grate, I had a choice of going around the bluff to the right, or taking the better road to the left. I believe only a high clearance 4WD vehicle could have handled the road circling the bluff to the right. An older washed-out track runs adjacent to the current tire treads. Online directions said it was impassible in rain, and I could see where previous visitors had spun out. Recommend visitors pick up any trash/debris left behind by previous discourteous visitors. If you have to choose between visiting Castle Rock or visiting Monument Rocks, I found the access to Monument Rocks to be much easier, and there were more picture-taking opportunities in the morning and evening.

The road to get there are rough. I would recommend a high up SUV and a 4 wheel drive vehicle if any mud are there. 'We took both trails. The one to the left takes you to the lower grounds and the one to the right to the top of the grounds. If your confident your vehicle can handle it, go and take in the beauty. If you're not in a hurry go and see Monument Rocks South of Quintan. There is a window arch that won't last forever.

A previous poster said that part of the rock has fallen off. That's true, but it's still worth seeing. Better still are the Castle Rock Badlands to the south of the rock. The rock stands alone with a ring road around it. Make sure to take the road to the overlook, although I found it best to park before I reached the top and walk the rest of the way. The other roads will take you into the badlands.Do not take a low-clearance vehicle here. The "road" network is more like an off-road vehicle trail. I was driving a light pickup and at one point I nearly high centered. I had to drive in first or second gear the entire time. Stay away if rain has fallen recently as the trails will turn into mire.The badlands are a fun hike. In the summer, bring water because temperatures can be high and shade is sparse. I wore a hydration pack and drank half the water in two hours. The wind blew so strongly that I could not wear my usual broad-brimmed hat or a baseball cap. My trekking poles also came in handy. The area around the rock is used as cow pasture, so beware of cow patties, especially fresh ones.This is private property, so please respect it.

My wife and I LOVE Kansas, which is considered a crime in Missouri. Traveling west on I-70 in our 2007 Volvo (which sits low to the ground), we saw the sign to Castle Rock and decided to take it in. We took the dirt road south, turned onto the dirt road heading back east, and then took the "dirt road" -- which is more of a cow path -- across the cattle guard and went as far as we could. That's when the real fun began. The cow path deteriorates into little more than a walking trail. There was no way our car could make it, so we got out and walked. My wife was convinced that I was going to be bitten by a rattlesnake, and was trying to devise a plan to get me out of there. Saw nothing more than a few harmless lizards. It looked like no one else had ever been out there. LOVED IT--TOTALLY WORTH IT!!

We checked out these reviews before our trip and almost decided not to go. BUT so glad that we did because we were surprised and thoroughly enjoyed the Castle Rock and Badlands. Coming from the east, we took the Collyer exit off of I-70. Go South on 130th Rd exactly 12.5 miles to “U” Rd and go west. While on this road, it will change to “K” Rd but continue on for 2.6 miles. On the right will be an iron letter sign pointing to “Castle Rock”. After passing the cattle guard, continue till the road forks. The right fork goes up a steep embankment to the top of the ridge which gives a nice scenic view of the entire area. The left fork goes around the north side of the ridge and allows you to park and walk around Castle Rock and the Badlands. Continuing on either of these roads will bring you back to the cattle guard. We plan to return with our children, a picnic lunch and explore further. There was some evidence of ATV and shell casings, but not too much. We had a non-4WD Tacoma truck and were glad for the extra power and tire height to get over the ruts. If it had been wet, we would not have made it. This is definitely worth the trip if you would like to see the variety of terrain that Kansas has to offer.

I have always enjoyed seeing these types of formations. Its amazing what nature can do. These things are also a lot taller than they look in the pictures, I need to go back again.