Mushroom Rock State Park, State park in Carneiro, Kansas.
Mushroom Rock State Park is a 5-acre park in Kansas featuring sandstone formations from the Cretaceous Period that have been shaped by erosion into mushroom-like forms. The largest formation measures about 27 feet across at an elevation of about 1,600 feet.
The park was established in 1965 to protect rock formations more than 66 million years old dating back to the Cretaceous Period. These ancient stones reveal how the landscape and environment have changed over vast spans of geological time.
Native Americans and early settlers used these rock formations as important meeting points and landmarks during their journeys across the region. These natural markers continue to shape how people understand and move through the landscape today.
The park sits along the Prairie Trail Scenic Byway and offers two walking trails that lead visitors through the rock formations. No vehicle permit is needed, and the trails can be explored on foot at your own pace.
The mushroom shapes developed through a distinctive erosion pattern where calcium carbonate concretions wore away unevenly over time. This created forms where the upper sections grew larger than the lower supporting bases, resulting in the characteristic silhouette.
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