Towering pillars of chalk rising 70 feet into the air attract visitors to the area that the Travel + Leisure website called the most attractive location in Kansas.

Travel + Leisure recently published a list of the most beautiful places in each state and the District of Columbia. Those included Colorado’s Garden of the Gods, Arizona’s Grand Canyon National Park and Florida’s Everglades National Park.

Castle Rock Badlands in northwest Kansas is the most beautiful place in the Sunflower State, the site said.

Travel + Leisure says Badlands provide ‘near-shocking change of scenery’

Located near Quinter in Gove County, Castle Rock Badlands was described by Travel + Leisure as being “quirky.”

The attraction is about a four-hour drive from Topeka and is “quite literally off the beaten path,” that website said.

“Castle Rock Badlands is located on private ranchland — you’ll need a four-wheel drive vehicle to navigate the dirt roads — and the landscape is a relic of an inland sea that once covered this part of the continent,” it said. “The fragile, fossil-rich limestone pinnacles provide a near-shocking change of scenery from the prairie Kansas is known for.”

Magazine website says 2001 storm toppled tallest spire

The Castle Rock Badlands are a “true hidden gem,” said the website for Travel World International magazine, noting that entrance to the area is free.

“The actual Castle Rock formation consists of three impressive spires and was used as a landmark for stagecoach travelers,” it said. “The natural chalk has eroded throughout the years, and a 2001 storm caused the top of the tallest spire to topple. Historic photos show a different view than what visitors see today, but Castle Rock is nevertheless impressive.”

No staff or guides are available at the nearby Castle Rock Badlands, where the Travel World International site said the “look but don’t touch” rule is more relaxed than at most tourist attractions.

“Visitors can walk among the badlands adjacent to Castle Rock and climb on the formations,” it said. “The area is shared with a herd of grazing cattle who pretty much mind their business but are willing photo subjects as long as you don’t get too close.”

How can I find Castle Rock Badlands?

“To find these breathtaking formations you must get off the interstate and see with your own eyes that Kansas is anything but ‘boring and flat,'” said the state government’s travelks.com website.

The badlands are an hour southwest of Hays and a mere 14 miles from Interstate 70, with the route being mostly gravel, that site said.

To get to Castle Rock from the west, take exit 107 off I-70 at Quinter, turn south on Castle Rock Road, go 15 miles, turn east at county road 466 (Gove K), and follow the signs, it said. To get to Castle Rock from the east, take exit 115 at Collyer, turn south on Banner Road, go 12.5 miles, and turn west on county road 466 (also known as Castle Rock Road), and watch for the sign on the right.

The travelks.com site added: “Castle Rock will win you over and you’ll become a firm believer that Kansas is chock-full of surprises. Pun intended.”

As reported in the Topeka Capital Journal

HAYS, Kan. – The Kansas Wetlands Education Center’s 12th annual Butterfly Festival will be held on Saturday, September 20, from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Each year, millions of monarch butterflies undertake their annual fall flight to Mexico. Nets and tags will be available during the event for those who want to capture and tag monarch butterflies.

Participants head out into the flower-filled fields and shelter belt around KWEC to capture monarchs, with tagging leaders stationed along the trail to help with the tagging process. For the past several years, monarchs tagged at the event were recovered at three Mexico roost sites.

On the way to Mexico, data collected from tagged monarchs helps support the research of Monarch Watch. Tagging helps answer questions about the origins of monarchs that reach Mexico, the timing and pace of migration, mortality during the migration, and changes in geographic distribution.

Egg. Larva. Pupa. Butterfly. That’s magic! Steve Craig will have a butterfly magic show that makes learning this basic science fun using magic, puppets, and humor. The Butterfly Magic show is designed for family audiences – enjoy the metamorphosis at shows at 9:30, 10:30, and 11:15 a.m. Make sure to claim free tickets on your arrival at the festival.

Larned-based Kellie Honey Farm will be present with a demonstration hive on display in the exhibit hall to educate about the importance of honeybees.

Grassland Groupies, a nonprofit dedicated to inspiring the conservation of grassland ecosystems, will be at the festival. Depending on the availability of insects, they may have their Bumblebutt Petting Station, an all-male (so they won’t sting), bumble bee interaction display, or a walk-in butterfly tent.

KWEC will also feature an invertebrate zoo, with giant walking stick insects, butterflies, caterpillars, chrysalises, fluorescing scorpions, a tarantula, and more.

Kids can make a butterfly tealight lantern at the craft station and a monarch butterfly rest stop to assist the butterflies migrating through your own backyard. Race through a pollinator obstacle course and earn a temporary butterfly tattoo. Use a sling shot to shoot seed bombs full of potential pollinator blooms out into our prairie and take home your own packet of seeds.

Partnering with the Kansas Wetlands Education Center and the annual Butterfly Festival, the Central Kansas Partnership’s Suicide Prevention Task Force Walk and Remembrance Ceremony will occur early in the morning at 7:15 a.m. to ensure it is completed by the time the Festival is set to begin.

Each individual will be able to write the loved one’s name on a painted butterfly to stake in the ground during the festival for attendees to see. The Task Force will also have a booth during the Festival, sharing information on Suicide Prevention.

Explore the Melody Marsh, an interactive play area in the KWEC Pollinator Garden. The garden provides wildflower planting ideas to use at home and features a variety of native and adaptable plants that serve as hosts for different species of caterpillars and provide nectar sources for pollinators, including butterflies, birds, beetles, and more.

Pollinator seed packets will be available for free until they run out. For more information, contact KWEC at 1-877-243-9268 or visit: wetlandscenter.fhsu.edu.