Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor AdventureMonument Rocks
FreeWalk among chalk buttes and arches up to 70 feet tall rising from the prairie, on private land open to respectful visitors.
Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureLocal Gem
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park
County Road 400, north of Gold Rd, west of US-83 · Oakley, KS
Why you should go…
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park protects the largest Niobrara Chalk formation in Kansas, with spires over 100 feet tall in a maze of narrow canyons. You can walk the quarter-mile Overlook Trail or the 1.5-mile Life on the Rocks Trail without a reservation. Going off-trail is allowed only on a guided tour, and you may spot ferruginous hawks, pronghorn and Great Plains wild buckwheat, a plant found nowhere else.
- #state park
- #badlands
- #hiking
- #chalk formations
Good to know
General sport & outdoor guidance
Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.
Weather calls the shots
Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.
Shoes, water, sun cover
The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.
Parking and launches fill early
On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.
Daylight shrinks in shoulder season
Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.
What's around here?
The closest stops to Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
9.7 mi awayMore like this
- MuseumsFree
Fick Fossil and History Museum
FreeA free Oakley, Kansas museum of giant marine fossils, a sod house replica and pioneer-era artifacts.
23 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
- SightseeingLocal Gem
Oakley
FreeNorthwest Kansas town on the Western Vistas Historic Byway, gateway to Monument Rocks and the Kansas Badlands.
23 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- AttractionsFree Entry
Buffalo Bill Cultural Center & Visitor Center
FreeOakley's travel information center on US 83 beside a twice life-size bronze of Buffalo Bill Cody, with Wild West and Smoky Hill Trail exhibits and a Kansas gift shop.
23 mi awaySwitch it up: Attractions
- SightseeingLocal Gem
Colby
FreeNorthwest Kansas town on I-70 known as the Oasis on the Plains, with a pioneer museum and historic downtown.
41 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- SightseeingLocal Gem
Finney County
FreeSouthwest Kansas county anchored by Garden City, home to a free zoo, historical museum and prairie festivals.
57 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
