Kansas Day Trip--Kanopolis State Park

“I think I’m quite ready for another adventure.”—Bilbo Baggins

Itching for adventure, I suggested to G that we go on a day trip. We knew we wanted to go somewhere outdoors (no masks required and ideal for social distancing). After ruling out a few places that were 5+ hours away, I found Kanopolis State Park, a 3 and a half hour drive from Lincoln, NE. Conveniently, there were also a few other attractions nearby to Kanopolis that we were able to hit.

We packed a lunch the night before, and headed out on our adventure the next day.

Rock City—Minneapolis, KS

Our first stop was Rock City. This little park was about 5 miles off the highway. It has massive boulders in the middle of crop land. They are natural geological formations that look like remnants of the dinosaurs.It was a perfect place for a picnic, and you can climb the rocks, a perfect place for kiddos. Who am I kidding, we had a ball climbing too.

Mushroom Rock State Park—Brookville, KS

Just under an hour from Rock City is Mushroom Rock State Park. This park is only about 5 acres, but it was worth the short stop on the way to Kanopolis. It’s actually run by Kanopolis State Park. These rock formations were much larger than we expected, and distinctly mushroom shaped. The rock formations served as a meeting place and landmarks for Native Americans and pioneers.

Kanapolis State Park—Marquette, KS

About 10 miles from Mushroom State Park, we found Kanapolis. Camping, a lake, hiking, bluffs, and prarie—this park had a little bit of it all. The reservoir is great for water sports. We were wishing we had our kayaks with us as we got hot after our hike. We found a cave of sorts, and some reptilian friends. Horsetheif Canyon Trail was a nice moderate walk with stunning views. Not realizing our the trails were narrow paths in tall grass, we got slapped a bit by greenery and made sure to check ourselves for ticks afterwards (good thing too). We also explored surrounding small parks and campsites and went down a ton of dirt roads.

We had so much fun on our day trip. It was nice to explore the Midwest a bit more and have a day to ourselves. We were graced with a double rainbow and a beautiful sunset at the end of it all. That and Sonic drive-thru!

Do yourself a favor and adventure. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy or elaborate. Just get out and take advantage of what is around you. Make memories, because those are priceless.