Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park showcases a mile-long stretch of 100-foot-tall spires and cliffs of eroded Niobrara Chalk, a layer of rock deposited about 85 million years ago. Niobrara Chalk was formed by sediment that settled at the bottom of an inland ocean called the Western Interior Seaway which covered most of central North America roughly 140 to 70 million years ago. The sediment became compressed over time, and the seaway floor was lifted by the same tectonic shifting that formed the Rocky Mountains.
Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park was established by the Kansas Legislature in 2018 and opened to visitation in 2019. The 332-acre park encompasses 220 acres of badlands – fragile, but ruggedly spectacular geologic formations–owned by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and adjacent to TNC’s 18,000-acre Smoky Valley Ranch. The Nature Conservancy will continue to own Little Jerusalem with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks partnering to manage visitor access and use.
The park is the largest expanse of exposed Niobrara Chalk formation in Kansas. Smaller Niobrara Chalk outcrops are commonly seen along U.S. 83 Highway between Oakley and Historic Lake Scott State Park. Monument Rocks is a well-known Niobrara Chalk landmark east of Little Jerusalem.
Take a short walk along the 1/3 mile Overlook Trail to view the amazing geology of the park from the east end or trace the rim of the landscape by hiking the Life on the Rocks gravel .6 mile trail to an overlook, then continue on a natural surface trail another one-half mile to the western most view point.
