Post Rock
Scenic Byway
K-232 Highway
The Post Rock Scenic Byway is an 18 mile route that winds north and south through the Smoky Hills along K-232
in Ellsworth, Lincoln and Russell Counties in north central
Kansas. K-232 is a two-lane asphalt surfaced road. The byway connects I-70 on the south
with K-18 on the north and links the communities of Wilson (Ellsworth County) and Lucas
(Russell County). This byway is named for the unique native limestone rocks used for fenceposts,
homes and out buildingsin the area.Along the byway you will discover 4 faces carved into the limestone
fenceposts. The faces were carved by California Artist Fred Whitman and are of Lucas residents.
The byway offers scenic, recreational, geological and agricultural viewing
opportunities. A six-mile segment of the byway is adjacent to the Wilson Lake recreational area with
scenic turnouts that overlook the dam and offer vistas of the lake and the valley below
the dam. There is a scenic byway kiosk at the turnout at the west end of the dam that has area information on it.
Rest areas, trails, picnic areas and campgrounds offer a variety of recreational
opportunities. Wilson Lake covers 9,000 acres and holds some of the state fishing records.
The lake has been rated the 86th best fishing lake in the United States by Bass Masters Magazine.
Weekend anglers and fishing tournament participants can seek white and striped bass,
walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass. Wilson Lake is also home of the 21.5 mile long Switchgrass
Mountain Bike Trail that was rated "Epic" by the International Mountain Bicycling Association.
There are cultural festivals in the towns at the ends of the byway: the Czech Festival the last weekend
of July in Wilson, the Adams Apple Festival/Highland Games on the Saturday before Labor Day weekend in Lucas.
Wilson, at the south end of the byway, is home to the Historic Midland Railroad Hotel and the round limestone
jail. http://www.wilsonks.com/
The Lucas community, at the north end of the byway,is the Grassroots Art Capital of Kansas. It is home of the Garden of
Eden, a tourist attraction on the National Register of Historic Places, which consists of over 150
folk art concrete statutes created by S.P. Dinsmoor, a Civil War veteran. Dinsmoor lies in
a glass coffin in a mausoleum he built on the cabin grounds. Lucas is also home of the
Grassroots Art Center, Ms. Debble's Rock Garden, Bowl Plaza, the "Blingiest" public restroom around,
the World's Largest Travel Plate and a grassroots art mural on Main
Street. www.lucaskansas.com
For more information, contact the Kansas Scenic Byways Program,
1-800-684-6966,
or see the
Kansas Scenic Byways web site.
Download the brochure for the Post Rock Scenic Byway by clicking
here.
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