Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife
Area

Pillsbury Crossing - Photo by Jim Mason
|
At this spot, Deep Creek flows over a limestone ledge and forms a waterfall
with a drop of about 4 feet. Just upstream, about 100 feet of the road crosses the ledge
and vehicles travel through several inches of water. (Be careful - during high water this
road is not passable!) |
This is a pleasant picnic spot, and the kids will enjoy wading in the rock-bottomed
creek. Beaver activity is visible on the trees, and wood ducks are sometimes seen.
You may put in a canoe, kayak or other small, non-motorized boat here and go as far as
1/2 mile upstream from the site.
The riparian woodlands also attract a variety of birds and many squirrels. A great blue
heron rookery has been active in recent years a short distance away (you'll need
binoculars or spotting scopes). The birds usually occupy the nests by mid-March. This is
on private property and the birds are easily disturbed. Please view them from the road.
 | ADA - accessible toilet. |
Primitive camping with special
permit only.
Discover what to see, eat and do in Kansas.
Plan your trip today, at TravelKS.com!
Click the icon to find a birding list for Pottawatomie County.
Click the icon to locate nearby Geocaches
For more Wildlife Watching sites in the Flint Hills, click
here

A short
hiking trail leads through the woods from the parking lot on the west side along the edge
of the creek, and up to a prairie overlook. The riparian corridor has many large oak
and hackberry trees in it. |
 |

Directions:
From the bridge over the Kansas River at the south edge of Manhattan, travel 1.7 miles
southeast on K-177 to Riley County 911. Travel east 3.9 miles to an intersection (red dot)
that is easily missed as the road bends south. Go left on Pillsbury Crossing Road and
travel another 2.3 miles east to Pillsbury Crossing Wildlife Area (circled on the map).
For a Google Map of this site,
click here.
To
see the site of the heron rookery, return to Riley County 911 and head south for 1.5
miles. The pavement turns into a rock road and passes the Deep Creek Schoolhouse. The
colony occupied the large sycamore trees in the creek bottom to the east. Ownership:
The entity responsible for management of Pillsbury
Crossing is the Kansas
Department of Wildlife, Parks &
Tourism. Contact them at (785) 537-9804
if you have specific questions about use or management of this site.
You may download the KDWPT brochure on Pillsbury Crossing from
their web site.
59 acres

Funded by the
Chickadee Checkoff Program

Click here for a brochure! |
The Natural
Kansas web site
© 2011
by
the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks
& Tourism.
Re-publication of site content in any form other than for personal use
requires written permission. If you are a Kansas resident, please
assist with this and other wildlife viewing and conservation programs
by contributing to the Chickadee Checkoff on your state tax form. |
Questions or comments about Natural Kansas may be directed to Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism
|