Post Rock
Scenic Byway
K-232 Highway
The Post Rock Scenic Byway is an 18 mile route that extends north and south on K-232
through the Smoky Hills of 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 in the area.
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. Rest areas, trails, picnic areas and campgrounds offer a variety of recreational
opportunities. Lake Wilson covers 9,000 acres and holds some of the state fishing records.
Weekend anglers and fishing tournament participants can seek white and striped bass,
walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass.
There are four major cultural festivals along the byway: the Czech Festival the last
weekend of July in Wilson, 4th of July at Otoe Park in Wilson Lake area, the Hell Creek
Hoe Down at the Lake Wilson State Park in midsummer and the Lucas Adams Apple Festival on
the Saturday of Labor Day weekend.
The Lucas community is the grassroots art capitol of Kansas. It is home of the Garden of
Eden, a tourist attraction on the National Register of Historic Places, which consists of
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, Mrs. Debble's Rock Garden and a grassroots art mural on Main
Street. Tours of an operating post rock quarry are also available.
For more information, contact the Kansas Scenic Byways Program,
1-800-684-6966,
or see the
Kansas Scenic Byways web site.
