Located along the Missouri River in White Cloud, Four State Lookout sits where that "squiggly" part of Northeast Kansas is, which essentially prevents the state from looking like an exact rectangle and gives Kansas its unique shape. This lookout point takes you up to an elevation of just under 1,200ft, meaning that, on a clear and sunny day, you can see some of Iowa's elevated hills along the Missouri River! Who knew it was possible to get a glimpse of the hills in Iowa when you're more than 45 miles away in Kansas?

Easily one of the most beloved attractions in Kansas is where Route 66 passes through 13 miles in the far Southeast corner of Kansas. Now, before you even ask, I've already looked into why Route 66 even exists in Kansas. It turns out that the area around Galena and Baxter Springs (the towns along Route 66 in Kansas) already had paved roads due to having active mines in the area. Kansas wasn't chosen to be part of Route 66 just for the fun of it, or even to "bring more tourists into Kansas"; bringing Route 66 into Kansas had a truly strategic purpose since it was saving on road construction costs. Furthermore, the far Southeast end of Kansas is actually part of the Ozarks! Building a road through Missouri and straight into Oklahoma would have required clearing lots of trees and cutting through rocky bluffs. Having Route 66 come into Kansas ended up being a rather simple decision since it didn't require installing a lot of new pavement, nor did it require clearing the forests in the Ozark Plateau.

The Cimarron National Grassland is a lot more than just 100,000 acres of federally protected shortgrass prairie mixed with sandy sagebrush; it practically makes up the entire Southwest corner of Kansas. These grasslands were traversed by many travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, but the actual dedication to have these lands preserved came after the devastation of the Dust Bowl. I've always found this map from the Department of Agriculture, which was completed in the 50s, to be incredibly useful when trying to assess just how devastating the Dust Bowl was for Kansas. 

In short, a large part of Southwest Kansas, not just the Cimarron Grasslands, was deemed to have been "severely affected," meaning that the area was basically turned into a treeless desert. Of course, many farmers simply had to abandon their land, but the federal government eventually came in and purchased the vacant lots, and in the process, began to restore the prairie to the best of their ability, and by 1960, they created the Cimarron National Grasslands. 

The historical significance of these Grasslands is often overlooked by visitors because so much of the Dust Bowl's devastating effects are no longer visible. Today, many visitors enjoy the grasslands in an extremely positive way by exploring the many trails and campsites, a completely different experience from nearly a century ago. For information on the trails, follow this link. If you are interested in camping on the grasslands, click here.

Get ready for the stunning views of the Arikaree Breaks in Northwest Kansas. Unlike the other three attractions, this one is mostly on private land; however, visitors are welcome to explore the Arikaree Breaks at certain pull-off locations, and there are plenty of them for you to enjoy. The Arikaree Breaks are a true geological gift that was given to Kansas. According to the Kansas Geological Survey, it took thousands of years for these ravines and canyons to form out of what used to be an area with flowing rivers and streams. The entire geological history of the Arikaree Breaks is extremely fascinating, and you can read more about it here.