Entry No. 52 — the Wichita file — filed under: gypsum-hills
Gyp Hills Wildlife Area (Gypsum Hills)
A remote pocket of red-earth gypsum hills, mesas, and hidden canyons in south-central Kansas — sculptural, pastel-banded badlands that few locals ever see.
The move: Drive the gravel back roads into the red hills, then hike up to a mesa rim to take in the unexpectedly canyon-like terrain at sunset.
📍 Before you go Nearly all of this red-rock country is private ranch land, so the way in is the 22-mile Gyp Hills Scenic Drive: pick it up about three miles west of Medicine Lodge off US-160 and follow the small green signs. Most of the loop is unpaved open range, so expect cattle guards, cows on the road, and slick going after rain; the paved Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway along US-160 toward Coldwater is the bad-weather fallback. Stay on the public road unless you have confirmed a parcel is open on KDWP's online hunting atlas, and remember this is hunting ground in season. For a real leg-stretch, Barber State Fishing Lake on the north edge of Medicine Lodge has a two-mile nature trail around the water.
- 📍 Barber County (near Medicine Lodge)
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Hours: Added 2026-06-09 — confirm current hours before you go.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
last checked: 2026-06-09