Where to Find Petrified Wood in Kansas
Kansas has 12 mapped collecting spots that report petrified wood, spread across 11 counties. The largest share sits in Barber County with 2 spots. 12 of the spots are on land mapped as publicly accessible.
Map of 12 petrified wood collecting spots in Kansas
Standout petrified wood spots in Kansas
Hand-picked from the full list below, with the reason each one earns a trip.
Arkansas River at Great Bend
Barton County
At Great Bend the Arkansas River swings east and begins its 192-mile National Water Trail run to the Oklahoma line, a designation that gives the public access to sandbars and gravel islands along the route.
Kansas River at Lawrence
Douglas County
The Kansas River at Lawrence carries the same glacial gravels found upstream at Topeka, including Lake Superior agate along with chert, quartzite, and petrified wood shed from Ice Age drift.
Cimarron National Grassland
Morton County
Cimarron National Grassland covers about 108,000 acres in the far southwest corner of Kansas and is the largest tract of public land in the state, managed by the U.S. Forest Service.
Arkansas River at Wichita
Sedgwick County
The Arkansas River runs through the center of Wichita, where its gravel bars yield agate, jasper, and petrified wood carried from the west.
Best counties for petrified wood in Kansas
Ranked by the number of mapped petrified wood spots. County links open the full rockhounding page for that county.
- Barber County2 spots
- Barton County1 spot
- Cloud County1 spot
- Douglas County1 spot
- Jefferson County1 spot
- Kingman County1 spot
- Morton County1 spot
- Ottawa County1 spot
- Sedgwick County1 spot
- Wallace County1 spot
- Wilson County1 spot
Every petrified wood spot we track in Kansas
Sorted by county. Coordinates open in Google Maps.
| Spot | County | Minerals | Coordinates | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medicine LodgePixley Road | Barber County | 37.1432, -98.5213 | Public | |
| Medicine Lodge RiverBethel Road | Barber County | 37.0491, -98.4800 | Public | |
| Arkansas River at Great BendArkansas River Water Trail | Barton County | 38.3475, -98.7745 | Public | |
| Concordia | Cloud County | 39.5784, -97.5687 | Public | |
| Kansas River at LawrenceRiverfront Park | Douglas County | 38.9736, -95.2372 | Public | |
| McLouthWest Lake Street | Jefferson County | 39.1942, -95.2084 | Public | |
| Chikaskia River | Kingman County | 37.4378, -98.0528 | Public | |
| Cimarron National GrasslandPoint of Rocks Road | Morton County | 37.1039, -101.9388 | Public | |
| AdaNemaha Road | Ottawa County | 39.1600, -97.8993 | Public | |
| Arkansas River at WichitaArkansas River | Sedgwick County | 37.6889, -97.3361 | Public | |
| Sharon SpringsKS 27 | Wallace County | 38.9367, -101.7499 | Public | |
| Verdigris River | Wilson County | 37.6571, -95.7763 | Public |
Before you go
Read the petrified wood identification guide so you know what a keeper looks like in the field: Petrified Wood in the encyclopedia.
Petrified Wood in Kansas FAQ
Where can you find petrified wood in Kansas?+
How many petrified wood spots are mapped in Kansas?+
Is it legal to collect petrified wood in Kansas?+
Where else to find petrified wood
More minerals to hunt in Kansas
Hunt petrified wood in Kansas with the map in your pocket
RockHoundR puts these spots on an offline map with BLM and Forest Service overlays, geology layers, and a log for your finds.
