Places to Visit—Cedar Bluff Reservoir

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color photo of tall limestone bluff with 3 people standing on it and lake below
small drawing of Kansas map with Trego County highlighted in red

Trego County, Kansas

The rocky cliffs of Cedar Bluff provide a dramatic view over Cedar Bluff Reservoir on the Smoky Hill River in Trego County. The bluffs themselves are composed of thick layers of the Fort Hays Limestone, deposited during the Cretaceous Period, about 80 million years ago. The reservoir was constructed in 1951 by the Bureau of Reclamation, and was nearly dry during the 1970's and 1980's because of low flow in the Smoky Hill. Rains in 1993 raised water levels, bringing the lake to near the bottom of the bluffs. To reach the bluffs from I-70, take K-147 south from Ogallah, go about 3.5 miles south from the south end of the Cedar Bluffs Dam, then turn west on County Road 1979. Follow the road west and north for 7 miles, turn north for 1 mile, and then back to the east to Cedar Bluff (from The Geologic Record, vol. 6.3).

Other places to visit in the Kansas Smoky Hills.

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