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Tuttle Creek Lake's Spillway Canyon

spillway
Spillway Discharge (click image for a larger view)

Tuttle Creek Lake offers a variety of opportunities for the outdoor enthusiast, but perhaps the most unusual feature is the Spillway Canyon. This mile-long slice through the earth’s crust is a geological marvel, formed by the release of water through the Tuttle Creek spillway in 1993. During the record height of the Flood of 1993 in July and August, sixty thousand cubic feet of water per second rushed through the spillway, displacing thousands of tons of soil and rock in the process.

The force of the water scoured the spillway channel, laying bare a geological record in the exposed layers of limestone and shale which is unparalleled in this region. Open to ready observation is evidence of a vast inland sea which covered present-day Kansas, some 230 million years ago. Fossils of the myriad life forms which inhabited this fluctuating seascape are plentiful, including clams, crinoids, fusulinids, and brachiopods. Trace fossils of burrowing animals are also evident, as are fossilized algal masses, prehistoric fish bones, and ancient mud cracks, soils, and ripple marks.

spillway
Spillway Canyon (click image for a larger view)

The Spillway Canyon is open to foot traffic daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. The canyon is located adjacent to the Spillway Cycle Area on Dyer Road, south of the east end of Tuttle Creek Dam.

You may keep loose material that you find, but intact rocks and fossils should be left undisturbed so that all visitors may enjoy them. The canyon gets quite warm in the summer, so packing in drinking water is advised. The surface is uneven and some climbing is required, so wear sturdy hiking shoes. Remember that pets should be restrained in this and all Corps parks.

Join the thousands of visitors who have stepped back in time to witness the wonders of the world beneath our feet. Climb the Canyon!

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The POC for this page:
Operations Manager, Tuttlecreek Project Office
785-539-8511
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Northwestern Division
Kansas City District

601 E 12th Street
Kansas City, Mo 64106

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Page last updated: 5 December 2005
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