See working cowboys, Old Fort Dodge, museums, buttes, canyons, and mesas.
On this tour, you are sure to see many great cowboys doing what cowboys have been doing for many years. To really get started, drive south on U.S. 56 out of Great Bend to Dodge City. You should take time to check out the Fort Larned National Historic Site and Santa Fe Trail Center in Larned. The Fort was established in 1859 for troops patrolling the stretch of the Santa Fe Trail. Among those looking for shelter at Fort Larned was Lt. Col. George Armstrong Custer.
Be sure to get some rest and tour the Boot Hill Museum and the Old Fort Dodge. This will obviously put you in the cowboy mode. Next, the drive starts southeast on SR 54 to the city of Mullinville. Go along Route 54 to Greensburg. The Front Street Wild West replica, the world’s biggest hand-dug well (109 feet deep) in Greensburg, is worth a cowboy’s break. To stay on the path, pick up U.S. 183 south to Coldwater. Move east on U.S. 160 to Medicine Lodge. Along the last leg of this panoramic drive, the road follows the Arkansas (pronounced “R. Kansas” here) River for more than half the route. A “must-see” is Carry Nation’s Home located in Medicine Lodge. Ms. Nation was a sometimes-violent temperance chief. Medicine Lodge is also the home of a frontier stockade duplicate and has many trail rides and hay rides through the surrounding mesas, buttes, and canyons.
Starting Point:
Great Bend, KS
Distance of Drive:
207 miles
Must Eat:
Dodge House Inn
2408 West Wyatt Earp Blvd., Dodge City, KS 67801
Phone: 620-225-9900
Call ahead to confirm hours of operation.
Best Time of Year for Drive:
Spring and fall
Points of Interest on Drive:
Old Fort Dodge
Fort Larned National Historic Site
Boot Hill
Santa Fe Trail Center
Filed under: Best Road Trips