Crossing Kansas

[nccamper]

We will be crossing South Kansas in a few weeks heading west and I have two options:

Option 1-Hwy 400 to Wichita then 54 & 60 to Colorado

Option 2-US Hwy 160 to Colorado

Which route is best?
Which route has fewer grades?
Which route is more fun?
Do I need to avoid Wichita traffic?
nccamper

[RVThere]

I used I-70 in July so I don't know those routes. Just watch the wind. It was blowing from the south and unrolled my slideout canopy while I was driving!

[mythplaced]

There are no grades in Kansas...Just a lot of NOTHING!

[Meandering Retiree]

Tie down your awnings and be prepared for wind gusts in the "valleys".

[nccamper]

What about campgrounds in the area, any suggestions?
nccamper

[historyljc]

Do you mean Option 1-Hwy 400 to Wichita then 54 & 50 to Colorado. I can't locate hwy 60 on the map. The section of US 50 that I was on last year was OK road. We stayed several nights in Dodge City at :
Gunsmoke Trav-L-Park
Address: 11070 108 Rd
Dodge City, KS 67801
Phone: (620) 227-8247
Lat, Lon: 37.75581, -100.06897
It was OK. Driveway needs repaving. The main drag in Dodge was under construction last July making the downtown area a PITA. There's a flying J on the east end of town. If you fuel there, use the truck lanes, they don't have any RV lanes. Don't worry about grades. The only grades are the couple of overpasses that you might run into. Otherwise the "grades" are mostly plus/minus 1" every 10 miles or so.

[nccamper]

Quote:

Originally Posted by historyljc Do you mean Option 1-Hwy 400 to Wichita then 54 & 50 to Colorado. I can't locate hwy 60 on the map.

I meant to type 160 not 60.
nccamper

[photoadjuster]

Don't remember the Hwy numbers, but follow the path of the Santa Fe Trail, if you have the time.

[Alleyman]

Where are you headedd after KS? If you are going to Southern Colo., stay on 54.

[kstateaddict]

Where are you coming from? It will make a lot of difference. However, I wouldn't recommend using 160 . Lots of small towns and stop signs. If you are in southern Kansas I would recommend 54. The highway is in very good shape and recently added passing lanes. Not bad for RV travel. In the north use 70. Good Luck

[ArmyRetired]

I would suggest that you take 400, and then 54 and 160. As some of the other posters have mentioned you may have some winds to consider as you head west. Just take it slow and easy and you should not have many problems. There are no serious hills or grades to contend with, it is mostly all real flat ground.
Don't worry about going through Wichita. You'll have 3 to 5 traffic lights on the east side of town. They now have the Kellogg Drive construction all finished up, so you can breeze right past the downtown section with ease. You'll be on the far west side of town before you know it. I really don't recall any traffic lights on the west side of town.

Before you get to the Wichita area I might suggest that you consider taking a few little side trips.

About 17 miles after you pass Parsons Kansas you will come to Highway 169. Turn north on 169 and go about 25 miles into Chanute Kansas. This is the home of Nu-Way Campers. They have a nice little campground at the intersection of 35th Street and South Santa Fe. It is free for the first 2 nights. While in Chanute you can visit the Nu-Way Plant or the Osa Martin Safari Museum, which are both quite interesting.

When you leave Chanute you can head west on highway 39. Then about 25-28 miles it will intersect back with Highway 400. Turn right and continue westbound on 400.

Then about 10 miles further west you will come to a turn off to the Fall River State Park. Turn right (North) and go just a few miles to the 2450 acre Fall River Reservoir. They have 45 campsites plus 100 primitive campsites. Great fishing, canoeing and lots of wildlife.

Then about 5 miles before you get to the town of Augusta you will come to an intersection of highways 54 and 77. You could turn right (North) and go about 10 miles into El Dorado. The El Dorado Reservoir is located just north and east of the city of El Dorado. This is a State Park that consists of four primary campgrounds, (Bluestem Point, Shady Creek, Walnut River, and Boulder Bluff) with over 1,100 campsites and several cabins. The lake is 8,000 acres of water and 98 miles of shoreline. The average depth of the lake is 19 feet.

Then about 20 miles west of Wichita you will come to highway 251 and you can turn right (North) and go just about 3 miles to the Cheney State Park. It is a 9,500 acre lake. It has over 200 campsites and is a great fishing area.

Then as you go further west you will come to the small town of Greensburg. A point of interest here is they have the largest hand dug well in the world. This town was nearly totally destroyed a few years ago by a devastating tornado. They have had quite a rebuilding program going on there recently. I understand that it is quite a site to see. We have not had the pleasure of going there since the tornado struck.

Then I would suggest that you stop and visit Dodge City and see the old cowboy community.

Larry

[nccamper]

Great information!!
We are leaving from NC headed to Colorado.
We will not be in a hurry so we will have time to look around.
Our first destination is Silverton, CO for a week.
Then we will move to Moab, Utah for a week.
Then return to NC taking a more southern route.
nccamper

[ArmyRetired]

Sounds like fun.
We always enjoy ourselves so much more when we get off the interstates and take the backroads. You always get to see so much more along the way.
Hope that you have a great time.
Larry

[nccamper]

Yes, we try and avoid the interstates and big cities.
We like the slower pace, I usually only drive about 200-250 miles each day sometimes a lot less.
nccamper