WaKeeney / Hays KOA

Smoky Valley Scenic Byway

The Smoky Valley Scenic Byway takes the traveler through 60 miles of west central Kansas through the Smoky Hill River Valley. Named for their "hazy" appearance at sunrise and sunset, the Smoky Hills provide a transition between the mixed-grass prairie and the short-grass prairie of the plains. The Byway offers a showplace of native wildflowers and grasses through the seasons. Coneflowers, yucca, Indian blanket and sky blue pitcher sage abound. In addition, the croplands provide a panorama of vegetation from the emerald green of winter wheat to the rich russet red of milo. Rock outcroppings hint of the layers of stone left by the inland sea millions of years ago.
http://www.ksbyways.org/Pages/Smoky/smoky1.html

Butterfield Overland Despatch Trail

The old Butterfield Overland Despatch was a very important trail in early western Kansas history. The route, which was also referred to as the Old Denver Trail and the Smoky Hill Trail, was surveyed in 1865. Atchison, Kansas was the eastern terminus of the line, and Denver, Colorado the western. It was the most direct and most favored route between the Missouri River and Denver, being 116 miles shorter to Denver than either the Santa Fe or Platte River trails. Perhaps its greatest drawback was the fact that it was not well protected from Indian attacks, resulting in much loss of life and property. As a result, it was abandoned after only a few months of use. Stone markers can be seen where this trail crosses the north-south country roads.

Trego County ghost towns

If your interests include searching out old settlements, then take a look at Trego County. The following is information about different communities or towns in Trego County that at one time had Post Offices. Out of the twenty listed, only three still have post offices, three still have community gatherings, and the other fourteen are ghost towns, some of which haven't been heard of before.
http://skyways.lib.ks.us/kansas/genweb/trego/ghost.html

Castle Rock

Castle Rock is a chalk pinnacle rising from the prairie, approximately 47 miles southwest of WaKeeney. It was a landmark on the Butterfield Overland Despatch trail, and can be seen for many miles. These limestone rocks were carved 80 millions years ago by erosion. The site was once the floor of a vast inland sea called the Chalk Ocean. This area includes high bluffs, rock walls, and unusual limestone formations. "Castle Rock" stands alone a short distance from sandstone bluffs. The bluffs of this area are a fossil hunter's delight. Castle Rock is on private property, so please respect the property when visiting.
www.naturalkansas.org/castle.htm

Historic Fort Hays

General George A. Custer, William "Buffalo Bill" Cody and James B. "Wild Bill" Hickok are part of the history of this outpost on a military trail. Established in 1865 in the land of Cheyenne and Arapaho, Fort Hays protected railroad workers and travelers on the Smoky Hill Trail.
www.kshs.org/places/forthays

Monument Rocks

The "Badlands" of Kansas, famous for its fossils, is located in western Kansas in an area of chalk bluffs, chalk flats, and chalk pinnacles. The formations are sometimes referred to as the Chalk Pyramids, and are officially recognized by the National Park Service as a National Natural Landmark.
www.naturalkansas.org/monument.htm

Nicodemus

Nicodemus, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, stands today as the only entirely African American community in Kansas. Nicodemus National Historic Site preserves, protects and interprets the only remaining western town established by African Americans during the Reconstruction Period (1865-1877) following the Civil War. The town is symbolic of the pioneer spirit of African-Americans who dared to leave the only region they had been familiar with to seek personal freedom and the opportunity to develop their talents and capabilities.
http://www.nps.gov/nico/

Cottonwood Ranch State Historic Site

Walk the grounds and tour the house of this relatively unchanged rural ranch and take in the austere beauty of the South Solomon River traversing the High Plains. Constructed from 1885 to 1896 by John Fenton Pratt, Cottonwood Ranch incorporates architectural elements from his English homeland. Explore the ranch where the Pratt family flourished and John Fenton became a successful sheep rancher and businessman.
http://www.kshs.org/places/cottonwood/

Boot Hill

Boot Hill Museum is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the history of Dodge City and the Old West. Dodge City was founded in 1872 and quickly became the world's largest shipping point for Longhorn cattle. Dodge was the wildest of the early frontier towns, but law and order was soon established with the help of men such as Bat Masterson, Wyatt Earp, and Bill Tilghman.
www.boothill.org