The Forest Service calls it the largest area of public land in Kansas and the only parcel it manages here. The CRS counts 108,621 Forest Service acres in the state
Kansas has had six F5 or EF5 tornadoes since 1950, the third most of any state
A long season with a storm-shaped hole in it
Nothing closes for winter the way a mountain pass does, so the driving season in Kansas runs most of the year. The planning problem is spring and early summer, when severe storms are most likely in a state that averaged just under 100 tornadoes a year from 1991 to 2010. Late summer through autumn gives the steadiest weather and firm county roads. Anything held on unpaved ground needs a wet weather plan, because the Kansas Geological Survey says again and again that these roads may be impassable in wet weather.
The large expos combine a vendor show, classes and a campground full of real vehicles. Rallies and brand gatherings are smaller and more social. Training weekends and club runs are where you actually drive.
Getting the most from one
The vendor hall is the least useful part.
01Take the classes. They are the best value at any expo.
02Walk the camping area. Owners will tell you what they would do differently.
03Talk to builders in person, and look closely at their work.
04Book camping early. It sells out before day tickets do.
For organizers
List the event with its dates, location, what it costs to attend and a link to register. We will add it to the directory and to the state it happens in.
Questions people ask
Are events worth it for beginners?
They are the quickest education available: a weekend of classes, hundreds of vehicles to look at, and owners who will happily tell you what they would do differently.
How do I add an event?
Use the List your business form and choose Events. Include the dates, the location and a link.
How high is Kansas?
From Manhattan at 1,023 feet to Mount Sunflower at 4,039.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
GoodlandOn I-70 at US 24 in Sherman County, close to the Colorado line and the last services of any size on the interstate.3,684 ft
ElkhartLast town before the Cimarron National Grassland. The grassland office is on Highway 56 here, and Highway 27 runs north past Point of Rocks.3,588 ft
Sharon SpringsOn US 40 in Wallace County, the nearest town to Mount Sunflower and the state high point.3,474 ft
Saint FrancisOn US 36 in Cheyenne County, the base for the Arikaree Breaks on the county road grid to the north.3,316 ft
OakleyAt I-70 and US 83 in the chalk country. Monument Rocks, Castle Rock and Little Jerusalem Badlands State Park are all reached from here on county roads.3,067 ft
Garden CityOn US 50 and US 83 in the western Arkansas valley, with services in every direction.2,840 ft
LiberalA service town in the far southwest corner, on the way between Dodge City and the Oklahoma panhandle.2,835 ft
Dodge CityWhere US 50, US 56 and US 283 meet on the Arkansas River. The usual resupply before the southwest corner.2,492 ft
HaysOn I-70 at US 183, and the way into post rock country on the back roads east of town.2,024 ft
LarnedBeside Fort Larned National Historic Site, which the Park Service calls a well-preserved fort on the Santa Fe Trail.2,003 ft
Great BendOn US 56 and US 281 at the bend of the Arkansas River. Cheyenne Bottoms lies northeast in Barton County.1,851 ft
Medicine LodgeEast end of the Gypsum Hills Scenic Byway on US 160 and the start of the Gyp Hills Scenic Drive three miles west.1,498 ft
WichitaOn I-35 and US 54 in south-central Kansas, the main workshop and parts base for the southern half of the state.1,303 ft
Council GroveNorth end of the Flint Hills Scenic Byway on K-177, and an important Santa Fe Trail crossing of the Neosho River. Council Grove Lake carries seven Corps of Engineers campgrounds.1,234 ft
Cottonwood FallsOn K-177 in Chase County beside Strong City, from which Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is two miles north.1,206 ft
ManhattanWhere K-177 meets US 24 below Tuttle Creek Lake. Pillsbury Crossing and its limestone ford are about seven miles southeast.1,023 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
Mount SunflowerThe highest point in Kansas, on private land the owners open to visitors. No road to the top4,039 ft
Point of RocksPoint of Rocks3,540 ft
Point of RocksCimarron National Grassland Auto Tour: Elkhart, the Cimarron River and Point of Rocks3,540 ft
Monument RocksOur own reading of the elevation surface at its map point in the Gove County chalk. The USGS names service files it as the Chalk Pyramids2,660 ft
Castle RockCastle Rock and the chalk badlands: South of I-70 in Gove County, east of Oakley2,430 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
USDA Forest Service, Cimarron National Grassland.Cimarron Campground. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
USDA Forest Service, Cimarron National Grassland.Cimarron River Trail #1842. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
USDA Forest Service, Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands.Off-Highway Vehicles (OHV). Retrieved September 19, 2026.
USDA Forest Service, Pike-San Isabel National Forests and Cimarron and Comanche National Grasslands.Fire Restrictions. Retrieved September 19, 2026.
