Last updated: January 23, 2023
Place
Point of Rocks near Dodge City
NPS Image
Quick Facts
Location:
Point of Rocks near Dodge City is about three miles west of the city on US 50 on the north side of the road.
Significance:
The Point of Rocks near Dodge City was a landmark and an hindrance to Santa Fe Trail travelers.
There are four “Point of Rocks” on the Santa Fe Trail – three in Kansas and one in New Mexico. The Point of Rocks located west of Dodge City was an hindrance and landmark to Trail travelers heading west along the Arkansas River. The river came to the edge of the ridge, forcing wagons to take the high ground. Ruts can be seen atop the ridge and at the Santa Fe Trail Tracks.
Site Information
Location (Point of Rocks near Dodge City is about three miles west of the city on US 50 on the north side of the road.)
On the open prairies west of Dodge City, Point of Rocks rises above the rest of the landscape. Its form is an out-cropping of sandstone, and it can be seen for miles around.