Cimarron Grassland - Santa Fe Trail Field - 615

Cimarron National Grasslands is USFS land surrounding 25 miles of the Cimarron river and a portion of the historic Santa Fe Trail, located in the southwest corner of Kansas. The terrain is rolling hills with tall prairie grass and a sandy river bottom full of cottonwood trees. Hiking and 4x4 trails crisscross the area in an extensive network. The closest town for fuel and supplies is Elkhart, KS. FR 615 (Santa Fe Trail Field) is a well-maintained graded dirt road leading into the grassland from Road 19 and Highway 51 to the north. This is a main artery and leads to several smaller cross trails. This trail passes the Conestoga Trailhead for the historic Santa Fe Trail and Companion Trail hiking trails. There is a vault toilet at this trailhead. This entire area is actively used for cattle grazing and also for oil and natural gas production. Always leave gates as you found them. Dispersed camping is allowed on the USFS land unless otherwise posted. However, there are very few clearings in the brush to set up a tent. There is an improved pay campground accessible from South River Road (FR 700.2)