Frontier Military Historic Byway
Frontier Military Historic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in Kansas. Within Kansas it covers roughly 170 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Frontier Military Historic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Kansas's Frontier Military Historic Byway runs 168 miles on K-5 and US-69, from Fort Leavenworth south to Fort Scott and on to the Oklahoma border. The route touches Kansas's Civil War history at Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield State Historic Site, the only Civil War battle fought in the state, and connects to the story of abolitionist John Brown and the nation's first federally authorized Black regiment, both documented at museums along the way. Traveling south from Fort Leavenworth, stops include the Richard Allen Cultural Center & Museum, the Gordon Parks Museum, and the Trading Post Museum, before the drive reaches Fort Scott National Historic Site, a restored 1840s frontier army post. The byway also brushes against Santa Fe Trail history, tying together nearly a century of military, civil rights, and westward-expansion history along one continuous corridor through eastern Kansas.
- Fort Leavenworth
- Fort Scott National Historic Site
- 168 miles
- Mine Creek Civil War Battlefield
- John Brown history
- Gordon Parks Museum
- K-5 and US-69
Plan a drive on Frontier Military Historic Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Frontier Military Historic Byway
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Frontier Military Historic Byway.
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