"[2] Now owned by a preservation organization, the site is visible from a pull-off area on United States Route 50 near Dodge City, Kansas.

[2][3] The Santa Fe Trail Remains are located about 10 miles (16 km) west of Dodge City, on 140 acres (57 ha) of former agricultural land.

The landscape looks much today as it did in the 19th century, except for these intrusions, as well as the shifting of the Arkansas River to follow a more southerly route than it did during the trail's period of use.

It served as a major conduit for the development of the American West, until it was effectively supplanted by railroads around 1880.

Although there are other sections of Santa Fe Trail ruts that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places,[4] this one is one of the longest and best-preserved.