The Gunsmoke Trail Pass allows fans of Emmy award-winning Western classic to earn points and prizes just by visiting locations along the Gunsmoke Trail. The trail launched in May 2023 as a collaboration between the Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) and peer organizations in Abilene, Hays, and Wichita. The Gunsmoke Trail is a road trip adventure through four Kansas communities featured on the show.
Gunsmoke entertained audiences for two decades and remains a fan favorite today. Fans eager to visit the iconic destinations featured on the show will find the Gunsmoke Trail Pass easy to access and use on any smartphone. The passport functions similarly to a mobile app and allows users to check in at different stops, earning points for prizes, but no app is needed to play.
“The biggest winners from this collaboration are the fans of Gunsmoke,” said Megan Welsh, director of the Dodge City Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Fans that take this journey will have an unforgettable adventure and experience some of the best Old West history and attractions available today.”
Examples of Old West-themed locations and attractions visitors will encounter along the trail in Dodge City include:
| Boot Hill Museum Santa Fe Depot Trail of Fame Gunfighters Wax Museum | Santa Fe Trail Rut Site Longhorn Park Home of Stone Historic Trolley Tour |
To view a list of attractions in each community included in the Gunsmoke Trail or to sign up for the trail pass, go to www.kansasgunsmoketrail.com.
Hays featured in “Gunsmoke Trail” tourism collaboration
The Hays Convention & Visitors Bureau, in collaboration with CVBs in Wichita, Abilene, and Dodge City, recently launched the Gunsmoke Trail – a road trip that takes visitors through towns that were mentioned in the hit show of the same name.
Gunsmoke, the Emmy award-winning primetime Western, entertained audiences for 20 years. The show still runs on select networks, with iconic characters telling the story of frontier life in the Old West.
“This collaboration is a win-win for all of our communities,” said Melissa Dixon, Executive Director of the Hays CVB.
“The Gunsmoke fan base is looking for nostalgic Old West experiences that we already have in place, so we just had to make a connection with that audience.”
The Gunsmoke Trail is easily accessible through a mobile “passport” program which allows smart phone users to check in at different stops, earning points for prizes. The passport functions like a mobile app but requires no app download.
Examples of Wild West-themed locations that visitors will be directed to in Hays include:
- Historic Walking Tour on the Bricks in Downtown Hays, where bronze plaques mark the first shops, saloons, and shootouts of Hays City (now Hays)
- Fort Hays State Historic Site, now offering free admission, which showcases the life of the soldiers who were stationed at Fort Hays
- Ellis County Historical Society Museum, which offers scheduled tours of the Younger Harness Shop
- Felten Sculpture Tour featuring statues of “Buffalo Bill” Cody and “Wild Bill” Hickok
- Murals throughout downtown Hays featuring icons of the Old West
- Bison Herd in Frontier Park
- Boot Hill Cemetery, where many buried there died “with their boots on.”
Visitors can learn more and sign up for the program at KansasGunsmokeTrail.com or call 785-628-8202.
