Mount Sunflower
Encyclopedia
Mount Sunflower is the highest natural point in the state of Kansas
. At 4039 feet (1,231 m), it is 3300 feet (1,005.8 m) above the state's topographic low point in Montgomery County
in southeastern Kansas due to the gradual rise towards the Rocky Mountains
to the west. Located in Wallace County
, it is less than half a mile (0.8 km) from the Colorado
state border and close to the lowest point in Colorado.
Mount Sunflower is located on private land owned by Mike and Rae Marie Jones, who encourage visitors to the site. Amenities include a picnic table
, a sunflower
sculpture made from railroad spikes, and a plaque that states "nothing happened here in 1897."
Access is via county dirt road
s to the edge of the property, then across a cattle guard
and onto a private dirt road through a cattle
grazing
pasture
to the summit.
The state of Kansas gradually increases in elevation from the east to the west. As such, "Mount" Sunflower, while the highest point in the state in terms of elevation, is indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain.
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. At 4039 feet (1,231 m), it is 3300 feet (1,005.8 m) above the state's topographic low point in Montgomery County
Montgomery County, Kansas
Montgomery County is a county located in southeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 35,471. Its county seat is Independence, and its most populous city is Coffeyville. The Coffeyville Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Montgomery...
in southeastern Kansas due to the gradual rise towards the Rocky Mountains
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
to the west. Located in Wallace County
Wallace County, Kansas
Wallace County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the county population was 1,485. It has the second lowest population of any county in Kansas. Greeley County has the lowest. Its county seat is Sharon Springs. It was created in 1868 and named in honor of...
, it is less than half a mile (0.8 km) from the Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
state border and close to the lowest point in Colorado.
Mount Sunflower is located on private land owned by Mike and Rae Marie Jones, who encourage visitors to the site. Amenities include a picnic table
Picnic table
A picnic table is a modified table with attached benches, designed for eating a meal outdoors .-Uses:...
, a sunflower
Sunflower
Sunflower is an annual plant native to the Americas. It possesses a large inflorescence . The sunflower got its name from its huge, fiery blooms, whose shape and image is often used to depict the sun. The sunflower has a rough, hairy stem, broad, coarsely toothed, rough leaves and circular heads...
sculpture made from railroad spikes, and a plaque that states "nothing happened here in 1897."
Access is via county dirt road
Dirt road
Dirt road is a common term for an unpaved road made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable for vehicles; a narrower path for pedestrians, animals, and possibly small vehicles would be called a...
s to the edge of the property, then across a cattle guard
Cattle grid
A cattle grid or cattle guard – also known as a vehicle pass, Texas gate, stock gap A cattle grid (or stock grid)(British English) or cattle guard (American English) – also known as a vehicle pass, Texas gate, stock gap A cattle grid (or stock grid)(British English) or cattle guard (American...
and onto a private dirt road through a cattle
Cattle
Cattle are the most common type of large domesticated ungulates. They are a prominent modern member of the subfamily Bovinae, are the most widespread species of the genus Bos, and are most commonly classified collectively as Bos primigenius...
grazing
Grazing
Grazing generally describes a type of feeding, in which a herbivore feeds on plants , and also on other multicellular autotrophs...
pasture
Pasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
to the summit.
The state of Kansas gradually increases in elevation from the east to the west. As such, "Mount" Sunflower, while the highest point in the state in terms of elevation, is indistinguishable from the surrounding terrain.