Cactus Ghost Town

Norton County, Kansas39.7561, -99.6686

Can you visit?

Likely private land

Private or unlisted land · Ask the owner first

Nearest town
13 miNorton, KS
Mild months
Apr–Oct5 of 12
Elevation
2,200 ft670 m
Illustration of a plains landscape
Illustration of the landscape type, not a picture of Cactus. No free-licensed photo yet.

Cactus is a former settlement in Norton County, Kansas, listed among the ghost towns of Kansas. It lies at about 2,200 feet above sea level.

On the map

20 mi40 miNortonPhillipsburgPlainvilleStocktonHill CityCambridgeAlmaCactus
  • Private or unlisted

Star: Cactus. Dots: other ghost towns within 40 miles, colored by land manager. Squares: towns over 1,000 people. Rings are straight-line distance. Live map: © OpenFreeMap, OpenMapTiles, OpenStreetMap contributors.

The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Norton, KS, about 13 miles northwest in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Grand Island, NE, 106 miles away.

Ghost towns nearby

  1. Fairhaven3.1 mi north
  2. Hedgewood6 mi west
  3. Smoky Hill City7.2 mi east
  4. Luctor10 mi northeast
  5. Wagnerville12 mi east
  6. Whitfield14 mi south
  7. Adamson15 mi south
  8. Houston15 mi southwest

Distances are straight lines. Roads to ruins are often dirt, and a 20-mile hop can take an hour.

Who owns the land

Private or unlisted land

The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

The point is the town location from Wikidata, and the land record is from PAD-US 3.0 (USGS). Ruins can spread past that point, and land changes hands faster than the database. How we read PAD-US.

Weather by month

0°20°40°60°80°100°4216Jan4619Feb5727Mar6636Apr7548May8658Jun9264Jul8962Aug8253Sep6940Oct5627Nov4418DecJan: 0.6 inFeb: 0.7 inMar: 1.4 inApr: 2.3 inMay: 3.5 inJun: 3.0 inJul: 3.5 inAug: 2.8 inSep: 1.8 inOct: 1.9 inNov: 0.9 inDec: 0.8 inrain
Mild month (average high 55–88°F, low above 28°F) 32°F, freezing Rain and snow water, inches

Mild months here run April to June, September to October, judging by NOAA normals from Norton 9Sse. June to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up; snow is normal from October to April.

NOAA 1991–2020 normals from the Norton 9Sse station (USC00145856), 9 miles away. About 23.2 inches of precipitation a year.

Facts

LocationNorton County, Kansas
Coordinates39.75611, -99.66861
Elevation2,200 ft (670 m)
Also known asCactus, Kansas
SourcesWikidata Q48848914 · Wikipedia article

Questions

Where is Cactus ghost town?

In Norton County, Kansas, at 39.7561, -99.6686. The closest town with more than 1,000 people is Norton, KS, about 13 miles northwest in a straight line. The nearest city over 50,000 is Grand Island, NE, 106 miles away.

Can you visit Cactus?

Likely private land. The point we have for this town is not on any public or protected parcel in PAD-US, the national map of public land. That usually means private land. Ruins on private land are off limits without the owner's permission, even when no fence or sign is visible. Look from the public road.

When is the best time to visit Cactus?

Mild months here run April to June, September to October, judging by NOAA normals from Norton 9Sse. June to August bring 10 or more days at 90°F and up; snow is normal from October to April.

Are there other ghost towns near Cactus?

Yes. Fairhaven (3.1 mi), Hedgewood (6 mi), Smoky Hill City (7.2 mi), Luctor (10 mi).

More ghost towns in Kansas

All 263 ghost towns in Kansas