la crosse is at (38.532014, -99.308614). it has an elevation of 2,057 feet (627 m). it is in the smoky hills region of the great plains. it is about south of the smoky hill river and north of walnut creek, which is a tributary of the arkansas river. sand creek, a tributary of walnut creek, goes southeast around the southwestern and southern parts of the city. mule creek, a small tributary of sand creek, flows southeast through the city. it is in west-central kansas at the intersection of u.s. route 183 and k-4. la crosse is northwest of wichita, west-southwest of kansas city, and east-southeast of denver.