Sightseeing
Kaw Mission State Historic Site
No admission feeA stone mission and school in Council Grove that served the Kanza people in the 1850s, now run by the Kansas Historical Society.
Photo: NPS, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.
Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor AdventureHistory Buff
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Hike open Flint Hills prairie past a bison herd and tour the 1880s limestone buildings of Spring Hill Ranch.
2480B KS Hwy 177 · Strong City, KS
About Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
This preserve protects 10,882 acres of tallgrass prairie, a remnant of an ecosystem that once covered a vast area. More than 40 miles of walking trails cross the grassland, including backcountry routes where you can see the bison herd, started in 2009 with 13 animals from Wind Cave National Park. At Spring Hill Ranch you can take a self-guided tour of the 1881 house and limestone barn, which shows a short orientation film. Wildflowers bloom from March through October.
- #prairie
- #hiking trails
- #bison
- #national preserve
- #flint hills
Printable maps
What's around here?
The closest stops to Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.
16 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- Museums
National Teachers Hall of Fame
Check pricesA nonprofit in Emporia, Kansas that honors exceptional career teachers and preserves the history of the teaching profession.
Transit: reachable by public transit
20 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
- SightseeingLocal Gem
Emporia
No admission feeEmporia, Kansas's visitor bureau, gateway to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie and the William Allen White House.
Transit: reachable by public transit
21 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
- Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor Adventure
Wildwood Adventure Park
$50+Ride seven zip lines through the trees of the Flint Hills, then finish the course with a 40-foot free fall.
51 mi awayMore like this
- Sports & OutdoorsLocal Gem
K-State Gardens
No admission feeFree horticultural display gardens on the K-State campus with roses, irises, daylilies and native and adaptive plantings.
Transit: reachable by public transit
53 mi awayMore like this
- Sports & OutdoorsOutdoor Adventure
Colbert Hills Golf Course
$50+A public 18-hole links-style course laid across the treeless Flint Hills, co-designed by K-State graduate Jim Colbert.
54 mi awayMore like this
