Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve is an outdoor activity in Strong City, KS, part of the Salina and Manhattan guide. Cost: free. Trails open year-round; Lower Fox Creek School open May 1 through December 31.

2480B KS Hwy 177 · Strong City, KS

Why you should go…

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

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.

Sightseeing
Local Gem
Emporia
Free
Emporia, Kansas's visitor bureau, gateway to the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie and the William Allen White House.
21 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Sightseeing
Local Gem
Wabaunsee County
Free
Rural Flint Hills county in Kansas known for scenic byways, the small town of Alma and tallgrass prairie views.
43 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing
Museums
History Buff
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
Under $25
Explore museum exhibits on Eisenhower's life and presidency, tour his boyhood home and visit his burial chapel.
48 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor 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
Sport & Outdoor
Free
K-State Gardens
Free
Free horticultural display gardens on the K-State campus with roses, irises, daylilies and native and adaptive plantings.
53 mi awayMore like this
Sport & Outdoor
Outdoor 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