Hiking Trails

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve currently has two frontcountry and three backcountry day hiking trails that allows visitors to experience the tallgrass prairie first-hand. The frontcountry trails are open daily during daylight hours. The backcountry day hiking trails are open from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. by free permit only. More information on how to obtain these free permits can be found below. Enjoy your hike by following these important safety rules.

For Your Safety Please Follow These Rules:
Please No Smoking on the trail.
No biking or horseback riding on the trails.
Take only pictures, leave only footprints.
Pets must be leashed at all times on the frontcountry trails and are not allowed on the backcountry trails.
Please enjoy the trail by staying on the path.
 
Hunting, firearms, and projectiles are
prohibited at all times.
Please do not harass the wildlife.
This is a natural area. Watch for snakes,
poison ivy, and wild animals.

Southwind Nature Trail is open daily during daylight hours. A leisurely stroll across hill and valley, watercourse and prairie grassland, gives visitors a close-up look at what makes up the preserve. Named for the Kansa Indians, the People of the Southwind, this 1.75 mile trail presents marvelous vistas as well as an opportunity for detailed looks at the prairie ecosystem. Two overlook areas give visitors a chance to experience the scenic beauty of the prairie.
School and Southwind Nature Trail













Photo of the Lower Fox Creek School
and the Southwind Nature Trail
The trail winds across rolling hills, over a spring-fed stream lined with cottonwoodand hackberry trees, and through a fascinating array of grasses and flowers. Along the way is evidence of the insects, birds, and mammals that make the prairie their home. Take your time and notice the gray and white rock, the limestone and steel-tough chert, commonly called "flint," that was formed between 200 and 300 million years ago and gives the name to the resulting hills. Hike all the way to the little one-room school house on the hill and then back to the ranch headquarters. The photo to the right was taken along the trail. Experience the trail daily during daylight hours (weather permitting).



Bottomland Trail is open daily during daylight hours. The trail is complete with an information trail head, 5 interpretive waysides, benches, overlook areas, and fully accessible trail loops. Choose from two trail lengths- 3/4 or 1/2 mile loops. Cloud Family admiring wayside.A brochure has been developed to assist you as you travel the trail. You may receive one at the ranch headquarters or you will find one in the brochure box at the trail head kiosk. A comfort station is also available. This trail was made possible through a generous donation by the Cloud Foundation in memorium of Roger Cloud who was an avid lover of the Flint Hills.

This trail provides visitors with an opportunity to experience a future bottomland prairie restoration, while gaining an cardinal flowerunderstanding of its rarity as a natural plant community and its importance in the human history of the Flint Hills region. The area will be restored to bottomland prairie and will be viewed through this website as it develops. The restoration has already began as seeds will be planted in the spring.

Throughout its lifespan, this area has displayed many uses. One of the earliest and also most recent, the area has seen agricultural use. An area adjacent to rivers and streams, known as bottomland, is prime agricultural land for farming, due to the amount of sediment runoff from the nearby streams.

Backcountry Day Hiking Trails- By free permit

Visitors may experience the backcountry of the preserve through three new backcountry day hiking trails. During the main tour season (the last Saturday in April through the last Sunday in October), visitors may hike from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Permits are required and may be picked up in person at the preserve the day of your visit. You may also reserve a permit up to 4 weeks in advance by calling the preserve at 620-273-8494. There is no charge for the backcountry trail mappermit.

Visitors must pick up their permits and a trail map in person at the information station before entering the backcountry. The information station is located in the barn at the historic ranch headquarters during the summer months and on the back porch of the house during winter. A short introductory training session will be given to each individual or group before hiking into the backcountry. Visitors are encouraged to wear appropriate clothing and hiking gear, bring plenty of drinking water, use sunblock and insect repellent, and stay on the designated ranch roads and hiking trails. No smoking or pets are allowed in the backcountry.

Winter Backcountry Day Hiking Program Hours - The backcountry day hiking program will be extended for weekends through the off-season. From November through April, visitors may continue to hike the three backcountry day hiking trails on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Free hiking permits and maps must be picked up on the back porch of the ranch house during the off-season. Backcountry day hiking will be cancelled during times of adverse weather conditions and controlled burns in the spring.

Big Bluestem Grass All backcountry day hiking trails are moderately difficult and range from 3.8 to 6.4 miles. The Scenic Overlook Trail, the 3 Pasture Loop Trail, and the Red House Trail each offer visitors a different and unique perspective of the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Scenic vistas, prairie grasses, wildflowers, wildlife, and rugged terrain may be experienced along the new backcountry day hiking trails.