• The setting sun over the Flint Hills casts shadows across the wide expanse of tallgrass prairie.

    Tallgrass Prairie

    National Preserve Kansas

Fees and Reservations

prairie bus tour

Ranger-led prairie bus tours

PERMITS - Follow this link to learn more about applying for a Special Use Permit.

Entrance Fee

There is no charge to visit Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve or attend any of our many programs and activities.

Bus Tour

From the last Saturday in April through the last Sunday in October, 90-minute prairie bus tours offered on Saturday and Sunday at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. as staffing allows.
Bus tours during the week are dependent upon staff availability with no advanced reservations available. Call ahead (620)-273-8494 for availability and please check-in with the ranger upon your arrival.

Group Tours

Free guided tours for schools and organized groups may be reserved a minimum of two weeks in advance by calling (620) 273-8494.

Park Passes

While there is no charge for visiting the preserve, the following information is provided for visitor use at other National Park Service sites that collect an entrance fee.

Senior and Access Passes Available by Mail
Starting October 2011 the Senior and Access passes are available by MAIL. Follow this link to download the form to obtain the Senior and Access Passes via mail.


Starting January 1, 2007, the America the Beautiful-National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes replaced the Golden Age, Golden Access, Golden Eagle, and National Park Passes. These passes are NOT available at the preserve. They are available at the regional locations listed below.

*Only the National Park Pass may be obtained by calling 1-888-ASK-USGS and press 1 (888-275-8747, option 1), or on-line at http://store.usgs.gov/pass.

Download "America the Beautiful" National Park Pass Brochure
*All Golden Age, Golden Access, Golden Eagle, and National Parks Passes will continue to be honored at applicable locations according to the provisions of the pass. Only paper Golden Age and Golden Access Passports may be exchanged free of charge for the new plastic passes.

Camping

The preserve does not have camping available. The nearest location is five miles south on K177 in Cottonwood Falls at Bates Grove Park and Swope Park. Call the Cottonwood Falls City Office at 620-273-6666 for more information or ask a ranger for directions.

Chase State Fishing Lake, administered by Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (3 miles west of Cottonwood Falls) provides a shelter house, fire rings and grills, picnic tables, and pit toilets for use by campers, picnickers, and anglers.

Camping, picnicking, fishing, and hunting are available at Council Grove Reservoir (17 miles north of the preserve) and is administered by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Call the Council Grove Lake Office at 620-767-5195 for more information.

Did You Know?

Grazing cattle at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Cattle can gain up to 2 pounds per day grazing on the prairie grasses of the Flint Hills. The calcium found in the limestone erodes into the soil, making the prairie plants more nutritious for grazing animals. Cattle grazing is still the main agricultural use of the Flint Hills today.