Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve

Tallgrass prairie once covered around seventy million hectares of North America and something under four percent of it survives, most of that in the Flint Hills of Kansas - not through protection but because chert layers near the surface broke ploughs, so the land was grazed rather than cropped. The preserve covers about 4,400 hectares of that, established in 1996 in an unusual arrangement where the Nature Conservancy owns most of the land and the Park Service runs the visitor operation. A bison herd was reintroduced in 2009. Grasses reach two to three metres by late summer in good years, though the height depends heavily on rain. The Spring Hill Ranch buildings, a limestone house and a large barn, date from 1881.

What you actually see

• Unploughed tallgrass prairie - saved by chert that broke ploughs.
• Grass to two or three metres - by late summer in a wet year.
• A bison herd - reintroduced from 2009.
• The 1881 ranch buildings - limestone house and barn.

When to go

April to October; grass is tallest in late summer, flowers best in spring. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The prairie reads as an empty field to visitors expecting a landmark - the interest is ecological. Grass height varies enormously with rainfall. There is almost no shade. Bison range across parts of the trail system and are dangerous.

Nearby

Cottonwood Falls is south; the Flint Hills run north and south.