Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve 5.0 (reviews)

Did you know that the Tallgrass Prairie once covered a whopping 170 million acres of North America!? Now, the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve protects what remains - about 4% of the original amount so families like you can enjoy it!

Begin your nature filled day at the Visitor Center where you can enjoy a short orientation film, learn from temporary exhibits and get started on the Junior Ranger activities! 

Fancy becoming a Junior Ranger, kids!? All you have to do to earn your Jr. Ranger badge, is complete the activities found in your activity books that you can pick up from the Visitor Center. Just complete the five activities found inside, after which the friendly rangers will check your work, then issue you with your OFFICIAL Jr Ranger badge!

Now you have your badge, you can wear it with pride as you complete other fun activities that the preserve offer, such as the Junior Ranger Leave No Trace activities which include a super fun scavenger hunt!

For the whole family, you can spend your day on one of the three hiking trails, of varying lengths, where you can experience the magic of the tallgrass prairie first-hand.  These trails are open 24 hours so you can enjoy them at all their beautiful moments across the day and the night. 

Those wanting something a bit more adventurous, you can try the backcountry trails.  These are also open 24 hours, and are moderately difficult and range from just under 4 miles to a challenging 13 miles.  Each trail is different and will allow you to immerse yourself in the wildflowers, rugged terrain, and even bison in the area which they call home.  Just be mindful that they are wild animals so just be careful. 

The preserve have schedule private tours and programs that you can be a part of, covering topics such as geology and the night sky, or you can enjoy a cellphone tour of the historic buildings.

When you get there, just take a moment, and take a deep breath, and just breathe in that country air!