Guided Tours

Visitors enjoying a guided prairie tour among the tall grasses.

NPS Photo

Scenic Vista Van Tours

Depending on funding, the summer 2024 season may continue with van tours. Until then a van tour podcast has been posted here.

Cell Phone Tours

Cell phone tours are downloadable and on-demand. Cell phone service is often difficult inside the limestone buildings.

Group and School Tours

Reservations for group tours must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance to ensure staffing. School tours focus on the students, accomodating them before adults.

Contact a park ranger for further information and details on group tours.

• e-mail us
• Call 620-273-8494 (hit 270) for reservations.
• Price: Free of charge.

Guided Ranch Headquarters Tour - 1 hour

Tours for groups of fifteen or more can be arranged throughout the year. National Park Service rangers lead visitors on a tour of the ranch house, barn, and outbuildings.

Guided COMBO Tour - 2 hours

Ranch Headquarters and Prairie Tour

The combination tour is available during the main visitor season. Groups of fifteen or more may schedule a ranch headquarters tour in conjunction with a prairie van/hiking tour. The combination tour includes a one-hour tour of the historic house, barn, outbuildings and a one-hour van/hiking tour into the tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Larger groups will be divided into groups depending on how many rangers are available.

Podcasts

Our podcast directory contains a collection of podcasts about the nature, history, and culture of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the surrounding region. A transcript is provided for each podcast.

Virtual Tours Via the Website

The historic buildings are viewable at our Virtual Tour Section.The house has undergone a major rehabilitation project in 2021. Our Virtual Tour page can provide you a glimpse of the house interior, as well our Cell Phone tour, but this will be changing, as wallpaper and other furnishings are displayed.

 

No Self-Driving Tours

No driving of personal vehicles is permitted on the national preserve.

However, the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway along K-177 offers a view of the prairie from your vehicle. Tune your car radio to 1680 AM to learn more. A Scenic Overlook area is a few miles south of Cottonwood Falls, KS complete with waysides of tallgrass prairie and Flint Hills culture.