National Park Guide: Kansas' Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

— -- Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America. Today, less than 4% remains. Visitors can enjoy a large portion of the remainder at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Strong City, Kan., says preserve Superintendent Wendy Lauritzen.

Visitors come to hike 41 miles of trail, fish and see more than 700 plant, 300 bird and 80 mammal species.

Thirteen bison were brought to the preserve in October 2009, the first time the onetime kings of the prairie had been on the property in more than 100 years. The first calf was born to the herd on Mother's Day in May 2010.

Visitors can usually see one or more small herds by hopping on prairie bus tours or hiking select trails.

Lauritzen says the tallgrasses can make it hard to spot everything, but she calls it a blessing. "You have to take your time," she says. "It's very relaxing for the soul. It makes you slow down and appreciate things."

Despite the other attractions, Lauritzen says, most people come just to see the tallgrass. "You get out in the prairie, and you just want to throw up your arms — it's freedom."

Sights change with every season. Wildflowers, covering the fields with blankets of color, peak in spring and again in fall. Tallgrasses reach heights of up to 10 feet by September, then change color with the trees.

"People have this perception of Kansas — it's boring, it's a fly-over state, it's brown — but there are so many colors if you just stop and take a look," says Richard Frankel, 50, of Derby, Kan.

Grasses grow the tallest in bottom land areas where soil is deeper and water more plentiful. Roots of some plants have been reported to go 10 to 15 feet deep, according to the National Park Service.

***

About the park

Size: 10,894 acres

Number of annual visitors: About 20,000

When it became a National Park: November 12, 1996

A bit of the park's history:Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve was established in 1996. It is the only unit of the National Park System dedicated to the unique and rich Tallgrass prairie ecosystem. It is owned by both the National Park Service and The Nature Conservancy.

When visiting: 2840 Kansas Highway 177 Strong City. Kan.

Fun Fact: Cattle can gain up to two pounds per day grazing on the prairie grasses on the preserve.