Konza Prairie

In the heart of the Flint Hills, the 8,616-acre Konza Prairie is a rare opportunity to experience the Prairie as the pioneers did during their trek westward. Once a part of the Dewey Ranch, Chicago Industrialist C.P. Dewey acquired the prairie piece by piece during the last quarter of the 1800s.

It is the largest protected tallgrass prairie in the United States. The prairie is owned by the Nature Conservancy and is managed by Kansas state University as a long-term ecological research site. Honoring a request that an Indian name be used to designate the area, Konza was chosen from 100 spelling variations of the name of the Indian tribe who lived in the area in the 1700s.

Because the Prairie must be left undisturbed for research purposes, public access is restricted to the self-guided, three-mile nature trail. A self- guided walking tour brochure is available at the Konza Prairie entrance. Once every two years the Konza Prairie holds its Fall Visitors Day, filled with special tours and presentations.