Reviews of Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve (Tourist Attraction)

Roddy Howald

Amazing wildlife - get out and hike!

Bart Stormont

Everyone should see this place. Amazing how sooo much nothing is beautiful. Look any direction for 10 miles and see nothing but Tallgrass prairie everywhere. Its really a sight to behold.

Stephen Lang

Anyone who gets a chance should go! The preserve boasts over 2,500 buffalo (bison) and countless other wildlife on a breathtaking 47,000 acre patch of pristine native tallgrass prairie and crosstimbers forest ecosystems.

Jolly Midge

What is not to love. Bison, few vehicles, wide open Prairie.

John Harstad

Gorgeous expansive views of some the nation's largest and last remaining tall grass prairies. Frequent sightings of some 2700 bison roam the land. Take the drive, you won't regret it!

Jill Wright

Absolutely love this place! I go several times a year! I highly recommend!

JAY HWANG

Friendly staffs and clean facilities. The place where you can see Bison most in America. Exhibition and convenience facilities should be supplemented a little more.

Devon Taylor

This was very beautiful. We saw some buffalo with their calves. The volunteers at the visitors center are very interesting and knowledgeable. This was a perfect day trip for nature lovers.

Charlene Bartley

Drive through and see Buffalo up close... Breath taking and fun.

Nancy Reynolds

Bison right on the road!! Had to wait on them to cross. Had a up close encounter that made me and my friends pretty nervous but the bison just moved on and paid us no mind. There is a visitors center and walking trails but was too hot for the trails. Beautiful country!

Bradford Kamenec

Prairie preserve was great to see. We saw bison at 4 different locations. But we were disappointed with one of the volunteers at the visitor center. We were not interested in touring the ranch house but she kept insisting that we join them. Others were going to join the tour but she told them to come back later ... and then made a rude comment about them after they left. We finally gave up and left not caring how it looked and went to the visitor center where the other volunteer was very gracious in helping us in what we wanted to know and see. Come for the bison ... avoid the tour.

Matt Downing

Tallgrass Prairie Reserve is a special place. Once you enter the reserve, bison roam free and get within feet of your car. But, these aren't animals at a zoo. The bison here are completely wild and roaming over 40,000 acres. Worth every minute of the drive. Oh, there's also free roaming cattle. They decided to stop us the other day.

J.D. Fogg

Gorgeous scenery and wonderful preserve! Well worth the trip down the long gravelnroads.

Sonya Sayles

Love going to the Prairie. The trails are great !

Wayne Pinkston

Wow Big Bull

Sean Antle

What a great adventure! Beautiful drive through Osage county to the southern point of the Flint Hills. Take your time and drive to the visitors center. Friendly staff who know the history and geology of the land and the people who worked it.

Scott Dreher

Interesting place, uncrowded, knowledgeable and helpful volunteers at the visitor center.

Sharon Cole

We loved this place. The tour of the old bunk house was fun. The volunteers were very friendly.

Eric Easley

Long drive on dusty dirt road to the visitors center, but saw many buffalo/bison up close and personal.

Marjorie Geiser

I really enjoyed driving through this preserve and getting a close-up view of all the bison. If you're in the area, take the time. It should take you a couple hours. Road is fine, and there's a gift shop to stop at.

Albert Schmitz

Very long drive on the gravel road but well worth it...Jim the curator for the day was very friendly and knowledgeable about the herd and land management...would recommend the drive to anyone visiting the area...btw the Buffalo are fast, wild and a telephoto lens for getting close is advised...

Tina Mills

Beautiful green grasses and very knowledgeable people

Kelly Chitwood

Ever since hearing about the buffalo herds at Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, my husband and I have wanted to make this trip. It’s a lovely drive with vistas along the way to view wildlife. There’s a hiking trail near their visitor center to …

Jason C_photography

Roaming Bison, rolling hills, TallGrass, bluestem flowers, dark skies, and beautiful scenic overlooks. Enjoyable and peaceful visit.

Nicole Smith

Beautiful. Love seeing the baby bison in the spring. Definitely recommend the drive.

Sherry Tuggle

Amazing place to see buffalo roam free & other wildlife!!

T.L. Anthony

Love the trails

Larry Barnes

Enjoyed the visit, people at the visitors center were very nice and helpful, saw a nice herd of Bison too!

Vicki Feazell

Great place!

Carolyn Dekat

Beautiful area. There was a short free tour with a very knowledgeable volunteer about the bison, tall grass and the rest of the flora and fauna. Cute info center and gift shop combo.

Ava Ks KATHYV

Amazing little day journey. Loved the buffalo, deer, and the info at the visitor center.

Emily Crain

This is a wonderful place to drive through and see the bison up close. They have a huge herd! My 3 year old talked about it for weeks after we visited! You can drive through or you can go to the visitors center to picnic and hike the trail. Wonderful place to visit!

Marie Moats

This is an amazing place...It is so tranquil and peaceful

Kurt

What an awesome place. We saw a Bald Eagle and hundreds of Bison. We had to stop the car so they could cross the road. Be sure to bring plenty of water with you.

Eva McCray

Wonderful place to see yansa in their natural habitat.

mr mom

Stunning views and endless encounters. We took a slow ride through the whole drive at 15-20mph at the highest took about 1hr and another 30 minutes at the gift shop/ information center. The bison we mostly at a distance at first until we …

Eric Flint

Nice and secluded feel! Loved seeing the bison!

Mary Steiner

Great day in tall grass country!

Rushikesh Kamalapurkar

Surreal landscape and huge bison!!!

Katherine Albarracin

Too early for green but the bison were awesome

Laurie Roberge

Interesting place to spend some time. The visitor center was great, and the volunteers we're so friendly and full of great information. Glad we stopped by!

Clyde H

This is a great place to visit. Very knowledgeable staff make the stop fun and interesting. This place gives you a chance to see the prairie the way it was 500 years ago with Buffalo roaming and tall grass waving. Highly highly recommend.

Jeff Anderson

Amazingly beautiful. Staff is nice and knowledgeable. Roads are all gravel, so expect your car to get dirty. The bison herd moves around so ask the ladies at the visitor's center.

Glenn Mckee

This is a must see lots of buffalo a beautiful drive thru nice place

Joplin Outdoors

Beautiful place! Want to go back on a warmer day to hike.

Jon Rifkin

Very quiet, spacious and out of the way place, for some short hikes/walks ( up to three miles) through prarie fields, and a chance to drive through bison populated fields.

Alana Lessly

We enjoyed the long drive viewing the prairie and so many bison! Visitor center is nice - the volunteer staff is so friendly and shared so much info about the preserve. We learned so much. The kids enjoyed the displays- especially the bones of animals that live in the area.

Stephanie Thomas

Had the best time watching the bison and taking photos. We had beautiful weather too.

Melissa Thigpen

Absolutely beautiful! A wonderful experience for the whole family. Some of the nicest people you will ever meet.

Jeff Wann

It's okay if you've never seen a bison before. Good looking tallgrass is hard to find unless you head further north past the preserve.

pam silver

We enjoy going to see the bison every chance we are at Kaw Lake . It is so wonderful to see the new babies. We get some wonderful pictures also.

Es Junk

Amazing there are so many people in this world, only to find a place with this kind of wide open spaces. The staff at the headquarters are super friendly and eager to answer any questions. This is a non government funded preserve. A great chance for kids and grownups alike to see free range buffalo!

Jason Spangler

Awesome native tallgrass prairie with nature trails and neat historic ranch buildings. Large bison heard is a major attraction.

Douglas Gertsch

Very informative worth the drive to see.

Bruce Kinkade

Beautiful, tranquil and inspiring!

Roderick Sherrill

Beautiful! The visitor center was awesome. Their volunteers were very knowledgeable and nice. Great history and the bison were almost close enough to our car to touch. We also spotted some wild horses.

Angela Gard

Would have enjoyed a closer look at the Bison, but.... Free range!

Scarlett

We drove and drove and drove to finally spot a handful of black dots on the horizon. Lots of prairie grass and dust, but no bison to see. Welcome center finally appeared about the time I thought we were lost. Restrooms were clean and a soda machine was $1. As far as seeing bison, this visit was a bust

Misty Cooper

Great place for our 7th grade Science field trip. Very informative tour & a fun hike!

Mike Robinson

Beautiful rolling green hills, lots of bison and wildflowers!

David Wineinger

Great place to see Buffalo

Mike Wyckoff

Nice to feel a little bit of the open prairie that a couple hundred years ago was most of the central United States. It would have been amazing to see the bison herds in the numbers they used to be.

Bradley Higginbotham

The Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a very beautiful place to visit. The bison roam wild on 40k acers of land and. The Nature Conservancy is doing tremendous work preserving the native land and the various species that call it home. When you are in the area take a drive on the bison loop and stop in at the gift shop.

L

A huge herd of buffalo in the quiet prairie. It felt a bit like stepping back to a time when bison roamed wild.

Deborah Glass

Lovely people at the visitors center. Saw hundreds of bison.

steven burkholder

Loved it! Way cool!

Susan Williams

Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a great place to tour. We loved seeing the bison in their natural environment. The two docents at the center were eager to share their knowledge and one took us on a tour of the original bunkhouse. I would go again tomorrow.

T McKinney

This place is definitely off the beaten path but it's worth it. We had to drive about 7 miles of gravel road before reaching the Buffalo herd. It was worth the drive because we were able to get very close to a herd of about 200 wild buffalos. At the preserve headquarters we were greeted by a volunteer named David. He was very nice and knowledgeable. If you're interested in seeing the bison in their natural habitat this is the place, it's a must see.

John Underwood

Nice place but seriously people don't throw trash out of your car windows

Cindy pitts

It is a beautiful place

Jody Gragg

A great preserved treasure of our once vast tall grass prairie ecosystem. The staff were friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. So thankful we have preserved the bison herds and have this opportunity to see them in their natural setting.

S G

I'm not sure we could have had a better experience here. Drove through as part of a road trip from GA to CO. We wanted to see bison...and we saw HUNDREDS, some even crossing the road and extremely up close! We were able to drive straight …

Rachel Cramer

Amazing place to see wildlife. Free is always good. The staff was super friendly and extremely informative. We saw several herds of bison, deer, horses and hawks.

L Washburn

The freshest air and so quiet out there. Turn your car off and get out and listen in one of the scenic turnout. The bison happen to be next to and some crossing the rock road, so got some photos.

Pam Cox

Long trip to Visutor Center; but, definitely worth it. Many beautiful views and lots of buffalo.

Elizabeth Campbell

Never a disappointment. Beautiful views and the animals look so happy in their natural environment.

Jeanne Bolley

Wonderful place! Saw 2 herds of bison...one was right next to the road. The docents were amazing...shared lots of information and gave a personal tour of the bunk house!

CatFish.Wilson

A long road with great view of bison roaming and grazing on the grass. Then at the end of the drive is the welcome center. The employees were all so friendly and very helpful with the info that this part of the land has. Get learning experience for all ages

Judith Felix

Go see the Bison! Amazing!!! And the Headquarters/Museum is worth seeing. The longhorns are equally as beautiful!!

Phil Ray

Cool place

Carl Wilson

Beautiful

Toots Rrhir

I was a bit disappointed as I had heard that the tall prairie grass was much taller. Friendly and knowledgeable people in the visitor's center. Took the trail walk and enjoyed the ambiance!

Brett Stone

Beautiful and well maintained preserve. Hiking trails are easy to find with a nice trailhead, maps available, and good parking. Visitors center is kid friendly and a great place to start your visit.

Darwin Osprey

Bison are my favorite animals in North America. This Wildlife Preserve is Perfect for Getting Close to Wild Bison.

Robyn Voss

One of my favorite day trips. This time lots of the buffalo were right by the road - some even crossed the road right in front of us.

Bill Gillogly

Beautiful place to visit. Expand your knowledge of the wonders of the prairie. As a docent maning the visitor center I get to share information about the Bison as well as the hundreds of species of plants and other animals living there. A bit stormy today though.

Arthur Curtis

Oh my God I love this place, can't get enough of it

Sophie W

Such a pretty drive and we ended up seeing several large groups of bison. Definitely recommend!

Jean Augustine

We enjoyed driving through the preserve and being able to see the bison up close, sometimes even at the road's edge. We also saw deer, visited the welcome center, and toured the Ben Johnson ranch bunk house from 1920. Very enjoyable time...

Robert Hull

Beautiful vistas incredible area to drive or hike in to see and enjoy a very small piece of what used to be an almost endless tall grass prairie where the flora and fauna is what it was when our ancestors traveled west and saw the vast area …

Connie Scott

Had a great time out there. Saw plenty of Bison. Kids were thrilled. Had a great nature hike.

Stacy Herman

Very serene place to visit. Even had place to have a small picnic.

Barbara Bowers

Huge property. Rolling hills. Herds of buffalo appear everywhere. Magnificent animals are free roaming. Lots of babies.

Axel The Sir

A very unique experience, though I wish the route out was marked better. We got lost for a good hour trying to leave because of one wrong turn. On the bright side, we got to see some buffalo on the way!

Joyce Davis

Very interesting place to visit. 40,000 acres of history.

Mary Slone

Stunning natural beauty! Smaller but nice visitors center with friendly docents and interesting displays (for both adults and children). Beautiful drive on gravel, but well maintained, roads. We plan to come back at least once a season to see the landscape change throughout the year.

Marsha Vanisko

Beautiful scenery and the buffalo were amazing! Visitor Center staff were great! Truly worth the drive.

Sally Sperry

One of the best stops I made on a 4000 mile trip across the US

Ric Favors

We took a Saturday drive out to Tallgrass Prairie in early June. The views on the drive through the Osage Nation Reservation which we went through are pretty incredible. Easy to see why this part of OK is called Green Country. We went …

Charles p

Very nice but nothing to see no roads going off main road to get closer to viewing

David Owen

The beauty of the prairie and the majesty of the buffalo. A truly magnificent place.

Tx travler

Beautiful place.

Jed Yarbrough

The guide at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve Welcome Center was AWESOME! Very Knowledgeable! Highly Recommend!

Sheri Close

Love this place! Peaceful prairie. Wildflowers and butterflies. So exciting if you get to see the bison closer than 100 ft away.

Brittani Leavitt

If you go make sure you have an suv or truck or outback because although they maintain the roads, they aren't really paved roads per say. Also, don't get out of your car to try and take a selfie with a bison or whatever. Especially during mating and baby season. Its a beautiful place though and they have tours for classes.

Carie McMaster

An unexpected pleasure. The staff working it was warm, friendly, and informative. We enjoyed the drive through the preserve and was excited to see some bison.

Mike Estes

Always enjoy the drive thru, great place to take some photos.

Roma Holley

LOVED it...I loved talking to the guides. They were very interesting. Beautiful Bison.

Spencer S

First you drive twelve miles of muddy road, only to arrive at the picture below. We visited in late October when the herd was being culled the herd. They had been put in corrals about a mile away. Those tiny black dots you see in the far distance of my photograph are the buffalo herd. Very disappointed. CALL BEFORE YOU GO!!

Willis Allen

Saw a number of bisons as we drove through the park. Saw at least five new calves beautiful place Road through the Prairie is gravel but well maintained. People in the gift shop very friendly and knowledgeable

Rodney D. Gryder

Awesome time at getting a few pictures of the Buffalo herds... Bison Herd's

C Zimmerman

An awesome experience! We highly recommend it for everyone.

LARRY WHITNEY

Very interesting

steven fritts

Nice drive and lucky enough to see the buffalo up close when driving through.

Marianne Thomas

So beautiful and peaceful

Shirley Welch

Wonderful place to visit ~

Yuki Legako

This place is great for a little get away from the city. You drive through prairie area where bison roam around so you can watch them really close. By the visitor center, there are some hiking trails you can walk. There are no bison in that area so don't worry.

Cecelia Watkins

Nice but not as spectacular as I'd expected. We had hoped to see some babies but did not. I think we were too early for wildflowers so the scenery may be better at another time. The staff at the visitor center were quite friendly and knowledgeable!

Debbie Lytle

A very educational experience!

Weston Fisher

Very much worth the journey!

Darita Barton

Loved the open country buffalo taken care of well

Tim Howell

Nothing to see and too much driving

Roger C

If you want to see free roaming buffalo , this is the place. Very peaceful .

George Farrar

Unspoiled prairie, never touched by plow is a healing sight. Lots of buffalo. Excellent visitor center with displays and friendly staff.

Kerri Floyd

Saw a lot of buffalo. Kids had a great time. Nice walking trails.

Ben Browning

Very welcoming atmosphere. Great open park spaces to spend some time exploring. One of the few places that you can get up close to a bison herd. We really enjoyed the feel of this nature conservancy park vs parks administered by the NPS or other government agencies. The employees were friendly, helpful, and loved their jobs which made the visit very enjoyable. We approached the park from the North and left by heading south. The roads to the South are much more comfortable and the length of gravel road is much shorter. If you want to see some great prairie and good vistas and get up close to some bison I highly recommend it!

stephanie creason

This is a beautiful peaceful place to spend the day enjoying buffalo, deer, and coyotes and other various wildlife

Linda Miller

Always a joy. Get a map though so you'll know where the county roads lead. No phone signal for many miles. Saw hundreds of buffalo plus deer and coyotes. Found a rushing creek with big turtles on logs, just 'there', which also delighted my friends, who were experiencing the Tallgrass Prairie for the first time.

Sandy Burkett

Favorite part of our trip, must go to wildlife center, super knowledge able curators, love me some Bison

Ron Brand

We saw a bunch of buffaloes as soon as we drove in. It was great. That's why we went. Note that if you go more than a mile, the road becomes a grave road and is a rough ride unless you have the right vehicle.

Lois Ward

Fantastic day.... very interesting

Jen Randolph

Love driving out here

Katie Boyd

It was a beautiful 90°F+ summer day and we still saw probably close to 200 bison (out of a herd of 2500+) throughout the drive. Some of them crossed the road in front of us! Stay in your car to be safe... Bison are temperamental. Also the bison loop is entirely rough gravel, just be aware and don't drive too fast. Someone ahead of us blew a tire.

Kathy Sharp

It was a fun and relaxing drive. Time to really look at the scenery. Would of liked to have seen more buffalo. Would love to see wild horse's too

Vicki Whitworth

Beautiful peaceful views.

Andrewsky M.

Beautiful place for a day trip! Lots of nature to run across, saw many different types of birds, jack rabbits, deer and bison. Will be going here in the different seasons to see how it changes through the year.

Allison Hammock

Amazing gem just outside of Tulsa! We explored and saw tons of buffalo. You can stay in you car the whole time too. We went to Pawhuska afterward and had lunch/shopped! Super fun day trip for Tulsans