The Flint Hills - Emporia, Kansas

OUR NATURAL WONDER

Voted one of the Eight Wonders of Kansas, the Flint Hills are a special, magical place. The region is one the last remaining tallgrass prairie ecosystems in the world, with rolling vistas that have endured largely unchanged for thousands of years.

Traveling over the hills and valleys on a quiet country roadway in the Flint Hills will challenge your idea that Kansas is flat. After the annual pasture burnings in springtime, the hills are renewed, bringing forth sweeping carpets of native grasses and wildflowers. With a population of less than 12.7 people per square mile, your only company may be the hawks, songbirds, deer, and coyotes commonly spotted throughout the region. Evenings in the Flint Hills often put on a show of breathtaking sunsets and brilliant stars, perfect for gazing in quiet stillness. The Flint Hills are truly one of America’s unique places, harboring a wealth of adventure, beauty, and history. The area is best experienced up close by bike, jeep, car, kayak, or on foot. Emporia is the perfect place to begin and end your daily adventures.

Far away from man made structures and modern life, sunset watching and stargazing are popular activities for flint hills explorers.

Fishing and Kayaking

This region provides some excellent fishing and boating opportunities. Anglers can check out reservoirs such as Council Grove, Melvern, John Redman, and Pomona or choose the smaller county fishing lakes in Lyon, Chase, and Osage counties. The most common fish caught in this area are bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, trout and walleye. Kayaking, canoeing, and paddle boarding are a great way to enjoy the area lakes. Find permit information and more about where to fish at ksoutdoors.com.

EXPLORE BY JEEP, CAR OR FOOT

If you’re not a local, it can be difficult to know where to start exploring the vast area of the Flint Hills, especially when some of the best views and sights are off the beaten path. Check out where to go below to experience the best that the Flint Hills has to offer.

By Jeep

One of the best ways to enjoy the Flint Hills is to go jeeping. It’s fun for the whole family and the Flint Hills has hundreds of miles of beautiful minimum maintenance roads to explore. We’ve put together a few routes that are specially designed for Jeeps or SUVs at https://www.visitemporia.com/extreme/jeeps The routes we’ve created will take you through some of the Flint Hills’ most picturesque areas and little-known hidden gems. Choose from 5 route options that interconnect to create shorter or longer drives.

On Foot

At one time, there were over 150 million acres of tallgrass prairie that stretched from Texas to Canada. Today only 4% remains, with much of it at TALLGRASS PRAIRIE NATIONAL PRESERVE. Hike the trails spanning nearly 11,000 acres of wide open spaces and beautiful vistas. The preserve includes a bison herd, one-room school house, historic limestone buildings, and visitors center. Bring your camera and capture the 150 species of birds, 35 species of reptiles and amphibians, 35 species of mammals, 400 species of wildflowers, and 70 species of native grasses as you hike.

The FLINT HILLS TRAIL STATE PARK is a 94-mile multi-use trail through the heart of the Flint Hills. It stretches between Osawatomie and Council Grove and is the longest trail in Kansas. Trail heads closest to Emporia include Admire, Allen, Bushong, and Council Grove.

By Car

Though sparsely populated, the Flint Hills are dotted with small towns that showcase the rich history of the area. Go for a drive and visit some of our neighboring communities: OLPE is well known for its family-owned restaurant, Chicken House. Recognized nationally as a premier chicken restaurant, they are famous for their hand-breaded onion rings and homemade pies. (9 miles south of Emporia) CHASE COUNTY boasts the largest area of unspoiled tallgrass prairie remaining in the world, the oldest operating courthouse in Kansas, as well as the oldest consecutive rodeo in the state dating to 1937. (20 miles west of Emporia) MADISON is referred to as the Hidden Valley of the Flint Hills. The town relocated to its current site after the Kansas City, Emporia, and Southern Railway Company, a subsidiary of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, built a depot away from the original town site on the Verdigris River. The fullyrestored depot is now on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as the Madison Historical Society Museum. (26 miles south of Emporia) COUNCIL GROVE is an authentic old trail town at the crossroads of the Santa Fe Trail and the Flint Hills Scenic Byway. Beneath the Council Oak tree on August 10, 1825, U.S. Commissioners and Chiefs of the Great and Little Osage tribes signed a treaty to establish the rightof-way for the Santa Fe Trail across Osage lands. The town has 25 historic sites to learn about and explore. (35 miles northwest of Emporia)

Running from Council Grove to Cassoday, the FLINT HILLS SCENIC BYWAY offers incredible views of the native grasses and flowers of the tallgrass prairie. Much of the land along the Byway looks as it did thousands of years ago when the Kaw, Osage and other native tribes lived there.

CHASE COUNTY COURTHOUSE

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