Explore Western Iowa Prairies on National Prairie Day

Founded by the Missouri Prairie Foundation in 2016, National Prairie Day is celebrated the first Saturday of June every year. Its mission is to enchance public awareness about prairies, celebrate the historic and current value of prairies, recognize the vital importance of prairie conservation, encourages involvement in the prairies and their conservation.

Historically tall grass prairie covered 70-80% of Iowa’s landscape. However, today Iowa is the most altered state in the country. Since European settlement, prairie land cover in Iowa has been reduced to less than 0.1% of its original extent. Much of the remaining prairie in Iowa is in the western part of the state. The rugged terrain of the Loess Hills prevented ploughing the ridgetop prairies.

(photo by Seth Brooks)

There are numerous prairies along western Iowa's scenic byways that are open to public exploration, While most have no maintained trails, the prairies are open to off-trail hiking, birdwatching, wildflower walks, and other types of low-impact recreation. Below is a selection of public prairies along the scenic byways of western Iowa.

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The section of Waterman Prairie south
of Highway 10 offers an accessible
prairie experience for byway visitors. A
parking lot on Wilson Avenue, 1½ miles
south of Highway 10, leads to a trail that
meanders through prairie-covered ridges
with spectacular vistas of the Little Sioux
River valley. The Iowa Department of
Natural Resources is restoring the prairie
to its original plant community.

The trail passes the Hanging Valley, a
distinctive geologic feature resulting
from the rapid outflow of Glacial Lake
Spencer during the Pleistocene era. This
is a higher valley of the Little Sioux River
abandoned about 13,000 years ago when
rushing meltwater changed the course
of the river and cut down to the present
valley floor. ​

Waterman Prairie in O'Brien County

T.H. Steele Prairie State Preserve consists of 200 acres of native tallgrass prairie in two tracts, both of which are located northwest of Larrabee, Iowa. Steele Prairie is classified as a biological and geological state preserve due to the diversity of tallgrass prairie plants and wildlife present, as well as the undisturbed nature of its rolling terrain, shaped by glaciers 20,000 to 30,000 years ago.

Browns’ Prairie is an important tract in one of the largest areas of native grassland left in the state. Located within more then 3,000 contiguous acres of prairie in the Little Sioux Valley region, the property provides habitat for wildflowers, butterflies and grassland nesting birds. This particular tract of land was historically pastured, but much of the native grass has survived. A special feature of the tract is a small, crystal-clear, spring-fed steam that meanders through it. Browns' Prairie is level to steeply rolling. Care should be exercised by the elderly and children. This area is extremely hot in the summer and cold in the winter without trees to break the wind or sun. Cattle grazing is used to manage native grasses so please exercise caution when visiting the area.

Bertram Reservation is a 240-acre wildlife area with oak savannah prairie that has hiking trails as well as equestrian trails.

Bertram Reservation in Clay County (photo by Lynn Graesing)

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Broken Kettle Grasslands is a sweeping reminder of nature’s beauty. Not only is it the Conservancy’s largest preserve in Iowa, but it contains the largest remaining prairie in Iowa. In 1999, the Conservancy found the prairie rattlesnake, an extremely rare species, at this site, making Broken Kettle even more important to the region.
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The Nature Conservancy welcomed a herd of 28 bison at Broken Kettle Grasslands preserve in the fall of 2008—an historic event benefiting the native prairie and the bison herd itself.

Hiking is allowed south of Butcher Road in the Stevenson Family Preserve.

The 964-acre Five Ridge Prairie State Preserve exemplifies the northern loess bluffs of western Iowa with a mixture of oak timbered valleys, native prairie ridge tops and west facing slopes. This unique loess landform site is home to several state threatened and endangered plant and animal species. It was also the site of the original wild turkey restoration stocking for Plymouth County. The public is invited to hike and enjoy Five Ridge year round.

Sioux City Prairie is one of the nation’s largest native prairie tracts found in an urban setting. An area uniquely and delicately balanced between the city and the wild, Sioux City Prairie is a TNC-owned 150-acre tallgrass prairie preserve. The prairie and wooded valleys of this well-drained, high-relief landscape support a variety of plants and animals typically found further west in the Great Plains. The preserve also supports a diverse population of birds and it provides critical habitat for many species of prairie butterflies.

Mount Talbot State Preserve is a 90-acre area featuring a rugged Loess Hills landscape with forested slopes and prairie-capped ridges. It is located in the northern part of Stone State Park, in Plymouth and Woodbury counties. The preserve contains about 35 acres of prairie on narrow ridge tops adjoining a large tract of oak woodland in the deep ravines. It supports a rich prairie flora of over seventy-five native plants. The site is very scenic with panoramic views of the Loess Hills landscape.

Sylvan Runkel State Preserve is a 330-acre preserve containing an outstanding example of Iowa’s Loess Hills landscape, with extensive native prairie covering steep hills. The preserve lies along the western edge of the Loess Hills landform region, overlooking the broad Missouri River valley. The preserve supports a variety of prairie, forest, and brush vegetation. A total of over 200 plant species can be found. The main feature of the preserve is a prominent ridge with over 100 acres of high-quality native prairie.

Turin Loess Hills State Preserve is a 220-acre area featuring a rugged Loess Hills landscape with an abrupt west-facing ridge. It is located in the southern unit of the 3,000-acre Loess Hills Wildlife Area, 2 miles north of Turin and 7.5 miles east of Onawa in Monona County. In 1978, the area was dedicated as a biological and geological state preserve and became part of a National Natural Landmark in 1986.

Folsom Point Preserve features spectacular landscapes, with open prairie ridges rising dramatically out of the Missouri River floodplain. This preserve not only has high-quality prairie on the ridges; it also has a rare example of mesic prairie in one of the valleys. These high-quality habitats support a high diversity of prairie plants, birds and butterflies. The terrain is quite rugged with steep slopes. Folsom Point Prairie protects one of the largest remaining contiguous prairie remnants in the southern Loess Hills. Purchased in 1999, the prairie provides a valuable habitat for grassland animals, particularly in an area where the prairie community has largely disappeared.

John Wanamaker chose the name for Eli Slusher Wildlife Management to honor the original homesteader on the property, who received his first land grant from President Franklin Pierce in 1853. The wildlife area contains 411 acres in the Loess Hills with high quality remnant prairie, oak savanna, woodland, scenic vistas, and retired hay land.

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Dinesen Prairie ​in Shelby County consists of 20 acres of native prairie that has never been turned by a plow. There are 114 types of plants here, and springtime brings forbs like prairie phlos and indigo bush. Summertime flowers include Canada anemone and leadplant, and fall brings blooms like asters and blazing star. Typical grasses found here are porcupine grass and prairie horsetail. Habituating the prairie are birds including bobolink and meadowlark, as well as many small mammals like the white-tailed jackrabbit and the meadow vole. The preserve was dedicated as a biological state preserve in 1977 by Derald Dinesen, whose gravestone is on top of a hill in the preserve, from which a view of the prairie is seen.

Greenwood Cemetery Prairie sits next to one of the older cemeteries (1860s) in Guthrie County. Bundt Prairie is a rare gem located where a 1-room country school originally sat.  A variety of native prairie grasses and forbs inhabit both sites.  Bring your identification book and your camera to capture the beauty of this remarkable ecosystem.  While you hike the area, keep in mind that what you see of the prairie plants is typically only 1/3 of the plant's height. Some plants have root systems that stretch over 15 feet into the ground. Friendly reminder:  Please don't pick any wildflowers and be respectful of cemetery rules.

Sheeder Prairie State Preserve is a 25-acre tallgrass prairie. It is located five miles west of Guthrie Center in Guthrie County. The property was purchased in 1961 by the Iowa Conservation Commission from Oscar and Clara Sheeder, the son and daughter-in-law of the original homesteader. It was dedicated as a biological state preserve in 1968. This preserve lies within the Southern Iowa Drift Plain, a landform region of gently rolling terrain. Over 200 plant species are found in this preserve, including thirty grasses.

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