I awoke early my last morning in Geary County. I wanted to see the sun rise over the Flint Hills. It crested the horizon as I drove east, bursting in bright orange, forcing me to squint as I tried to keep my eyes on the road.
Tried, but didn’t always succeed.
One of the things I’ve heard locals boast of in my several visits to Kansas is the immensity of the sky, its beauty. It’s not the only state to claim that–Montana is Big Sky Country, after all–but that doesn’t diminish their statement.
It is big. It is beautiful. It is commanding.
It takes your breath away.
So, too, did my hike in Konza Prairie Biological Station. Anyone who says Kansas is flat hasn’t gotten off the interstate. Sure, there aren’t mountains, but the earth undulates, occasionally halting in bluffs and cliffs.
As my thighs can attest, Konza Prairie is most certainly not flat.
Dew still dripped from the tall grasses when I arrived. At first, the trail was easy. I crossed a short suspension bridge over a shallow creek, walking through stands of oaks and hackberry.
It quickly led to prairie, but the land was still in shadow because the sun hadn’t quite crested the hill in the distance. It felt like walking in Las Vegas: that giant casino looks like it’s close, but that’s only because you don’t realize how big it is until you’ve walked half a mile and you’re still not there.
For a microsecond, I looked at that giant hill and thought about turning around.
Even though there were a few cars in the gravel parking lot when I’d arrived, I hadn’t see anyone. It was just the grasshoppers, the birds, the butterflies, and me. They were in their element.
So was I, although you couldn’t tell as my breathing became increasingly more labored the higher I went. I knew, though, I just knew that if I kept pushing, if I kept going, I’d be rewarded.
As an overweight woman in her fifties who’s a recent cancer survivor and even more recently-diagnosed diabetic, I know not to push myself too hard. I stopped when I needed to, drank plenty of water.
Each time I did, I’d gaze around me in wonder. In the distance, a farmhouse shone in the morning sun. The shadows retreated, inch by inch, as I moved west, foot by foot.
The incline increased and the path changed from gravel to uneven stairs made of limestone. I picked my steps carefully, aware that a twisted ankle would be a huge problem. It wasn’t even seven in the morning, I was in Kansas alone, and I still hadn’t seen anyone on the trail.
But I kept climbing, putting my hands on one thigh at a time, pushing to help my legs lift me up and up and up.
I reached the top. Aching, slightly, winded, and happy.
Oh, so very happy.
I turned slowly, getting a 360-degree view of the surrounding landscape, of the prairies, the hills, the undulating earth. The grasses swayed, the grasshoppers sang. When I faced the direction from which I’d come, I smiled ruefully.
A strong, slender woman was running–running!–up the trail that had just kicked my butt. We nodded as she passed me, then turned left and ran towards the radio tower.
My breathing was louder than hers.
I still smiled. To be able to do that, to run up a tall hill in the early morning as the sun first blankets the land, what an incredible feeling that must be.
I took my time at the top of that hill. Not because I was tired, but because it was my last morning in Kansas and I wanted to soak it in. I understood why, over the years, Kansan after Kansan has told me that even though they couldn’t wait to get away when they were growing up, they couldn’t wait to get back after they’d realized what they’d left.
There was an information sign, so I read it. I heard voices and saw a trio walking up the trail. I passed them on my way down and we exchanged the normal pleasantries, as you do when hiking.
“Beautiful morning, isn’t it?”
“Sure is.”
I continued, soon passing another trio, this one a photographer and two young women. What a perfect place for a photo shoot, I thought.
By the time I reached the end of the trail, I’d seen more people. The dew had dried in all but the shortest grasses. I got in my car and sipped my coffee, still warm despite my extended absence.
And as I drove back to Junction City to finish packing, to check out, and to begin my trek back home to Illinois, I saw the rising sun in my rearview mirror and smiled.
Hiking in Konza Prairie
Konza Prairie Nature Trail System is open for hiking from dawn to dusk every day. There are three trails:
- Nature Trail Loop: 2.6 miles
- Kings Creek Loop: 4.6 miles
- Godwin Hill Loop: 6.2 miles
Each trail offers opportunities to explore the diverse landscape, featuring lowland gallery forests, limestone ledges, and upland tallgrass prairie, with stunning views of the Flint Hills and the Kansas River Valley.
The trails are of moderate difficulty with occasional steep climbs and uneven terrain. The vast majority of KPBS is off-limits due to prairie conservation and research, so be sure to stay on the trail.
Note that pets, bicycles, drones, and horses are prohibited.
About Konza Prairie Biological Station
The Konza Prairie Biological Station (KPBS) is more than just a beautiful hiking destination. It’s a 3,487-hectare (8,616-acre) native tallgrass prairie preserve and research station located in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas.
This unique outdoor laboratory is jointly owned by The Nature Conservancy and Kansas State University. KPBS serves as a field research station for the KSU Division of Biology.
Key Features of Konza Prairie Biological Station
- Research Focus: KPBS is dedicated to a study of tallgrass prairie ecosystems, with a particular emphasis on climate change, grazing, and fire ecology.
- Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem: It represents one of the largest remaining areas of native tallgrass prairie in North America, an ecosystem that once covered 170 million acres of the continent but is now reduced to less than 4% of its original extent.
- Biodiversity: The preserve is home to over 600 plant species, nearly 300 bird species, 40 mammalian species, and numerous reptiles, amphibians, and insects.
- Long-Term Ecological Research (LTER): Since 1980, KPBS has been part of the National Science Foundation funded LTER network, conducting research projects on the effects of fire, grazing, and climate on the prairie ecosystem.
- Controlled Burning: The station practices controlled burns on different sections of the prairie to mimic natural fire cycles and study their effects on the ecosystem.
- Bison Herd: In 1987, bison were reintroduced to the Konza Prairie to study their impact on the ecosystem and to restore a key native grazer to the landscape.
- Weather and Climate Research: The station maintains several weather stations and participates in climate change research.
- Education and Outreach: While primarily a research station, KPBS offers limited public access through hiking trails and educational programs for K-12 students and teachers.
- Watershed Studies: The unique topography of the Flint Hills region allows for comprehensive watershed-level research.
- Collaborative Research: Scientists from around the world come to KPBS to conduct research, making it a hub for prairie ecosystem studies.
- Station Buildings: The KPBS headquarters complex includes several buildings that support its research mission. These include laboratories and the Hulbert Center, dormitory facilities for visiting researchers. The Dewey Ranch House and Historic Barn, both made of native limestone, have been renovated to serve as the station headquarters and the Konza Meeting Hall.
The Konza Prairie Biological Station plays a crucial role in understanding and preserving the tallgrass prairie ecosystem.
Through its environmental research, KPBS contributes valuable data on how grasslands respond to environmental changes, informing conservation efforts and ecological predictions for similar ecosystems worldwide.
The station’s work underscores the importance of preserving these vanishing landscapes, not just for their beauty, but for their ecological significance and the insights they provide into our changing world.
Konza Prairie Biological Station
McDowell Creek Rd, Manhattan, KS 66502
(785) 587-0441
Konza Prairie
Ready to plan a trip to Geary County, KS? Reserve your copy of Discover Geary County, Kansas: Nature, History, and Hometown Hospitality in the Sunflower State
