Flint Hills Scenic Byway
Flint Hills Scenic Byway is a National Scenic Byway in Kansas. Within Kansas it covers roughly 45 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Flint Hills Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
This byway crosses the Flint Hills of eastern Kansas, the largest remaining expanse of tallgrass prairie in North America — too rocky to plow, so it was never broken. It passes the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve near Cottonwood Falls, where bison again roam grass that can grow head-high by late summer. The open, rolling sea of grass is especially striking under big prairie skies.
- tallgrass prairie
- Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
- bison herd
- Cottonwood Falls
- rolling Flint Hills
Designated for its scenic qualities
Plan a drive on Flint Hills Scenic Byway → Drive this route in Road SortiesTurn-by-turn on iPhone · App Store
Places to stop along Flint Hills Scenic Byway
Kaw Mission State Historic Site
A stone mission school in Council Grove from the 1850s, on the Santa Fe Trail, telling the Kaw Nation's story.
WebsiteAllegawaho Memorial Heritage Park
Land returned to the Kaw Nation, with trails and the ruins of homes built for the tribe before its removal to Oklahoma.
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Rolling unplowed prairie with a bison herd, an 1881 limestone ranch house, and bus tours into the hills.
WebsiteChase County State Lake
A spring-fed lake in the hills near Cottonwood Falls, good for fishing and spotting wildlife.
Cassoday
A tiny town known as the Prairie Chicken Capital of the World, where the birds' spring mating displays draw watchers.
Where to Stay along Flint Hills Scenic Byway
No campgrounds are listed close to Flint Hills Scenic Byway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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Photos of Flint Hills Scenic Byway
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.