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Tallgrass Prairie & the Flint Hills
At-A-Glance
Trip Dates:
September 26, 2013 through September 30, 2013
NPCA Member Price
$1,595-$1,995* per person double occupancy; $310 single supplement.
Deposit
$500 per person
* Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed. Please note all Off the Beaten Path departures feature tiered pricing with a range of $400 for each trip. This benefits the traveler who is able to plan ahead, allowing them to save money, and also allows us to lock-in guaranteed departures as soon as possible.
Contact ParkScapes at 800.628.7275 or travel@npca.org
September 26-30, 2013
This Kansas adventure is now full but alternate dates may be available.
Rich in history, the Flint Hills of south-central Kansas safeguard one of America’s last native prairie landscapes.
Witness an amazing display of eight-foot-tall grasses and late season wildflowers blanketing the vast, rolling landscape of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Discover the delicate beauty of this recently established eleventhousand-acre preserve, a remnant of the grasslands that once covered more than 170 million acres of North America. You’ll stroll the foot trails in the largest remaining intact tallgrass prairie landscape of North America.
In addition to exploring the trails of the preserve, you will tour back roads to historic small towns, visit a working ranch with real cowboys and cowgirls for poetry and a chuck wagon dinner, and catch a glimpse of life at a time when one-room schoolhouses were the norm.
For details about this trip, download the brochure (pdf)
Trip Details:
Tour Highlights
Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
Tallgrass Prairie is an ideal location for an NPCA Walking Weekend; enjoy this shorter five-day trip with a leisurely pace for each day.
Santa Fe National Historical Trail
One of the Park Service’s “highways of the past,” the Santa Fe Trail was the primary travel route between Sante Fe and Missouri throughout the majority of the 1800s.
TopTour Details
Arrive/Depart
Wichita, Kansas
Length of Tour
5 days/4 nights
Pace
Moderately active, offering a choice of activities each day to suit different activity levels and interests.
Price Includes
All accommodations, meals as noted (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner), ground transportation, professional guide services, park and other entrance fees, and miscellaneous program expenses.
Price Does Not Include
Round trip airfare to and from destination, gratuities for naturalist guides, extra equipment rental, alcoholic beverages, or personal expenses.
Payments/Cancellations
Space is confirmed by calling the NPCA at 800.628.7275. A $500 per person deposit is due at registration. Final payment will be invoiced separately and is due 90 days prior to departure. Cancellation notice must be submitted in writing and is effective upon date of receipt. Cancellations up to 91 days prior are subject to a $250 per person cancellation fee. Cancellations 90-61 days prior to departure, 25% of the tour cost is forfeited; 60-31 days prior to departure, 50% of the tour cost is forfeited; 30 days or fewer prior to departure result in the loss of 100% of your total cost.
Travel Insurance
To protect yourself from the loss of deposit and cancellation fees, you are encouraged to purchase travel insurance. If you need assistance, NPCA recommends contacting Travel Insurance Services.
TopDaily Itinerary
September 26: Individual Arrivals in Wichita, Kansas
We assemble at 6:30 p.m. for welcome dinner and weekend orientation in Wichita, Kansas. Dinner is followed by an introductory program aboutthe Flint Hills. Overnight accommodations in Wichita. (D)
Septmber 27: Great Plains Nature Center and Council Grove
In the morning we have an in-the-field introduction to the great plains and its wildflowers and wildlife as we visit the new Great Plains Nature Center. We walk some of the trails and visit the state-of-the-art center with its excellent bookstore and gift shop. The Great Plains Nature Center is a local, state, and national cooperative effort.
In the afternoon we travel deep into the Flint Hills. We’ll venture north to the historic town of Council Grove, which boasts 24 different bygone sites, a revitalized river walk, and our overnight accommodations for the trip—the Victorian-style Cottage House Hotel. Following dinner there is an after dark trip to a remote site to enjoy a rare phenomena: the night sky without the glare of city lights. The stars will be outstanding. Cottage House (B,L,D)
September 28: Santa Fe National Historic Trail and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
We have a pre-breakfast bird/nature walk along the Neosho Riverwalk, the park adjacent to our hotel. Our historic lodging, with its wraparound porch (complete with a porch swing and rocking chairs), is on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel is located on a quiet, shaded side street just a few steps away from the historic route of the Santa Fe Trail and charming downtown Council Grove. There are many historic landmarks and sites within easy walking distance of our hotel.
After breakfast we trundle off to the Tallgrass National Preserve for most of the day. We combine long walks on the prairie landscape (the trails are dirt and grass with some rocks and are on rolling hills in the full sun) with visits to the historic house, barn, and other structures on the property. We even stop to do nothing for a while as we try to capture the moods of the prairie and the spirit of history on this ancient and historic landscape.
In the late afternoon we meander down to Cottonwood Falls and spend some time wandering about this pretty little community made famous in William Least Heat-Moon’s best selling book, Prairyerth.
Our evening meal is a special chuck wagon dinner at the Flying W Ranch in the Cottonwood River Valley. The Flying W is a working ranch that is in its 5th generation of ranchers. Eat up, buckaroos! We return to Council Grove after dinner. Cottage House (B,L,D)
September 29: Council Grove and Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve
After our usual morning walk and breakfast we spend a little time exploring Council Grove and enjoying this delightful small Midwestern town; no WalMart or McDonald’s here—just good old Main Street, U.S.A. In addition, we travel a short distance to visit a Native American historic site not far from Council Grove. In the late afternoon we return to the tallgrass preserve to walk and enjoy the sunset on the prairie. Cottage House (B,L,D)
September 30: Departures Home from Wichita, Kansas
This morning we have an early departure from Council Grove for the Wichita Airport. You’ll want to make your return flight for after 11 a.m. our final day. (B)
Note: This is a moderately active trip; walks may be up to three (3) miles and in the sun on rolling hills, unimproved trails, and ranch roads.
TopPricing Details
NPCA Member Price
$1,595-$1,995* per person double occupancy; $310 single supplement.
Deposit
$500 per person
* Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed. Please note all Off the Beaten Path departures feature tiered pricing with a range of $400 for each trip. This benefits the traveler who is able to plan ahead, allowing them to save money, and also allows us to lock-in guaranteed departures as soon as possible.
TopMap
Travel Partner
TopLodging Info
TopBooking Info
To contact NPCA's ParkScapes program for questions or reservations please call 800-628-7275 or email travel@npca.org. You may also book directly online.
