Bird Runner Wildlife Refuge

Located 20 miles south of Manhattan, Kansas, Bird Runner Wildlife Refuge invites you to hike, camp, and explore the Tall Grass Prairie — the ecosystem that once covered the heartland of North America. Overnight accommodations include a Lakota style tipi that sleeps six, a campground for people who bring their own tents, and a remote retreat cabin that sleeps two. The refuge is part of the Flint Hills, a strikingly beautiful region that comprises the largest enclave of Tall Grass Prairie remaining in the world. The name "Bird Runner" comes from a Kaw word for McDowell Creek, "Wa-Nin-Dhe-Hu," meaning "where he who outruns birds died." The name is a fragment of a story whose full meaning has been lost. It reminds us that the prairie is full of stories — stories of the land and of the peoples who lived on it and of the people who encounter it today. The name also reminds us that there is always more to any story than we have yet discovered.

Come to Bird Runner and learn the prairie's stories — and add your story to ours.

Bird Runner is a privately owned 220-acre refuge with a mission — to preserve the Tall Grass Prairie and allow people to experience it with appreciation and wonder. Bird Runner's educational and outreach activities take place under the auspices of PRAIRIE HERITAGE INSTITUTE, a not-for-profit corporation dedicated to the preservation of the prairie and education about its natural and social history.

Visits by appointment only. Find out more about visiting Bird Runner.

Visits by appointment only. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Margy Stewart at zzstew@flinthills.com

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