W

hen first transplanted to Kansas, some decades ago, I was ignorant. My idea 
of scenery was distorted by over-exposure to massive mountains and crashing 
ocean waves. I didn’t appreciate “spacious skies” or “amber waves of grain.” So, 

I didn’t see the Flint Hills as anything special. 

Now, I can supply a litany of statistics: how the Flint Hills is the largest tallgrass 

prairie tract (yet less than 4 percent of the original 170 million acres) on the continent; 
how it is an endangered ecosystem; how there isn’t just “grass” but 40 species of grasses. 

But stats aside, the real change is that I now truly see the beauty, the majesty, of this land. 
I know you probably know the Flint Hills—perhaps even quite well. But it is a 

landscape that merits return visits. So if you have been, or if this is your first time, here is 
a handy-dandy itinerary for a 36-hour weekend getaway in the Flint Hills. Plan to go off 
your grid. Unplug. Breathe. 

Leave Lawrence about 8 a.m. and take I-70 west to Manhattan. 

First stop is breakfast at The Chef (111 S. Fourth St.) because any 
day that begins at this diner, now in its seventh decade, is a better 
day. Well-fortified, begin your official introduction just a few blocks 
away at the Flint Hills Discovery Center (315 S. Third St.). Start 
with the short 4-D movie (who knew that prairie smoke was the 
fourth dimension?), which encapsulates the evolution (both land 
and people) of this unique ecosystem. Stay to savor the Kelley 
Hunt music and lyrics during the final credits, then move on to the 
exhibits, illuminating and interactive.  

From Manhattan, drive south on state highway K-177, the start 

of the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway (one of only two 

national 

scenic byways in Kansas). This byway extends from Council Grove 
to Cassoday, ending when K-177 intersects with I-35. Go slow: It’s 
under 90 miles from Manhattan to Cassoday, and you’ll be driving 
this road for two days. 

Your first stop along this road is Council Grove, some 42 

miles south of Manhattan. If you have not been here before, check 
out the Madonna of the Trail statue and the Post Office Oak and 
Museum as you stroll downtown. While you’ll probably be too full 
from that Chef breakfast for a meal, a slice of pie at the 1857 Hays 
House Restaurant can’t hurt. 

Leaving Council Grove, continue south on K-177 for 

approximately 23 more miles, coming into Chase County, which has 
fewer than than 3,000 people, but, when the cattle are summer grazing 
on the rich prairie grasses, more than 400,000 cattle. And, since you’re 
dying to know, Chase County is named for the same Salmon P. Chase 
that hung out with Lincoln, the Chase of Chase Manhattan Bank, the 
Chase pictured on the $10,000 bill. Chase County also boasts your 
one essential stop, the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, run by 
the National Park Service. The best way to appreciate the prairie is to 
hike into it on one of this preserve’s nature trails. Even a half-mile in, 
you begin to leave the world behind: hear nature, smell the earth, see 
bison, appreciate more of what the word prairie encompasses. The 
park rangers offer daily, guided bus tours that are good overviews if you 
have little kids or if hiking is not your forte. A walk through the historic 
buildings provides insight into 1800s ranch life.

At this point, you’re practically in Strong City and 

Cottonwood Falls, two historic communities just a mile apart. 

SATURDAY

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LM

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