Flint Hills National Scenic Drive

The Flint Hills scenic drive is a route through the heart of the flint hills passing through significant kansas pioneer sites and through the largest prairie reserve in the country. The drive starts at the Kaw Indian mission in Council Grove, Kansastravels south on route 177 to the town of Cassoday. The Flint Hills National Scenic Byway stretches 47.2 miles across the Flint Hills of Kansas on K-177 between Council Grove and Cassoday in east central Kansas. It is a beautiful drive year-round showing off the panoramic vistas of the tallgrass prairie. Historic sites abound in Council Grove including the Kaw Mission State Historic Site and Museum, Council Oak, Santa Fe Trail, Old Cowboy Jail, Post Office Oak and Museum, KATY Depot, Hays House and the Last Chance Store. Continuing south, the byway passes the recently designated Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve with its showcase limestone mansion, Fox Creek Schoolhouse and barn. It then goes through Strong City and Cottonwood Falls, site of the Chase County Courthouse, in operation since 1873, and the Roniger Native American Museum. South of Cottonwood Falls, the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway travels above the hills for more panoramic views of the ranches in the area then dips down into the creekside to follow magnificent stone walls around historic farmsteads still in operation.