Hayden Prairie State Preserve

Hayden Prairie State Preserve in Howard County, northeast Iowa, is the largest remaining unplowed native prairie in Iowa — a 240-acre remnant of the original tallgrass prairie that once blanketed most of the state, never broken by a plow, preserving a living record of Iowa before Euro-American settlement transformed it. A National Natural Landmark, Hayden Prairie is a window into the original Iowa landscape.

The prairie blazes with native wildflowers in summer — blazing star, coneflowers, compass plant, wild bergamot and dozens more species — while prairie birds sing from the grass: bobolinks, dickcissels, eastern meadowlarks, upland sandpipers and the increasingly rare Henslow’s sparrow. The preserve is managed by Iowa DNR with prescribed fire. Hayden Prairie State Preserve is a treasured botanical and ecological icon of Iowa.

Hayden Prairie is enjoyed by walking the preserve’s mown paths through the native tallgrass (a self-guided experience), wildflower identification, birding (the prairie supports a remarkable diversity of native grassland birds including Henslow’s sparrow, bobolink, dickcissel, eastern meadowlark, upland sandpiper and more), butterfly watching (the native prairie supports a rich butterfly fauna), photography of the wildflowers and prairie landscape, and experiencing the rare sight and sound of Iowa’s original tallgrass prairie. Wildflower and prairie-bird watching are the signature draws. The experience of original Iowa prairie is irreplaceable.

Summer (June through August) is the peak wildflower season, when the prairie blazes with native forbs — June for the first flush, July for blazing star, August for sunflowers and coneflowers — and the prairie birds are most active. Spring brings early wildflowers and the bobolink and dickcissel arriving on territory. Fall brings the seed heads and the big bluestem turning red. The preserve is at its most spectacular in midsummer when the full native-forb diversity is in bloom — visit on a summer morning for the best birds and flowers.

Hayden Prairie preserves a fragment of the original Iowa tallgrass prairie, one of the most thoroughly converted landscapes on Earth — Iowa lost more than 99.9 percent of its native prairie to the plow. The preserve was donated to the state and named for Ada Hayden, an Iowa botanist who worked to preserve native prairie remnants in the early 20th century and is known as ‘the mother of Iowa prairie conservation.’ It was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1966. Hayden Prairie preserves this irreplaceable ecological heritage, a treasured icon of Iowa.

Hayden Prairie sits on the rolling glaciated upland of northeast Iowa, where the Des Moines Lobe glacier left a relatively flat to gently rolling surface of till and glacial outwash, with the thin, rocky, occasionally gravelly soils in parts of the preserve contributing to the persistence of native prairie (thin or poor soils resist corn and soybean cultivation). The shallow, variably drained glacial soils support the diversity of native prairie species that have grown here continuously for thousands of years.

Hayden Prairie supports an extraordinary diversity of native grassland birds — Henslow’s sparrow (one of the rarest grassland birds in the East, present in the preserve), bobolink, dickcissel, eastern meadowlark, upland sandpiper, red-tailed hawk and harrier — along with regal fritillary and other rare prairie butterflies, prairie insects including many specialist native bees, and small mammals adapted to the open grassland. The preserve is one of the finest places in Iowa to see native-prairie birds and butterflies. Hayden Prairie is a gem for grassland-species birding.

Hayden Prairie State Preserve protects 240 acres of original unplowed Iowa tallgrass prairie — one of the last and largest intact remnants of the sea of grass that once covered most of the state, with the full community of native warm-season grasses (big bluestem, little bluestem, indiangrass), forbs (over 200 native plant species) and prairie wildlife that the original landscape supported. Managed by prescribed fire to maintain prairie health and prevent woody-plant encroachment, Hayden Prairie is a globally significant remnant of a nearly eliminated ecosystem. Protecting the prairie and the fire management regime is essential.

Hayden Prairie State Preserve holds a treasured place among the ecological icons of Iowa — the largest unplowed native prairie in Iowa, a National Natural Landmark named for Ada Hayden (the ‘mother of Iowa prairie conservation’), a living remnant of the original landscape that once covered the state before the plow transformed it. On a continent where tallgrass prairie has been reduced to tiny fragments, Hayden Prairie is an irreplaceable and sacred ecological heritage. Hayden Prairie is a cherished natural icon of Iowa.

Hayden Prairie State Preserve is in Howard County in northeast Iowa, near the small town of Chester, about 11 miles north of Cresco off Iowa Highway 9 (follow the brown signs from Chester). The preserve has a small parking area and mown paths for walking; it is free and open to the public during daylight. There are no facilities on site. The nearest town with services is Cresco (about 11 miles south) or the city of Decorah (about 30 miles east). Come self-sufficient with water. Check Iowa DNR for current conditions and any fire management closures before visiting.

Iowa DNR manages Hayden Prairie with prescribed fire (seasonal burns) to maintain the native grass-and-forb community against woody encroachment. Visitors help by staying on the mown paths (walking in the native prairie off the paths compacts soil and damages the plant community), not picking wildflowers or any native plants (protected), not bringing any invasive seeds or plant material to the preserve, respecting any fire-management closures, and packing out everything. The native prairie community, the rare plants and the native birds are sensitive. Protecting the prairie and the fire management sustains this irreplaceable remnant.

The prairie is flat and safe for walking on the mown paths; the main caution is not going off the mown paths in the tall summer grass (disorientation is possible in tall prairie, and going off-path damages the plant community). Ticks are common in the grass in warm weather — check thoroughly after visiting. Biting insects can be numerous in summer; use repellent. The site is remote with no services; carry water. Respect the ticks and insects, the need to stay on paths, and the remote, self-sufficient character of the preserve.

Free and open to the public during daylight. Stay on mown paths only; do not walk in the native prairie off the paths. Do not pick, collect or damage any native plants (protected). Do not introduce outside plant material. The preserve may be closed temporarily during and after prescribed burns — check Iowa DNR for burn schedules and closures. No dogs are permitted (to protect the wildlife and the plant community). Pack out all trash; leave no trace. Check Iowa DNR for current conditions before visiting.

The small town of Chester and the city of Cresco (about 11 miles south, with services), the city of Decorah (about 30 miles east, with the Upper Iowa River and the Vesterheim Museum), the Yellow River State Forest, Effigy Mounds National Monument, and the northeast Iowa Driftless Area lie near the preserve. The Iowa prairie remnants and the Driftless Area define the region. Hayden Prairie anchors the native-prairie experience of northeast Iowa, a gem for grassland birding and wildflower watching, easily combined with Decorah and the Driftless Area parks for a full northeast Iowa loop.

Visit Hayden Prairie on a summer morning in July or August for the peak wildflower show — blazing star, coneflowers, compass plant and wild bergamot in full bloom, with bobolinks, dickcissels and upland sandpipers calling from the grass. Listen for the insect-like buzzing song of the Henslow’s sparrow (rare — scan the dense forb growth in the interior). Stay on the mown paths, use insect repellent and check for ticks, do not pick any wildflowers, and come in the morning before the midday heat on the open prairie. Combine with a trip to Decorah and the Upper Iowa River for a full northeast Iowa outdoor day.