Prairie Dog State Park

Prairie Dog State Park, in the rolling shortgrass prairie of Norton County in far northwestern Kansas, is one of the most remote and authentically wild state parks in the state — protecting a living, active black-tailed prairie-dog town, a broad prairie landscape and the Keith Sebelius Reservoir, a 3,000-acre Corps of Engineers lake on Prairie Dog Creek, surrounded by the rolling shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie of the High Plains.

The park is named for the prairie dogs — a large, active colony visible from designated viewing areas — and protects a piece of the wild, open northwestern Kansas prairie with burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, badgers, pronghorn and the prairie-dog ecosystem. A historic adobe house (the soddie replica) recalls the harsh pioneer homesteading era on the northwest Kansas frontier. Prairie Dog State Park is a treasured wild-prairie icon of northwestern Kansas.

Prairie Dog State Park offers wildlife watching (the active prairie-dog town is the primary draw, with burrowing owls, badgers, ferruginous hawks and coyotes all associated with the colony), fishing on Keith Sebelius Reservoir (walleye, channel catfish, crappie), boating and sailing on the lake, hiking and biking trails through the shortgrass prairie, camping (tent and RV options), horseback riding, and exploring the frontier-era adobe homestead replica. Watching the prairie-dog colony — one of the most accessible active colonies in Kansas — and the associated wildlife are the signature draws.

Spring (April through June) is the most active and entertaining season at the prairie-dog town: the pups emerge in May and June for the first time, adult prairie dogs are intensely active above ground, burrowing owls are nesting at the colony’s margins, and ferruginous hawks and coyotes hunt the colony. Fall (September and October) brings comfortable temperatures and active prairie dogs fattening for winter. Summer brings the pups to full size and the colony at peak activity. The prairie-dog town is active and engaging from spring through early fall. Spring for pups and peak activity, any warm season for wildlife watching, are the highlights.

The prairie-dog town and the shortgrass prairie of northwestern Kansas were part of the Cheyenne and Arapaho homeland and the great buffalo commons of the central plains, where the interlinked ecosystem of bison, prairie dogs and their predators shaped the grass for thousands of years. The Northwest Kansas frontier was among the last areas settled, with sod-house homesteaders arriving in the 1870s–1880s — an experience recalled by the historic adobe homestead replica in the park. The Corps of Engineers built Keith Sebelius Dam in 1965, creating the reservoir. Prairie Dog State Park preserves the prairie-dog ecosystem, the lake and the frontier heritage, a treasured icon of northwestern Kansas.

Prairie Dog State Park occupies the rolling, mixed-grass and shortgrass prairie of the High Plains in Norton County, northwestern Kansas — a landscape of chalk-bearing and shale uplands of Cretaceous age overlaid by thick loess deposits, with the Prairie Dog Creek valley cutting through the plains to form the reservoir basin. The prairie-dog town is in the flat-to-rolling uplands — prairie dogs prefer open, shortgrass terrain where they can see predators at distance. The shortgrass prairie, the Cretaceous upland geology and the Prairie Dog Creek valley created this wild frontier landscape.

Prairie Dog State Park’s prairie-dog town supports a classic prairie-dog ecosystem: the colony itself (hundreds of black-tailed prairie dogs), burrowing owls nesting in abandoned burrows at the colony margin, badgers (the primary digging predator), ferruginous hawks, red-tailed hawks, prairie falcons, golden eagles and coyotes all hunting the colony. The surrounding shortgrass and mixed-grass prairie supports pronghorn, white-tailed deer, coyotes, mule deer and an excellent shortgrass-prairie birdlife of lark buntings, Cassin’s sparrows, McCown’s longspurs, horned larks and mountain plovers. Prairie Dog State Park offers outstanding wildlife watching for a full prairie-dog ecosystem.

Prairie Dog State Park protects a living prairie-dog colony and its associated ecosystem — the prairie dogs, their burrows, the burrowing owls, badgers, raptors and predators that depend on the colony, and the shortgrass prairie that the colony maintains by grazing and clipping. Prairie dogs are a keystone species of the shortgrass prairie: their grazing and clipping creates a short-grass mat that attracts mountain plovers, burrowing owls and other species that cannot use taller grass. Protecting the colony, managing predator pressure and maintaining the shortgrass prairie around it sustains the full prairie-dog ecosystem and the exceptional wildlife of the park.

Prairie Dog State Park holds a treasured place among the wild-prairie icons of northwestern Kansas — one of the most remote and authentically wild state parks in the state, where a living prairie-dog town, burrowing owls, badgers and ferruginous hawks recall the vanishing wildlife of the original Great Plains prairie, and the frontier homestead replica recalls the hardy pioneers who broke the sod of the northwest Kansas plains. Its remote, wide-open prairie character and exceptional wildlife make it a pilgrimage destination for naturalists and photographers. Prairie Dog State Park is a cherished icon of wild Kansas.

Prairie Dog State Park is in Norton County in far northwestern Kansas, about 1 mile west of the town of Norton on U.S. Highway 36 (Norton is the county seat and regional center, with full services). The park has a campground (tent and RV), boat ramps, fishing access and the prairie-dog viewing area; a state-park entry fee applies. The park is remote — the nearest larger cities are Colby (about 60 miles south) and Salina (about 135 miles southeast). Check Kansas State Parks for current fees, camping reservations, trail conditions and the prairie-dog town viewing hours before visiting.

Kansas State Parks manages Prairie Dog State Park and the prairie-dog colony. Visitors help by observing the prairie-dog town from the designated viewing areas only (approaching the colony on foot causes mass flushing and stress to the animals, and disrupts the burrowing owls), not feeding the prairie dogs (human food harms them and habituates them to people), packing out everything, and following all park rules. The prairie-dog colony, the burrowing owls, the badgers and the shortgrass prairie are sensitive. Protecting the colony and its ecosystem sustains the extraordinary wildlife of this remote northwestern Kansas park.

The park is remote — come with a full tank of gas and what you need, as services beyond Norton are limited. Do not approach the prairie-dog town on foot beyond the designated viewing area; prairie dogs can bite (they carry fleas that may harbor diseases in some regions, though plague risk in Kansas is low, it is a standard precaution). Summer can be very hot and exposed on the open prairie. Ticks and mosquitoes are common in warmer months. The reservoir has boating hazards; follow all boating rules. Respect the remote prairie character, the summer heat and the prairie-dog colony rules.

A state-park entry fee applies. Observe the prairie-dog town from designated viewing areas only — do not enter or approach the colony on foot. Do not feed the prairie dogs. Fishing requires a Kansas license; follow reservoir fishing regulations. Camping requires a reservation. Hunting is regulated — check Kansas State Parks for current rules. Pets must be leashed at all times. Pack out all trash; leave no trace. Check Kansas State Parks for fees, camping reservations and current rules before visiting.

The town of Norton (adjacent, with services including the Gallery of Also Rans — a unique museum of U.S. presidential runners-up), Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge (about 35 miles southeast, an excellent Central Flyway wetland), the Sappa Creek country to the north, and the wide-open mixed-grass prairie of northwestern Kansas lie near the park. The northwestern Kansas High Plains define the region. Prairie Dog State Park anchors the wildlife and outdoor experience of Norton County, a centerpiece of a northwestern Kansas wildlife loop, easily combined with Kirwin NWR and the rolling shortgrass prairie of the High Plains.

Visit the prairie-dog town at Prairie Dog State Park in mid-morning — the colony is most active in the cooler morning hours, with prairie dogs standing upright and barking at the viewing area, burrowing owls perching at burrow entrances, and (if patient) badgers or coyotes hunting the margins of the colony. Come in May or June for the pup emergence — the most entertaining time, when dozens of young prairie dogs appear above ground for the first time. Scan the sky above the colony for ferruginous hawks and golden eagles, and bring a spotting scope for close-up views without disturbing the colony.