If you’ve ever wanted to see a heard of wild bison grazing in the prairie, the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a great place to visit. Only a small portion of the reserve is in Oklahoma. It is very close to the town of Pawhuska as well as the Drummond Ranch.
As we drove around the preserve for the first time, I swore that it was all a joke. There were no bison to be found. Its just a ruse to get us to spend hours driving dirt roads and scanning the fields for buffalo that were not there.
The next day, we decided to give the bison a second chance. Several miles into the preserve, we stopped to watch some deer prancing around on a hill. As the deer played in the grass, I looked around and noticed what appeared to be a heard in the distance. I figured they were just cows since I was still of the belief that bison were non-existent in the preserve. As we drove towards the heard, we realized they were, in fact, bison!
The bison were not very close to the road, but we could see more off in the distance so we kept driving. As we reached the top of a small hill, we found some bison alongside the road. The buffalo were right next to a scenic pull off so we were able to pull off the road and enjoy the view. I took Eleanor out of her car seat so she could see and take some pictures. The animals didn’t seem bothered by us, but we were still careful to maintain a reasonable distance and remain in our vehicle.
The visitors center at the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve is a great place to stretch your legs,
use the restroom, and learn more about the persevere. The ladies working at the visitors center when we popped in were great. They were excited to educate their visitors about the reserve and the bison. They also showed Eleanor around and gave her a coloring page.
In addition on driving around looking for bison, the preserve is home to many birds and contains hiking trails. We did not explore the hiking trails, but we did enjoy hearing the birds singing to us anytime we rolled down the windows.
Trekking Tot Tips:
- Fill up on gas before hitting the miles and miles of gravel roads in the preserve.
- Pack drinks and snacks as well as entertainment for the littles.
- Bring binoculars in case the bison are not close to the road.
To read more about why we were in Oklahoma, check out the following links:
Visiting the Pioneer Woman’s Lodge – What to Expect
The Pioneer Woman’s Mercantile (link coming soon)
thetrekkingtots.com 
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