Posted in Kansas June 28, 2020 by

Get Up Close And Personal With Kansas’s Beloved Bison At These 2 Idyllic Outdoor Spots

It’s time to enjoy the great outdoors, and sometimes you come across local fauna on your travels. Bison always look gentle, but we know better. If you’ve been looking at a place to get close to bison, or at least closer than you can at the zoo, then here’s two great options. Check out our state animal!

We’re aware that these uncertain times are limiting many aspects of life as we all practice social and physical distancing. While we’re continuing to feature destinations that make our state wonderful, we don’t expect or encourage you to go check them out immediately. We believe that supporting local attractions is important now more than ever and we hope our articles inspire your future adventures! And on that note, please nominate your favorite local business that could use some love right now: https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/nominate/
The first beautiful location where you can see our local bison up close is Maxwell Wildlife Refuge, a stunning area in Canton, Kansas that's perfect for these majestic creatures.
Cat M/TripAdvisor
Though there used to be plenty of bison here in the past, over-hunting led to their near extinction. Today, we not only cherish but take care of the bison we have and the populations are doing good.
Jess Brown/Google
At Maxwell, you can see bison up close with their vehicle tours or see them from above with a pair of binoculars from this lookout.
Dacre/Google
Whether you're headed here with a large or small group, reserve one of their 45 minute tours ahead of time. They're usually during the morning though, so plan your day around that!
Sean Tomlinson/Google
Next on our list of places to see bison is the Sandsage Bison Range, thousands of acres of preserve including the Sandsage Prairie we're trying to protect.
Georgia Layman/Google
Tours out to the herd take you through wildflower filled fields, and offer you a pretty close look at these seemingly gentle giants. As long as you stay in the wagon, you'll be just fine.
Friends of Sandsage Bison Range Facebook
It's a great trip for all ages, and Sandsage Range offers plenty of events like wildflower walks, members-only events, and our beloved tours.
Friends of Sandsage Bison Range Facebook
You can schedule tours in advance by phone on weekdays, and they cost a minimum donation to help keep the program and the range running smoothly. We're happy to help just to get a glance!
Friends of Sandsage Bison Range Facebook

Here’s a map spot for both of the wildlife areas. Happy adventuring!

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Address: 785 S Business, US-83, Garden City, KS 67846, USA
Address: 2565 Pueblo Rd, Canton, KS 67428, USA