Prairie Center

This is a great little hike. Scenic with hills and flat areas. Some paths mowed while others are gravel. Saw several deer and some large turtles in the pond and on the paths. We will definitely be back for a couple mile hike.

Okay, so...little bit of a secret. This place has great fishing! It's a wonderful place to spend a day, if you've got the gumption, a pair of hiking boots, and a lot of time on your hands. You have to hike in for sure, but the pond on property is wonderful: clear, clean, and colorful. There are many picnic tables throughout the reserve, and the wild nature of the place is worth the visit. Quite a few evenings I've stayed longer than the sun was willing to, and found myself walking through the actual prairie at sundown - which I'm not ashamed to say is formidable with the right company. I once witnessed an assault there, but the lady told me it was her brother that did it, so she didn't need any assistance. Barring that, it really is a wild and wonderful place to spend the day. It can get a tad bit crowded on the weekends, and the path can and does get congested, but there is so much to walk that it shouldn't be too much of a problem. There's one spot on the map that gets a little treacherous: a downward sloped and rocky hill, so take it easy down that. But otherwise, it's a myocardial wonderland! Get a good pair of walkin' boots, a camera, and possibly a fishing pole, and get out there!

I enjoyed my hike at this 300 acre tallgrass preserve. The preserve features a creek, a small lake, several ponds, a trail system with some nice elevation changes, wooded areas, and a prairie with wildflowers. They also have a dedicated (but unpaved) parking area. Very nice!

I love trail running out here. You have to make a few loops to get a lot of miles in but it still a gorgeous area to run. Every time I've been out here it's been quiet and very few people have been out here at the same time. It's easy to find your way around and if you get lost it's easy to find your way back to the car. There are a few water crossings but as long as it didn't rain the night before you should be fine.

Lots of fall color today in the prairie center! There are wide mowed trails through the grasses which is very nice and soft to walk on.Nice pond with wooden dock to sit on. Picnic tables available.A nice walk with a few mild hills.

I really don't understand the logic of going to a place called Prairie Center to hike and being surprised to find it full of prairie. Nor do I understand the logic of giving a park a poor review for being mostly prairie when the word "prairie" is the first word in the park's name. Look through the pictures I uploaded to see the variety of sights and colors that make up a "very humdrum" (as a previous reviewer put it) prairie.This is a well-maintained park with easy to find, wide-open trails. Though you're surrounded by tall grass, there's little worry you'll get ticks if you stay on the trails.The park is about 2/3 prairie and about 1/3 woods, and while it's mostly gentle hills there's a couple of steep climbs depending on the path you take. There's about 4 miles of trails total so there's plenty to explore despite the park's relatively small size. Near the center of the park, where all the trails intersect, is large pond and picnic area.The two creek crossings can easily cover the trail after heavy rains so be prepared to get your feet wet. (Not much of a problem in 2012.)Note: pets are not permitted here.

The Prairie Center is a hiking area that traipses through tall grass prairie, small wooded areas, and a small lake. The majority of the trails are just mowed pathways through the prairie, and you see a lot of prairie grass. Wow, prairie grass. This hiking area is mundane, to say the least. I like to climb rocky crags, and there were none, just flat prairie land. If you like a flat hike through tall grass, with few trees and wildlife you might like this place. Very Humdrum.

My family was visiting the KC area. We try to visit natural areas when we are on vacation. The Prairie Center was a nice surprise so close to a major metropolitan area. Our walk was cut short by an approaching line of severe thunderstorms, but the consolation prize was talking to the caretaker while waiting for the storms to commence. We found this a very agreeable place to walk even though it was hot and humid the day we visited. Lots of prairie plants, butterflies, dragonflies, birds, and peace & quiet for those who appreciate such things. We would love to see the open areas in full bloom. Yes, we will visit again if we are in the KC area.

Came here with a friend just the other day to play some disc golf. I must say the bathrooms there were the cleanest. Ive never seen a park bathroom that was as clean as this one. The park was very well kept. The grass had been mowed, the park was trash free and the disc golf baskets and signs are in great condition. Some of the other parks I've been to have had baskets stolen or run over by careless people. We played the baskets up until 10 we couldn't quite figure out where baskets 11 through 16 were located, but they were down the hill straight from basket 10 a ways. It's got a nice little playground, soccer fields and softball/baseball fields with some parking. Parking looks like it would be kind of tight when having multiple games at the park at once. Would definitely be a good park to check out if ever in the area.

A great nature area for strolling, hiking, running on the gravel paths or the mowed natural grass pathways. We highly recommend but do some research first as the map holder was empty. Some areas have uneven footing so be prepared and have adequate shoes/boots.Enjoy!