The Remaining National Grasslands

To wrap up National Grasslands Week, here’s a really quick look at the remaining eight Great Plains National Grasslands.  Most of them fall outside the scope of where the Great Plains Trail will be, but they are important pieces of the larger Great Plains ecosystem nonetheless.

I will note here that there are three other National Grasslands outside of the Great Plains.  They are: Butte Valley in California, Crooked River in Oregon, and Curlew in Idaho.  This is a reminder that grasslands can be found all throughout the western United States, but typically in smaller pieces than in the Great Plains.

Black Kettle National Grassland (Oklahoma and Texas):  Famous for the Batle of Washita.

Caddo National Grassland (Texas):  The NG that is the furthest east.

Cimarron National Grassland (Kansas):  Contains part of the Santa Fe Trail.

Fort Pierre National Grassland (South Dakota):  Parts of the film, Dances with Wolves were filmed here.

Lyndon B. Johnson National Grassland (Texas): Lots of recreation opportunities here.

McCllelan Creek National Grassland (Texas):  The smallest NG.

Rita Blanca National Grassland (Oklahoma and Texas):  Gorgeous canyon country.

Thunder Basin National Grassland (Wyoming):  Outstanding inter-mountain scenery.

So find some time, and get out there and explore our National grasslands!