Visitors are discouraged from parking or walking along the highway. The 60 mph highway has no shoulder, sloped drainage, blind hills, and infrequent driveways. Visitation peeks during major holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, July 4th, and Labor Day. Buses and trailers can pull through at the Visitor Center parking lot. The Visitor Center accommodates the most vehicles with 5 accessible spaces during business hours and 3 spaces after hours. Most parking lots are within a 5 minute drive of the Visitor Center. The preserve has 4 parking lots and 5 hiking trailheads. 60 miles southwest of Topeka, KS on I-335 (Kansas Turnpike) to Emporia, then 16 miles west on U.S.85 miles northeast of Wichita, KS on I-35, U.S.17 miles south of Council Grove, KS on K-177.

2 miles north of Strong City, KS on K-177.Plan your trip with the Alternative Fueling Station Locator from the Department of Energy. Hwy 50 and Flint Hills National Scenic Byway 177 (K-177) west of Strong City. The preserve is in northern Chase County, Kansas, 2 miles north of intersection U.S. General directional map of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve area.

Kansas city airport+shuttle to emporia