Places to Go: Tarkio Prairie CA

Tarkio Prairie Conservation Area

Birds, blooms, bugs, and solitude 

As a deep-soil, tallgrass prairie, Tarkio Prairie Conservation Area (CA) offers the usual prairie fare — grassland bird species, native wildflowers, and a variety of insects that feed the former and pollinate the latter. Located on 640 acres in northwest Missouri’s Atchison County — closer to Iowa than any named city the average person might recognize — it offers something else many people seek, solitude.

“The big thing is there’s no amenities — there’s parking lots, maybe some signs and brochures,” said MDC Wildlife Biologist Nathaniel Umphrey. “Other than that, it’s pretty much managed for a prairie solitude experience that’s similar to South Dakota or western Minnesota.”

Tarkio Prairie CA is a combination of remnant and restored prairie, and only a professional could tell the difference between the two, he said

“They’re what I’d call pretty high-quality restorations,” he said. “The majority of the east side is actually remnant prairie. As we remove our woody invasion and get the cedars out of there, all of a sudden it just looks like the rest of it. One thing people will notice is the continual work our department does to reclaim our grasslands.”