Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, in the Arkansas River valley near Great Bend in central Kansas, is the largest interior marsh in the interior of the United States and one of the most critically important bird migration areas on the entire Western Hemisphere. A designated Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, it lies at the heart of the Central Flyway — the great north-south route along which hundreds of millions of birds migrate each year between South America and the Arctic.

In spring and fall, Cheyenne Bottoms hosts staggering concentrations of migratory birds — hundreds of thousands of shorebirds, waterfowl, sandhill cranes and other species, including rare and endangered birds, funnel through the bottoms in one of the great wildlife spectacles of North America. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and the Nature Conservancy manage the area’s impoundments and marshes. Cheyenne Bottoms is a treasured and internationally significant natural icon of Kansas.

Cheyenne Bottoms is primarily a wildlife-watching and birding destination of international importance — the marshes and impoundments are explored via a network of dike roads (accessible by car and on foot) for birding and wildlife photography during the spectacular spring and fall migrations, and throughout the year for the resident and wintering species. Hunting is also permitted in season on portions of the area. Spring shorebird and crane migration birding is the signature draw and one of the premier wildlife experiences in North America. The bottoms are primarily a birding and photography destination.

Spring migration (April through mid-May) is the peak event — when hundreds of thousands of shorebirds (dowitchers, dunlin, yellowlegs, phalaropes, sandpipers and more), along with waterfowl and white pelicans, concentrate in the bottoms on their way north, alongside sandhill cranes and possibly whooping cranes. Fall migration (July through October) brings shorebirds again. Winter is excellent for waterfowl and eagles; summer for nesting species. Spring for the shorebird migration spectacle is the highlight — come on a mid-April morning for the peak concentrations and expect an extraordinary sight.

The Arkansas River bottomlands of central Kansas are part of the homeland of the Wichita, Cheyenne and other peoples. The ‘bottoms’ — the low, periodically flooded Arkansas River floodplain — were recognized for their wildlife importance and developed as a managed wildlife area by Kansas starting in the mid-20th century, with impoundments built to create and maintain shallow-water marsh habitat. The Nature Conservancy also protects a large portion. Cheyenne Bottoms was designated a Ramsar Wetland in 1988, one of the first in the U.S. Cheyenne Bottoms preserves this internationally critical wetland and its heritage, a treasured icon of Kansas.

Cheyenne Bottoms occupies the broad, flat floodplain of the Arkansas River in central Kansas, a low-lying area naturally prone to seasonal flooding from the river and local rainfall, creating the temporary and permanent wetlands that make it so important to migratory birds. The flat Great Plains landscape, the Arkansas River’s wide, low-gradient floodplain, and the managed impoundments that control water levels to create and maintain shallow-water marsh habitat all created the bottoms. The water management and the Arkansas River floodplain sustain the internationally important wetland.

Cheyenne Bottoms is one of the hemisphere’s most important shorebird and waterfowl migration stopovers. In spring, hundreds of thousands of shorebirds of dozens of species concentrate in the shallows, alongside sandhill cranes (occasionally whooping cranes, one of the world’s rarest birds), white pelicans, avocets, stilts and waterfowl. Year-round the bottoms host bald eagles in winter, nesting egrets, herons, rails, bitterns, and resident marsh birds. Cheyenne Bottoms offers some of the finest birding in North America — the spring shorebird migration is a world-class spectacle.

Cheyenne Bottoms is an internationally significant wetland at the heart of the Central Flyway — one of the most important stopover points in the hemisphere for shorebirds and waterfowl. The managed impoundments, the natural marsh, the wet meadow and the upland habitats together provide the food and rest that millions of migratory birds depend on for their migrations. Water management (controlling water levels in the impoundments to create optimal shorebird habitat) is the key management tool. Protecting and maintaining the wetland, the water management infrastructure and the water supply is essential to sustain this critical migration stopover.

Cheyenne Bottoms holds a treasured place among the natural icons of Kansas and of the birding world — an internationally recognized wetland of global importance, where the Central Flyway funnels hundreds of thousands of migratory shorebirds, waterfowl and cranes through the heart of the Kansas plains in one of the great wildlife spectacles of North America. Designated a Ramsar Wetland of International Importance, it is one of the most significant wildlife areas in the United States. Cheyenne Bottoms is a cherished natural and internationally significant icon of Kansas.

Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area is near the city of Great Bend in central Kansas, about 5 miles northeast of the city off U.S. Highway 56 and K-156; the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks unit has a visitor center and a network of dike roads open to vehicles and birders, free of charge. The Nature Conservancy’s adjacent unit is separately accessed and managed. Great Bend (about 5 miles south) has full services. The dike roads are mostly gravel and passable in most conditions; they can be muddy after rain. Check KDWP for current water levels, access and any closures before visiting.

The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks and The Nature Conservancy jointly protect and manage Cheyenne Bottoms. Visitors help by staying on the dike roads and out of the managed impoundments (to avoid disturbing concentrating birds), not chasing or flushing birds (especially rare species, which stress easily), keeping noise low, packing out everything, and following all rules. The wetland habitat, the water-management infrastructure and the concentrating migratory birds are all sensitive. Supporting the management agencies and protecting the wetland and its water supply sustains this internationally critical migration stopover.

The dike roads can be muddy and slippery after rain (a regular vehicle may become stuck); check conditions before driving out on the dikes. The bottoms are flat and open — carry sun protection and water (summers can be hot and the area has little shade). Ticks and mosquitoes are common in the marsh (use repellent and check for ticks). Some areas flood seasonally. Respect the dike-road conditions, the heat and insects, and the potential for ticks in the marsh vegetation.

The KDWP unit is open free to the public; the dike roads are accessible to vehicles during daylight. Hunting is permitted in designated areas in season (check KDWP for hunting rules and zones). Do not enter the managed impoundments or restricted areas (signed). Pets must be leashed in non-hunting areas. Drones are restricted (they disturb concentrating birds). Pack out all trash. Check KDWP for current water levels, access, hunting rules and any closures before visiting. The Nature Conservancy unit has separate access — check TNC for details.

The city of Great Bend (the regional center, with services, the Brit Spaugh Zoo and museums), Quivira National Wildlife Refuge to the south (another great Kansas birding area with sandhill cranes and shorebirds), the Arkansas River, the Wet Meadows Nature Center in Great Bend, and the central Kansas plains lie near Cheyenne Bottoms. The Arkansas River valley and the central Kansas plains define the region. Cheyenne Bottoms anchors the birding experience of central Kansas, a centerpiece of a Kansas birding trip, easily combined with Quivira NWR, Great Bend and the Arkansas River.

Visit Cheyenne Bottoms in mid-April for the peak of spring shorebird migration — arrive early in the morning and drive slowly along the dike roads, scanning the shallows for the extraordinary concentrations of dowitchers, dunlin, yellowlegs, phalaropes and other species. Bring a spotting scope and good binoculars (the birds are often at distance on the flats), check the water levels in advance (optimal viewing requires the right water depths), wear insect repellent and sun protection, and combine your visit with Quivira NWR to the south for sandhill cranes and a different wetland experience.