Pawnee National Grassland

The Pawnee is a piece of the shortgrass prairie, the drier, western edge of the Great Plains where hardy grasses like blue grama and buffalo grass form a low, tough carpet adapted to wind, drought, and grazing. It is a subtle landscape, easy to dismiss at a glance, but it supports a remarkable web of life, from pronghorn and prairie dogs to a wealth of grassland birds.

This is the ancestral land of Plains peoples including the Cheyenne, Arapaho, and Pawnee, whose homelands and travel routes crossed this grass for generations, and the grassland carries that long human history. Managed today by the Forest Service, it is a patchwork of public and private land where cattle graze much as bison once did, keeping the prairie in the cropped, open state its wildlife depends on.

For centuries the Plains tribes lived with and followed the great bison herds across this grassland, and their history is inseparable from it. In the 1800s the land drew ranchers and then homesteaders lured by promises of farmland, who plowed the prairie in an attempt to make it grow crops.

When drought and the Dust Bowl struck in the 1930s, much of that plowed ground blew away, and many homesteaders were ruined. The federal government bought up the failed farms and set about restoring the grass, and those recovered lands became the national grassland. The scattered foundations and windmills you still find out here are quiet reminders of that hard chapter and the prairie's slow recovery.

The signature landmark of the grassland is the Pawnee Buttes, two sandstone towers that rise from the prairie in the eastern part of the preserve, reached by a fine trail across the grass. They are the natural centerpiece of a visit, offering a destination and a payoff amid the great open expanse.

Beyond the buttes, the grassland is laced with back roads perfect for slow driving, wildlife watching, and a celebrated self-guided birding tour, along with campgrounds and picnic spots like the cottonwood oasis at Crow Valley. It is a landscape you experience gradually, mile by unhurried mile, letting the scale and the quiet sink in.

The grassland teems with life for those who look: pronghorn grazing the flats, prairie dog towns alive with sentries, coyotes and jackrabbits, and a great diversity of birds that makes the Pawnee one of the premier birding destinations in the region, from meadowlarks and longspurs to hawks and eagles overhead. Far from city lights, its night skies are magnificently dark and star-filled.

Spring and fall are the finest seasons, mild and full of bird activity, with spring greening the grass and studding it with wildflowers. Summer is hot and exposed, with afternoon thunderstorms a genuine hazard on the open plains, so early outings are best. Winter is cold, windswept, and stark, but it brings eagles and northern raptors and a stripped-down, austere beauty all its own.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The Pawnee National Grassland is a vast expanse of protected shortgrass prairie on the high plains of northeastern Colorado, offering a striking contrast to the state's famous mountains. Covering hundreds of thousands of acres of rolling grassland, it is renowned as one of the best birdwatching destinations in Colorado, home to numerous grassland bird species, raptors, and other wildlife, along with the dramatic Pawnee Buttes rising from the plains. Remote, open, and quietly beautiful, the grassland provides opportunities for birding, hiking, wildlife viewing, stargazing under dark skies, and experiencing the wide, wild character of the Colorado prairie.

You can go birdwatching for the many grassland species and raptors the area is famous for, hike to the dramatic Pawnee Buttes, watch for wildlife including pronghorn, prairie dogs, and hawks, drive the birding auto tour and back roads, stargaze under exceptionally dark skies, and enjoy the vast, peaceful prairie scenery. The remote openness offers solitude and a sense of the wild plains. Bringing binoculars greatly enhances the birding. With its exceptional birdwatching, the Pawnee Buttes, wildlife, and dark skies, the Pawnee National Grassland offers a unique and rewarding outdoor experience on Colorado's high plains.

The grassland is remote and open with few services, limited shade, and possibly spotty cell coverage, so bring plenty of water, sun protection, food, and a full tank of gas, and be self-sufficient. The dirt roads can become impassable when wet, so check conditions. Weather on the exposed plains can be extreme, with heat, wind, sudden storms, and lightning, so be prepared and seek shelter if storms approach. Note that some areas near the Pawnee Buttes close seasonally to protect nesting raptors. Being prepared for the remote, exposed conditions ensures a safe visit.

Spring and early summer are prime for birdwatching, when many species are present and active and wildflowers bloom, while fall offers pleasant weather and migrating birds, and the dark skies make any clear night great for stargazing. Summer can be hot and stormy on the exposed plains, and winter is cold and windy. Mornings are best for bird activity and cooler temperatures. For the best birding and comfortable weather, aim for spring and early summer or fall, always preparing for the remote, exposed conditions of the high plains.

The grassland is on the high plains of northeastern Colorado, containing the dramatic Pawnee Buttes and its famous prairie-dog towns and raptor-watching areas, near the town of Greeley to the southwest and within reach of Fort Collins and the Front Range. That makes the Pawnee National Grassland a unique birding and prairie destination to combine with the Pawnee Buttes, the wildlife of the grassland, and the northern Colorado Front Range attractions on a visit to the state, offering a striking contrast to the mountains.