Iowa has no commercial drive-thru safari parks. The best drive-thru wildlife experience in the state is a free 5-mile auto tour through a restored tallgrass prairie, where herds of wild bison and elk roam just outside your car window, only 20 miles from Des Moines.
- Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge (Prairie City)
NEAL SMITH NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Type: Free self-guided auto tour through a national wildlife refuge, including a fenced bison and elk enclosure
Location: 9981 Pacific Street, Prairie City, IA 50228 (20 miles east of Des Moines, 9 miles south of I-80)
Phone: (515) 994-3400. The main phone line is currently out of service, so email is the best way to reach them.
Email: nealsmith@fws.gov
Website: fws.gov – Neal Smith NWR · Visit Info · Auto Tour · Refuge Map · Virtual Tour
Social Media: Facebook. Weather closures and road updates are posted here.
Size: About 6,000 acres, including 4,000 acres of reconstructed tallgrass prairie. Less than 0.1% of Iowa’s original prairie remains.
Drive: The 5-mile Prairie Wildlife Drive auto tour is paved and gravel, and it runs through the bison and elk enclosure.
Drive Time: About 15 minutes for just the bison and elk enclosure, or about an hour for the full loop.
Animals: American bison and elk, plus white-tailed deer, ground squirrels, snakes, prairie birds, and other native wildlife
Admission: FREE
Hours: The refuge, auto tour, and trails are open daily, dawn to dusk, year-round, including federal holidays.
⚠️ Current Notices:
- The Visitor Center (Prairie Learning Center) is closed until further notice because of storm damage from July 2024. The grounds and trails are still open.
- The bison enclosure road (S. 96th Ave W.) is currently open, but it will close again during the final phase of a county road project. Check the refuge’s Facebook page before you go.
Best Time: Dawn and dusk are the most active times for many species. Bison and elk can be spotted at any hour.
Rules:
- Stay on the road and inside your vehicle at all times in the bison and elk enclosure.
- Pack out all trash. Trash cans are only at the visitor center and trailheads.
Walking Trails:
- Overlook Trail: 0.5 mi, paved and accessible, with views of the bison and elk enclosure
- Tallgrass Trail: 2 mi, paved
- Oak Savanna Trail: 0.5 mi, gravel
- Basswood Trail: 0.5 mi
- Volksport Trail: 6.2 mi
- Prairie Parkway Bike Trail: 4.5 mi, paved
Directions Tip: GPS and online maps aren’t always accurate. From Des Moines, take Hwy 163 to the Prairie City exit, go straight off the ramp, and follow the 4.5-mile paved entry road.
Other: Restrooms are at the Oak Savanna Trail parking lot. Leashed dogs are allowed on trails. You can also picnic, bird-watch, fish, and snowshoe in winter.
Explore Drive-Thru Wildlife Parks in Neighboring States:
Minnesota · Wisconsin · Illinois · Missouri · Nebraska · South Dakota