Prairie Vista Trail

The Prairie Vista Trail is a flat, easy loop through the open mixed-grass prairie section of Wind Cave National Park, one of only a small number of protected remnant prairies in the central United States where black-footed ferret reintroduction efforts have been underway since the mid-1980s. Black-footed ferrets—North America's most endangered mammal, once believed extinct—were successfully reintroduced at Wind Cave after a wild population was discovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming in 1981. The trail passes through an active prairie dog town that provides the ferrets' primary prey base and den sites. Black-footed ferrets are primarily nocturnal and rarely seen during daylight, but interpretive signs along the route detail the recovery program and the ecological relationships that link ferrets, prairie dogs, burrowing owls, swift foxes, and raptors in this grassland system. The prairie flora is particularly rich in late June and July when purple coneflower, yellow coneflower, prairie blazing star, and buffalo bean are in full bloom. Bison can often be observed from the trail; the park's herd is managed to maintain the genetic integrity of the original Wind Cave bloodline, which represents one of the four founding herds of modern Plains bison conservation. White-tailed and mule deer are also commonly encountered near the forest-prairie edge.