Trails

A rich natural and cultural history can be found along the 1.2-mile trail in 80 acres of prairie. 

Main trail

The 160-acre site features a main trail, which has two sections:

• The short prairie trail: This trail is approximately 0.25 miles in length. It follows a gravel path that starts at the visitor center and leads to the petroglyphs. The short trail is gravel and is wheelchair accessible.
• The long prairie trail: This trail is approximately 0.75 miles. It follows a mowed grassy path that starts at the end of the short trail, then continues through beautiful prairie flowers and grasses, ending back at the visitor center. The long trail features a “buffalo rub”; a huge piece of Sioux quartzite rock that has been rubbed to a polished finish and is smooth to the touch. The long trail is accessible with the Grit Freedom all terrain wheelchair.

Signs will guide you through both short and tall grass prairies teeming with cactus, flowers, rare plants, songbirds, burrows of pocket gophers, and other wildlife. A roped trail that crosses the rock face allows visitors to view the carvings without walking on them.

The trail from the visitor center to the end of the rock face is 0.4 miles, and it continues another 0.8 miles through the prairie before returning to the visitor center. 

South prairie trail

In addition to the short and long prairie trails, Jeffers Petroglyphs now offers a south prairie trail, which is approximately 1.25 miles long. It follows a mowed grassy path that starts at the Three Sisters garden. This trail features rare plants and a prairie restoration project that utilized seeds from remnant prairie grasses harvested within the 20 mile region. This trail is accessible with the Grit Freedom all terrain wheelchair.