Driving DirectionsFrom Rich Hill, take Route B east 0.30 mile to Ripgut Prairie sign, then gravel road 515 north 0.50 mile, road turns east and goes 0.50 mile, then turns north and goes 0.25 mile to an unnamed gravel road that continues 0.25 mile north to the parking lot.
HighlightsThis area contains 140 acres of native wet prairie and the Bates County Drainage Ditch.
About This AreaRipgut Prairie Natural Area is a 280 acre area located along the Bates Co. Drainage Ditch.The natural area is the one of few remaining high quality examples of wet and wet-mesic prairie along the Marais des Cygnes River (Bates Co. Drainage Ditch). It is maintained by wet soil hydrology and rotational burning and haying.The area contains a diverse assemblage of wildflowers, sedges and grasses, including the namesake of the prairie, 'Ripgut' or prairie cordgrass.