Maxwell Wildlife Refuge — Attraction in McPherson

When most people visit here they usually only see the McPherson County State Lake, a giant Game & Nature Refuge, iconic views of the rolling valleys that make up the Smoky Hills, and something most Americans never get to see or experience in the wild, the Buffalo; or to be more exact, the American Bison... Yes this place is something very special, and it means even more to those of us that have grown up around here hunting and fishing most of our lives. Aside from the generations of Buffalo, Elk, and other various wild game that have been here since 1951, if you do a little research you'll find that the entire refuge sits within a place called The Battle Hill Township. More importantly you'll discover that this place is rich with Native American heritage not only cultural but historical sites as well with a great battle being fought at Battle Hill about 1 mi Northeast of the Buffalo observation tower. It seems to me that no matter what color, creed, or race a man's mixed with we all appreciate how beautiful this place is and I'm glad that places like this still exist in America amongst all the hustle and bustle of modern day times I like to come to this place and imagine what it was like 150 years ago when this place was alive with the Wild West being an everyday part of life. So if you come to this place you will definitely enjoy it and love it, but I promise you once you start understanding any park or refuges history you will have a great more appreciation for the continuation of places like these! So bring your family, bring your friends, and if you're an outdoorsman like myself bring your pole or rifle because this will definitely be one place you'll come back to again and again, if I could give this place 6 stars on Google it still...

Such a beautiful place to visit. I cant believe I've lived here so long and haven't been until today. The views of the prairie are breathtaking. Rolling hills turn onto steep drops that open up to creeks dammed by beavers. Seemingly empty, one hill turns into a water fed valley packed with bison cooling off in the pooling waters. Continue driving around one bend to find a herd of elk laying in the sun on the ridge. Bison so close you can count their eyelashes as they saunter in front of your vehicle.. This was the free drive thru tour as well!!

Well worth a drive. Takeaways werr that I must return in a month for the tram ride tour for baby bison season. Also, this is a place that should be visited several times throughout the year as the scenery changes from winter brown to green with wildflowers. The elk in rut must be amazing and Bison on winter. Endless photo opportunities. Will...

Would be nice if there were actually more hiking trails but I understand that the emphasis is primarily on providing space for wildlife that is undisturbed by humans. Sadly when I made my visit this October it was obvious that extreme drought has really impacted the Buffalo herd as they are obviously underweight and facing winter. With the drought so drastically impacting forage perhaps the Buffalo are too numerous for the available feed. Didn't see any Elk on this visit. I'm hoping the resident Buffalo and Elk will be supported with supplemental feeding...