Cheyenne Bottoms is a 41,000-acre lowland located 6 mi. NE of
Great Bend. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks operates 19,857 acres as a wildlife management area. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages 7,300 acres adjacent to Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area.
Native Americans and early settlers recognized the area's uniqueness and importance. The lowlands is named after the Cheyenne tribe, whose warriors fought to keep the area as their hunting grounds.
The largest marsh in the interior of the U.S., Cheyenne Bottoms has been officially designated a Wetland of International Importance. The area is considered the most important shorebird migration point in the western hemisphere. About 45% of the North American shorebird population stops at the Bottoms during spring migration.
About forty minutes south of Great Bend is over 20,000 acres in the Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, which has been accorded international recognition and offers as much diversity as Cheyenne Bottoms.