Harrell Prairie Hill

Harrell Prairie Hill is a biological reserve located in Rankin County, in central Mississippi. It protects one of the few remaining undisturbed segments of the Jackson Prairie belt, a grassland region that once covered much of the area surrounding the city of Jackson.

The preserve is notable because it safeguards an undisturbed remnant of the Jackson Prairie belt, a tallgrass prairie ecosystem that has been almost entirely lost to agriculture and development. Established in 1980, it serves as a benchmark for what the historic prairie looked like before European settlement.

The preserve supports characteristic Jackson Prairie vegetation, including native warm-season grasses such as big bluestem, little bluestem, and Indian grass, along with diverse native forbs. Because the land has never been plowed, the original plant community has survived largely intact.

Access to Harrell Prairie Hill is restricted because it functions primarily as a biological reserve protecting a fragile, undisturbed ecosystem. Those interested in visiting similar Jackson Prairie remnants in Mississippi should contact conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy's Mississippi chapter for information about accessible sites.