Best State Preserve

Clay Prairie State Preserve is a 40-acre natural area in Clay County, Iowa, recognized for protecting a segment of native tallgrass prairie on glacial till, dedicated for conservation in 1985.

Hoosier Prairie State Nature Preserve in Indiana is a 1,500-acre protected area established in 1977, preserving a unique transitional landscape of tallgrass prairie and oak savanna.

Five Ridge Prairie State Preserve in Iowa is a 990-acre natural area noted for its rugged Loess Hills topography, encompassing a mix of prairie and bur oak woodland.

Cedar Hills Sand Prairie State Preserve is a geological site in Black Hawk County, Iowa, notable for its dry sand prairie ecosystem and glacial topography, dedicated as a state preserve in 1985.

Rolling Thunder Prairie State Preserve is a 26-acre natural area in Warren County, Iowa, notable for its rugged, steep terrain and protected native tallgrass habitat.

Nestor Stiles Prairie State Preserve is a protected tallgrass prairie in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa, dedicated to preserving a vital fragment of native grassland ecosystem.

Anderson Prairie State Preserve is a native tallgrass prairie in Pocahontas County, Iowa, notable for its pristine sedge meadow and diverse butterfly populations, officially protected in 1983.

Kalsow Prairie State Preserve in Iowa is a historically significant 160-acre tract of unbroken tallgrass prairie, protected in 1954 as one of the state's first prairie preserves.

Steele Prairie State Preserve in Iowa protects a 200-acre remnant of mesic tallgrass prairie, notable for its deep-rooted native grasses and diverse summer wildflowers.

Cayler Prairie State Preserve in Iowa is a 160-acre National Natural Landmark protecting a diverse, untilled mesic tallgrass prairie within the Des Moines Lobe region.

Doolittle Prairie State Preserve in Minnesota safeguards a 36-acre fragment of wet mesic tallgrass prairie, serving as a vital habitat for the rare greater prairie-chicken.