Off Route 66: Osage country and the tallgrass
A loop north of Tulsa through Osage Nation country, with a bison prairie, an oilman’s ranch and Frank Lloyd Wright’s prairie skyscraper.
- Distance
- 258 km (160 mi)
- Driving
- 2 h 52 min
- Suggested days
- 3
- Stops
- 8
- States
- OK
- Updated
- May 20, 2026
At a glance: 3-day road trip of about 258 km (160 mi) with 8 stops, from Tulsa to Blue Whale of Catoosa. About 2 h 52 min of driving in total.
Route description
This loop leaves Route 66 at Tulsa and heads north-west for about an hour to Pawhuska, capital of the Osage Nation, whose oil wealth in the 1920s is the backdrop of Killers of the Flower Moon. The Osage Nation Museum and the historic downtown are worth an hour.
North of town, gravel roads lead into the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, where a large bison herd roams freely. Allow a half day for the scenic loop and stay in your vehicle near the animals; the roads are fine for cars but dusty and slow for large rigs.
Head east on US-60 toward Bartlesville, detouring to Woolaroc, an oilman’s ranch retreat with a museum of Western art and a wildlife preserve. In Bartlesville, Frank Lloyd Wright’s copper-green Price Tower rises unexpectedly above the prairie town.
Return south on US-169 and OK-20 to Claremore, rejoining Route 66 at the Will Rogers Memorial Museum. Finish at the Blue Whale of Catoosa before rolling back into Tulsa.
Stop-by-stop itinerary
In driving order. Distances are estimates between consecutive stops.
- 1Start
Tulsa
OK - 278 km
Pawhuska
OK - 325 km
Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve
NaturePawhuska, OKOne of the largest protected tallgrass prairies left, grazed by a free-roaming bison herd. The access roads are gravel; drive slowly and stay in the car near the bison.
- 445 km
Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve
HistoryBartlesville, OKAn oilman’s ranch retreat turned museum, with Western art and Native American collections. The wooded entrance road passes bison and elk.
- 521 km
Bartlesville
OK - 60 km
Price Tower
HistoryBartlesville, OKFrank Lloyd Wright’s only built skyscraper, a copper-trimmed 19-story tower completed in 1956 on the open prairie. The exterior alone is worth the detour.
- 769 km
Will Rogers Memorial Museum
HistoryClaremore, OKA hilltop museum and tomb honoring Oklahoma’s cowboy humorist, with films, saddles and his writings. A short hop off Route 66.
- 819 km
Blue Whale of Catoosa
OdditiesCatoosa, OKA grinning concrete whale built in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift. It sits in a spring-fed pond beside Route 66.
