# Off Route 66: Osage country and the tallgrass

> 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.

Source: https://camping-spirit.com/guides/b9-osage-tallgrass/

**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. 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 |
| Route | Tulsa → Blue Whale of Catoosa |
| States | OK |
| Updated | May 20, 2026 |

## 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

1. **Tulsa** (OK)
2. **Pawhuska** (OK)
3. **Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve** (Pawhuska, OK): One 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.
4. **Woolaroc Museum and Wildlife Preserve** (Bartlesville, OK): An oilman’s ranch retreat turned museum, with Western art and Native American collections. The wooded entrance road passes bison and elk.
5. **Bartlesville** (OK)
6. **Price Tower** (Bartlesville, OK): Frank 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.
7. **Will Rogers Memorial Museum** (Claremore, OK): A hilltop museum and tomb honoring Oklahoma’s cowboy humorist, with films, saddles and his writings. A short hop off Route 66.
8. **Blue Whale of Catoosa** (Catoosa, OK): A grinning concrete whale built in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift. It sits in a spring-fed pond beside Route 66.