Kiowa National Grassland spans 137,131 acres in two separate units in northeastern New Mexico, preserving shortgrass prairie, part of the Canadian River Canyon, and a mix of public and private ranching land managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Its semi-arid landscape ranges from prairie to pinyon-juniper woodland, with ponderosa pine in canyon areas and cottonwood and willow along scarce watercourses. The eastern unit includes visible Santa Fe Trail remnants, including wagon ruts and McNees Crossing, a key trail water stop linked to deaths in 1828 and an Independence Day celebration in 1831. The western unit features Mills Canyon, ruins of an early-1900s homestead, wildlife, and fishing.