The southwestern Great Plains grassland includes prairie and part of the Canadian River Canyon.

The western unit is located in northwestern Harding, eastern Mora, and southeastern Colfax counties.

Elevations on the Grassland range from 4,500 to 6,300 feet (1,400 to 1,900 m) which is high enough to moderate somewhat the summer temperatures of the Great Plains.

Annual precipitation is about 15 inches (380 mm) throughout the Grassland with July and August the wettest months and January and February the driest.

[7] Nearly all of the land in the Kiowa National Grassland is leased to ranchers for grazing cattle which is the main economic activity in the region.

Twenty-two miles (35 km) northeast of Clayton is McNees Crossing, a reliable source of water on the Santa Fe Trail.

Although on private property, a short trail leads to the crossing of Corrumpa Creek and an historical marker.

On the canyon floor are the ruins of the homestead of Melvin Mills who had an apple orchard and a home here in the early 1900s.