The Pawnee River (or Pawnee Fork) is a small, shallow prairie watercourse that joins the Arkansas just east of Larned. It runs about 200 miles across western Kansas through buffalo grass and short-grass prairie. The riverside walk on the west edge of town, with cottonwoods and the occasional bald eagle in winter, is a pleasant easy stroll.
The Pawnee Fork was strategically important in the 19th century — Fort Larned was sited where it did partly because of the river. The first cavalry camp here, predating the fort, was the Camp on Pawnee Fork.