Hiking North Dakota - The Maah Daah Hey Trail

When most people plan a hiking vacation, they think first of Colorado, or New Mexico; one of the "four corner" states, or the Rocky Mountain states, or parts of California. North Dakota rarely comes to mind, but North Dakota offers trails that will challenge the hardest core hikers, and offer families and casual hikers some beautiful scenery and campsites.

One of the best trails in the state is the Maah Daah Hey Trail in western North Dakota. Trail maps are available from the U.S. Forest Service and Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and are highly recommended to anyone considering hiking the trail. The Maah Daah Hey trail is 96 miles long and runs from Sully Creek State Park, just south of the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, through the South Unit, then north through the Little Missouri (River) National Grasslands up to the North Unit of the National Park. It goes through some of the most scenic and rugged areas of the Little Missouri Badlands, most of which are government owned, and part of the Little Missouri National Grasslands, and is open all year (although at times may be in part impassable because of snow, mud, or high water) for those who enjoy winter camping. While Theodore Roosevelt, who had a ranch in the area (see below) said of the Badlands "It certainly has a desolate, grim beauty of its own, that has a curious fascination for me," General Alfred Sully, upon seeing it in 1864, described it as "hell with the fires gone out." This quote has also been attributed to Lt. Colonel George A. Custer, but he may have been quoting Sully, who was there earlier. Both descriptions undoubtedly have some truth.