Biking the Maah Daah Hey Trail

Now this is an epic, both in length and in its development. The Maah Daah Hey Trail has been 30 years in the making, the product of a dream to to span the US Forest Service Little Missouri National Grasslands between the southern and northern sections of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The vision was shaped in the late 1960s; today, the trail is complete.
 

The result is a 96-mile singletrack trail in the most picturesque part of western North Dakota. The ride sweeps over rolling buttes and grasslands in the crumpled landscapes of the Badlands-cousins to their more famous counterpart, the Badlands National Park of South Dakota.
 

The Maah Daah Hey is a true shared-use trail, enjoyed by hikers, equestrians and cyclists, and is one of the jewels of North Dakota open space. As it follows the Little Missouri the trail blends difficult climbs up the bentonite buttes, with challenging downhills. Beautiful vistas of the river-cut valley abound.
 

Location: The Maah Daah Hey Trail is located between Medora and Watford City, North Dakota, approximately 40 miles from Dickinson Municipal Airport and 140 miles from the state capital of Bismarck.
 

Length: 96 miles
 

Elevation: 2,000-2,700 feet
 

Terrain: Rolling singletrack through buttes and grasslands, along the Little Missouri River.
 

Riding season: mid-March through mid-November. Severe weather, from hail to tornadoes, is possible, and rains can cause flash floods and turn the bentonite soil into unrideable cement.
 

Details: USFS Little Missouri National Grassland Maah Daah Hey Trail Map, www.fs.fed.us/r1/dakotaprairie/
 

Shop: Dakota Cyclery, 1-888-321-1218 (Bismarck-Main Store), (701) 623-4808 (Medora), www.dakotacyclery.com