Dugout Gulch Hike, Wyoming Black Hills, 5-28-04

Most people think of the Black Hills as being exclusively in South Dakota, but few realize that the range extends into Wyoming. To the northwest of the Hills is the outlying Bearlodge range and further to the west is Devils Tower and the Missouri Buttes. But in its northwest corner the main part of the Black Hills spills over the state line to a little visited and hard to get to Wyoming strip. While living in Lead, SD, I’d explored a cross country route using Sand and Corral creeks, both known for  high biodiversity. Sand Creek had potential as a roadless area as well. The first two editions of my Black Hills guide described a long cross country loop through the area.

Soon after my second edition was published the BHNF added the Dugout Gulch Botanical Trail to its system. We were able to hike the trail on a May 2004 hike. That trip started in North Dakota where we backpacked the southern end of the Maah Daah Hey Trail, and then mountain biked the Buffalo Gap Trail for what would be the first (2006) edition of our North Dakota hiking guide. At that time, we still hoped to produce a third edition of my Black Hills guide, so we would spend another week in the Black Hills, and make three more visits out there before our publisher ceased business, and the Black Hills book project died.

After four days in the nearly barren badlands, Dugout Gulch was a wonderful change. The area had as much botanical diversity as Sand Creek, and seemed lush compared to the badlands. Jean spent much time with her flower book, but many of the unusual plants were well out of their normal range, and not described in the local guides. I was still in full guidebook mode, taking notes, pushing a measuring wheel, and marking a GPS route of the trail.

We had a great hike, but perhaps fatigue might have been catching up to us. It’s a long drive back to Lead, where we would be staying with our friends the Harts. When we finally arrived at their place, I had trouble finding my notebook. I was using a hardback surveyors notebook, part of keeping a guidebook regime similar to what I’d used in my career as a field geologist. Looking for the book, we totally emptied out the Subaru, a major task given the supplies for a trip over two weeks long. Finally, I was resigned to going back to the trailhead, the last place I’d seen the notebook. After checking in at the gas station where we stopped earlier we were back at the TH, but still no notebook.

By this time, I was in near panic. We’d just spent three days hiking the remote southern end of the Maah Daah Hey, and I couldn’t face the possibility that all that work was gone. Notetaking for guidebooks is more work than it initially seems, and doing all that in the blazing sun with 40+ pounds on my back the entire time was a lot of work. But it seemed likely I had left the notebook on the handy flat roof of the Forester, and had driven off without securing it.

Back at the Harts I realized I still had my field maps for both the MDH backpack and for the Buffalo Gap Trail mountain bike ride. So next I wrote down everything I could remember about the last few days. Luckily I had an extra notebook to use for the remainder of the trip.

By the end of the trip, I still had not found the missing notebook and resigned myself to finishing the North Dakota book without it. My field maps allowed me to produce good quality trail descriptions, but I lacked some of the context I could have gotten from my field notes.

In late 2006, not long after the North Dakota Gide was published, a package from Gillette, WY arrived in the mail. Not long after my notebook had slid off the roof of the car, a couple from Gillette had driven by on four wheelers and picked it up. Their intention was to mail it back then, but things got busy, and it lay untouched until they were packing to move. I gave them a hearty thanks, and sent a copy of my new North Dakota trail guide so they’d know things had worked out all right. I was hesitant in reading the notes for the sections I’d written without the book. Yes, there were a few things missing, but as best I could tell all the trail descriptions were accurate.

My notes for Dugout Gulch were of course in the same lost book, but my memory was fresh when I discovered the loss, and I had notes on my field map and GPS data to help me out. Here’s the draft chapter I wrote for Dugout Gulch. 

 

Dugout Gulch Botanical Trail

BEARLODGE RANGER DISTRICT,

BLACK HILLS NATIONAL FOREST

Description: A moderate semi-loop trail for hikers and mountain bikers that passes through one of the most botanically diverse areas of the Black Hills.

General Location:  Six miles south of Beulah, Wyoming.

Highlight: The opportunity to explore relic boreal flora, plus a fun mountain bike ride on the loop.

Access: From Interstate 90, take Wyoming Exit 205 at Beulah, and follow the signs south to the Ranch A Education Center. Once in the Black Hills National Forest, the road becomes BHNF Road 863. At 6.2 miles, just past a private home, turn left into the Dugout Gulch Trailhead. There is parking, a picnic table, and signboard at the trailhead.

Distance: The entire loop is 9.0 miles around. An out and back trip on the main trail is 4.6 miles.

Maps: BHNF Dugout Gulch Botanical Trail, USGS Tinton and Red Canyon Creek, WY-SD 7.5-minute quadrangles, and page new.

The Dugout Gulch Botanical Trail (BHNF 77) was completed in 2002, and replaces the unofficial Sand Creek Route from the first two editions of this guide  The trail explores a cool, well-watered area hosting a rare plant community. During the not so long ago ice ages, boreal forests were established south of the ice sheets, and covered areas like the Black Hills. These forests were similar to those now found in Canada. When the climate warmed, and glaciers retreated, conditions in the Black Hills became too warm and too dry for most of these plants. But in places, such as Dugout Gulch, there is enough moisture for these plants to survive. The plant life in Dugout Gulch looks different even to the casual observer.  It is a narrow draw choked with hardwoods and lined with enough unusual flowers and shrubs that your typical Black Hills plant guide won't do you much good. The state of Wyoming lists eight plant species in the area as "extremely rare", another three species as "very rare".

            The Dugout Gulch Botanical Trail is a semi-loop. It consists of a 2.3 mile main trail along the bottom of the gulch, and a 4.4 mile upper loop. The trail is marked with carsonite posts and a few "77" diamond blazes. Though open to horses, most users are on foot or on mountain bikes.

            Though hikers and naturalists will flock to the main trail at Dugout Gulch for its botanical wonders, mountain bikers will love the easy riding and open vistas of the loop trail. The loop was stitched together from a pair of old logging roads that looped around a gentle plateau.

            From the trailhead, pass through the gate onto former BHNF Road 864-1A, which was converted to trail for this project. You'll see signs of this old road on the main trail, which is a mix of single track and gravel path. Much of the first mile of trail passes through a 40 foot right of way across private land, so please stay on the trail.  Right away notice how the vegetation here differs from other similar size gulches in the Black Hills region. Look for chickweed, yellow violets, and shooting stars among the flowers here. Especially common in spring are the deep indigo blooms of larkspur. As the trail climbs steadily up Dugout Gulch, six benches scattered along the main trail await weary hikers.

            At 2.3 miles reach the signed intersection with the loop portion of the trail near a small pond and an exclosure designed to prevent cattle from wallowing in the stream. The south side turns left to follow a branch of BHNF Road 864, while the north side turns right and follows the grassy bed of former road 864-1B. To follow the loop counterclockwise turn right.

            The loop follows the wide path of the former logging road gently along contour.  At 3.1 miles, the trail narrows at an old turnaround left over from logging operations.  If larkspur is the signature flower of the main trail, it is the purple blossoms of lupine that appear most common along the upper loop. Sunflowers also are frequent, and pussy toes, white vetch, and purple violets are also found. Beyond the old turnaround, the trail narrows, and views of Sand Creek Canyon are visible through the trees to the northwest. On the west side of the plateau the trail stays just below the limestone cap rock. The trail crosses one old two track road at 4.6 miles, along the base of a small draw before widening out at another old logging turnaround. Near the south end of the loop, at 5.5 miles and the trail's high point in a small saddle, the faint trace of former BHNF Road 864-1D joins the trail from the right. The trail begins a gradual descent down former BHNF Road 1C to reach the west branch of Dugout Creek at 6.1 miles. Bear left at a T-junction, where an unsigned route heads up the West Fork. Close the loop at the intersection with the main trail at 6.7 miles. Retrace the main trail to return to the trailhead in 9.0 miles.

Dugout Gulch Trail Map.

 

2004 5-27 Buffalo Gap Trail Mountain Bike Ride

In 2004 Jean and I headed out to the Dakotas for our summer vacation. Our goal was to complete the field work that we would need to finish a new third edition of my trail guide to the Black Hills and Badlands. The key trails we needed to scout were the south end of the Maah Daah Hey Trail and the new Buffalo Gap Trail in the Little Missouri National Grassland of North Dakota. 

Buffalo Gap Trail Symbol

The Maah Daah Hey Trail was initially envisioned by horse riders to connect the north and south units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The trail was built with hikers and horse riders in mind, but it was mountain bikers, lured by miles of remote single track, that soon became the dominant users. But unfortunately for mountain bikers, the trail sections in both units of TRNP passed through designated wilderness areas, where the use of mechanical vehicles is prohibited. The master trail builders of the Little Missouri National Grassland quickly realized that a bypass trail around the TRNP South Unit wilderness area was needed. They then built Buffalo Gap Trail from Sully Creek State Park, just south of TRNP, to the USFS Wannagan Campground, just north of the South Unit.

Once we arrived in the Badlands, Jean and I were able to complete the 35 mile section of the MDH between the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the crossing of the Little Missouri River as a three day backpacking trip. This finished the MDH Trail for us! Just as we were arriving at Wannagan Campground, a lone mountain biker was starting his ride. After three days of our hauling heavy packs, we watched a rider who looked like he’d been born on a bike smoothly zipping down the trail. I knew I couldn’t ride that well myself, but was looking forward to the freedom and speed of rolling down the trail without a heavy pack.

We’d packed along my mountain bike (filling our Subaru to the brim with both biking and backpacking gear) so that I could ride the Buffalo Gap Trail while Jean took a rest day after our backpacking trip was complete. Completed in 2002, the Buffalo Gap Trail was the first of the other USFS trails to be added to the Maah Daah Hey trail system.

The next day, Jean dropped me of at the Wannagan Campground for the start of the ride. The plan was for me to ride the Buffalo Gap Trail, and its associated spurs, then ride back to Medora to meet her at our hotel. Back then the trailhead was located in the Wannagan Campground, so my ride started with a short jaunt on the Wannagan Trail. The previous day Jean and I had hiked south on the Maah Daah Hey Trail to the junction with the TRNP Petrified Forest Trail, so the start of the ride was familiar ground for me.

In 2004 the mileposts for the Maah Daah Hey were already in place, and I noticed right away that my bike odometer was reading just a bit higher than the posts were showing. The first potential obstacle on the trail was Wannagan Creek, but I was able to ride across the shallow bed with no trouble. While the start of the trail was a bit damp, by Wannagan Creek the trail tread was dry, and stayed that way for the rest of the ride. In 3.5 miles I came to the junction of the Maah Daah Hey and the Buffalo Gap trails by a large stock pond just outside the TRNP boundary fence.

The north end of the Buffalo Gap Trail

The Buffalo Gap Trail was marked by the same large, hopefully bison-proof, wooden posts used by the MDH, but is branded with the symbol of a bison head. There were no mileage markers in place in 2004, but the trail now starts at MP 19 and counts down going south, the direction I was riding. The trail started around some small creeks. I crossed one small tributary, just wide enough to coat half my tire with water, then a fine layer of clay. But the trail was in great shape, a well-defined tread and without the gumbo or pockmarks often left by cattle in the wet soil. South of MP 17, and past a small prairie dog town, the trail rose to a small ridgeline with a fun rolling, twisty section with good views. Two small draws and a pair of stock ponds later I finally came across the first road since I’d left Wannagan. FS Road 730 is just south of MP 12 and marks the point where the trail turns from west to south.

There was another small prairie dog town in the grassland about a mile south of FS 730. I usually like to stop and watch the dogs frolic, but I wasn’t at all sure how long the ride would take, and since Jean was waiting back in town, I didn’t want to be any later than necessary. Just short of MP 9 was the signed crossing of Knutson Creek. I had no trouble crossing here with only a small flow in the creek. But in other conditions Knutson can be a tough crossing. While backpacking in TRNP a few years before, Jean and I had been in the process of crossing the muddy bottomed creek when a pair of bison arrived to shoo us out of the way as we stumbled through the gumbo. In more recent times the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association has improved the Buffalo Gap Trail crossing. Some areas north of the campground were pockmarked from cattle using the trail when it was wet, but all the riding was still plenty fun.

The trail would cross one more gravel road before reaching the intersection with the Buffalo Gap Spur Trail just north of MP 8. The spur trail leads 1.3 miles west to the Buffalo Gap Campground on FS Road 726, just off I-94 at Exit 18. In 2004, the spur was brand new, and the as yet unpacked surface made for some rough riding. The relatively civilized location for the campground near Interstate 94 allows it to have features unavailable deep in the backcountry including water and a gazebo. The FS has since added the 1.3 mile Buffalo Gap Loop Trail to the network around the campground. I rode into the campground and then back to the main Buffalo Gap Trail, including part of FS 726 on the return. I saw my only other biker of the day near the junction. Buffalo Gap CG makes a convenient starting point for a shorter shuttle ride back to Medora, and this section now may be one of the most popular in the system.

Back on the Buffalo Gap Trail I rode past a guest ranch on the left. At MP 7 the trail swoops into a small draw below a stock pond. The underpass below I-94 is a giant culvert, long, cool, and shady inside. In another mile the trail entered another badlands area with some sweet single track and a gradual twisty downhill ride. I crossed paved US 10 and went under the railroad near MP 3, a sign that I was making good progress and likely to get to Medora on time. A half mile later the trail crossed Andrews Creek, another one of those creeks large enough to be a nuisance to cross in wet weather. However, when I cruised across the 6’ wide bed it was totally dry. Next up was another badlands area with a sparsely occupied prairie dog town. The route became very convoluted, but the scenery just kept getting better.

I reached the MDH junction, and MP 0 for the BGT trail, at a four way junction. The current MDH trail went left and right (north and south) while an older version of the MDH had gone straight ahead. I’d left Wannagan Campground at about 8AM and reached the MDH junction about 1:30PM. I turned right to follow the MDH to the south toward Sully Creek. The remaining section of the MDH exited a Bighorn Sheep lambing area and passed through a parcel of private Bar X Ranch land before reaching the Little Missouri River.

When I would visit TRNP while living in Lead, SD I never had any trouble fording the Little Missouri River. It was always a simple matter of sloshing through knee deep water across the gravel river bottom. Travelling with Jean was a different matter. It seemed any plans we made to cross the river resulting in the Little Mo flooding exuberantly in celebration of our arrival. Since Jean wasn’t along this day, karma was with me, the water was low, and crossing by bike not an issue. Once across, I rode through the Sully Creek Campground to the trailhead and (at that time) southern end of the Maah Daah Hey.

Despite being at the southern end of the trail, my ride wasn’t complete. I still had a half mile of gravel on the campground road, and about another mile of gravel heading into Medora before the road became paved. I finally cruised in Medora and met Jean at the Badlands Motel for a total ride of 31.4 miles in about 7 hours.

My quick take on the Buffalo Gap Trail was that compared to those in TRNP the trail wasn’t scenic enough to attract too many hikers, but at biking speed it was still a scenic ride. The trail was well built and had the twists, turns, and rolls that make mountain biking so much fun. Given the proximity to Medora and the ease of access via I-94, I suspected that the Buffalo Gap Trail might become one of the most popular sections of the Maah Daah Hey system. The ability to schedule shuttle trips to Wannagan Campground and Buffalo Gap Campground through Dakota Cyclery in Medora continues to make this a popular and convenient ride. My favorite section was the rugged badlands between Buffalo Gap CG and Highway 10, offering great potential for short shuttle rides. The entire trail was nicely ridable, though there were a few short steep sections where I’d elected to push my bike.

As it turned out, my publisher was unable to proceed with the planned revision to the full Black Hills and Badlands guidebook, but was interested in splitting off the North Dakota material into a separate guidebook. We were able to include the entire Maah Daah Hey and Buffalo Gap trails in the new book “A Trail Guide: The Maah Daah Hey Trail, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the Dakota Prairie Grasslands” which was published in 2006. A complete update for the guidebook is expected to be released in the spring of 2021.

For more information on the Buffalo Gap and Maah Daah Hey trails see the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association website: Here

For my new trail guide to TRNP, the Maah Daah Hey, and other trails in the North Dakota badlands and prairie: Here

For information on shuttles and other services from Dakota Cyclery in Medora: Here

Maah Daah Hey Backpacking, Little Missouri River to Wannagan Camp, 5-24-004

For Day 1 of the trip, we drove 685 miles in 12 hours from Knoxville to Sweet Springs, MO. The next day we drove another 763 miles in 12 hours to Jamestown, ND where we stopped for the night and got breakfast the next morning. I ate one of those saucy omelets at Perkins, and off we went. By the time we arrived in Medora at the gateway to Theodore Roosevelt National Park (another 240 miles  in 4.5 hours) I was feeling a bit down. Jean took over the driving as we went around the TRNP South Loop Scenic Drive. We took a short walk on the Coal Vein Nature Trail, but I was losing energy fast. At some point in the drive, I asked her to pull over. She didn’t quite realize I meant now. In a flash I was depositing my last couple meals along the side of the road.

I didn’t feel much better afterward, but recognized my symptoms as food poisoning, which is usually a 24 hour bug for me. Back at the Badlands Motel, I lay in bed alternating shivering under the covers with sweating from a high fever. Neither of us knew quite what to do. Our packs had been packed at home, and the shuttle with Dakota Cyclery arranged, so it seemed like the show must go on. We would be backpacking for three days on the new-to-us south half of the Maah Daah Hey Trail.

I was working on a “new” trail guide, essentially splitting off the North Dakota chapter of my Black Hills and Badlands book into a new, standalone guide. The construction of the 96-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail between the North and South units of TRNP and the 19-mile Buffalo Gap Trail around the South Unit made the new guide possible by adding enough trail miles in the surrounding national grassland to the trail system in Theodore Roosevelt National Park to make a marketable new trail guide.

5-24-04, Little Missouri River (MP 46.5) to Elkhorn Campsite (MP 38.5), 10 miles

By the next morning I was feeling better, but not yet good enough to want to start three days of rugged backpacking. But we had some logistics ahead, and maybe I could survive a shorter hiking day. Our plan was to follow Jen and Loren from the bike shop in Medora to the FS Wannagan Campground on the MDH, where we would leave our car. They would then drive us out the nearest point on FS Road 708 to the Maah Daah Hey Trail crossing of the Little Missouri River. This is a remote part of the grassland so we would stop twice along the way to stash water to collect on day 2 of the hike. Two 2-liter bottles were dropped off at the crossing of FS 725 near old M P25, and four bottles near old MP 28, near where the Roosevelt Creek Water Box is now. MP numbers on the MDH were changed when the new southern section of the Maah Daah Hey Trail was completed, but I’ll reference the old MP numbers in this post.

The plan was for us to start with a short hike down to the river and back to reach the south end of our 2001 trip. Then we would backpack from the drop off point south to the new Elkhorn Campground for night one, find our own campsite along the trail for night two using our cached water, and finish the backpack at Wannagan Campground on day three. Then Jean and I would day then hike out and back to the park boundary, return to the car at Wannagan, and drive ourselves back to Medora. This would complete the Maah Daah Hey Trail for us.

Luckily, we had a nice easy drive out to the river crossing, and found our water cache spots with no issues. We learned a huge amount about the trail from Jen and Loren and had great time riding with them. By the time they let us off in a light mid-morning rain at FS 708 I was feeling OK for hiking, but still far short of 100% I had the “warm up” hike to do first though, down to the river and back. The hike down past some inviting campsite locations was fine without the weight of my backpack, but that was about to change.

Fortunately, the start of the backpacking was easy, with some tabletop grasslands, a drop into, and climb out of, Morgan Draw, and then a short piece alongside FS Road 708. Some of the MDH mileposts were in place, we saw MP 42 near the FS road.

Next we descended down to the river level to the Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Elkhorn Ranch Unit is an undeveloped unit of the national park, sitting about halfway between the developed north and south units that anchored the ends of the Maah Daah Hey. We saw a parking area, but no signs, and only a narrow mowed path which we followed to a junction with a wider mowed path where we turned around. We knew there was little left of Roosevelt’s favorite home in the badlands, and I just wasn’t feeling well enough yet for any extra exploring.

The Maah Daah Hey Trail then turned west toward the USFS Elkhorn Campsite, following FS Road 2 on its north side. We soon hit a side trail to the campground and followed it for another half mile. This section of the MDH has since been relocated putting the main trail much closer to the campground. We’d seen a lot of roads on this section, and enjoyed the canyons the most, but the best scenery and badlands topography were yet to come.

At the Elkhorn Campsite junction.

The campground was a little stark, but hey this is the badlands. It had well with a pump, so we had no water worries. Thank God for Curt, Russ, and their crews for developing these campgrounds! Some of the campsites had shade, and all had their own picnic tables. We were the only campers, maybe because of the two rounds of showers and 45-50F temps. We saw one group of pronghorn from the CG.

5-25-04, Elkhorn Campground (MP 38.5) to Crooked Creek campsite (MP 24), 15 miles

Despite lingering rain through the night and the aftereffects of my food poisoning, I felt better the next morning. The rain had mostly been light and this part of the Maah Daah Hey Trail stayed out of the ruggedest badlands, so we managed to avoid getting mired in gumbo, that soft, sticky clay that’s almost impossible to cross when wet. The first mile south of Elkhorn has since been relocated, but we joined the current course around MP 37.5. We exited Ellison Creek at MP 36. This was mostly ranch land with lots of cows, small creeks, and a few stock ponds.

Just past MP 34 was deeply incised Dry Creek with its tiny trickle of water. Besides the mileposts and notes from the FS guys, the creeks were signposted, so we were easily able to track our progress on my topo field sheets. Near MP 33 we hit our first gumbo layer, but it was dry enough to cross easily. Our first well developed badlands were on the descent to an unnamed creek near MP 32. Next we got a bit off trail where it tangled with some new oil and gas development, probably our only significant time lost during the trip. But we were rewarded for our troubles by finding some petrified wood as we approached FS 722, where the Roosevelt Water Drop is now located. We pulled our four bottles from our stash. All the while I was taking notes on the terrain, trail surface, and notable features, while also trying to trace out route onto copies of the USGS topo maps. Meanwhile Jean was taking pictures.

The landscape continued to get rougher as we approached signed Roosevelt Creek between a dam and a water tank. The south side of the creek looked campable, but we still had miles to go. We passed a huge stock dam near MP 26. After we crossed FS Road 725 at MP 24.7, we started looking for camp sites. We finally found a nice one just short of Crooked Creek around MP 24. This site was much better than any of the three sites we’d used while backpacking the northern section of the MDH in 2001 (MDH North BP Post).

Caching water allowed us to pick our spots, rather than being tied into stock ponds or tanks. In 2001 we’d been lucky to have any water, and what we’d have was often fouled by cattle. Obviously for hikers using the FS campgrounds was ideal, but the campgrounds are 20 miles apart. Twenty mile days are fine for bikers or horse riders, but too far for most hikers. This 15 mile day may hold the all-time record for our longest backpack day, but it still wasn’t enough to get us to the next campground at Wannagan.

Our site was on a sheltered bench above a deep gully about 100’ south of the milepost. We shared it with a small band of wild turkey. I fixed a left heal blister with blister block and had no further trouble. The only people we’d seen all day (or since our shuttle drop) were a rancher and oil service truck near MP 25. We’d seen pronghorn twice. The section was really remote but lacked (at least until the last couple miles) the rugged badlands topography we craved. Our weather was cool and clear, I’d walked in a T-shirt and long pants most of the hike.

5-26-04, Cooked Creek (MP 24) to Wannagan Campsite (MP 17) and hike to TRNP Boundary (7 mi. RT)

Our wish for more rugged badlands was filled for day three, capped by some cool and breezy weather. Just north of Cow Camp Road (FS 728) we saw where a fence had been cut through, and found an equipment cache that included a saddle. We’d later run into a pair of horsemen who had abandoned their trip, and were returning to Medora, but didn’t find out if the cache was theirs.

There was a nice overlook near MP 19 and a small, petrified forest there as well. The scenery kept coming all the way to Wannagan Camp at MP 17. As we arrived a lone biker took off, flashing some smooth bike handling on the single track. I was jealous, but knew I’d have my day on the bike tomorrow. Our car was still safely stashed at Wannagan, and we dropped the overnight gear and switched to day packs. We’d walk the 3.5 miles south to the TRNP boundary and back, to cover the last section of the Maah Daah Hey Trail.

South of Wannagan Camp the trail quickly crossed FS Road 726, then climbed up and over a divide to meet the Buffalo Gap Trail near a pond along a branch of Wannagan Creek at ~MP 13.5. The Buffalo Gap Trail provides a bypass for mountain bikes around the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, which is designated wilderness, where mountain bikes are not allowed. I would ride Buffalo Gap Trail the next day, with Jean driving shuttle for me. Buffalo Gap Post

From the Buffalo Gap junction it is just a short half mile climb to the upper prairie level where a bison fence marks the boundary of TRNP. We’d done it, the Maah Daah Hey Trail was complete! We celebrated with the views down into Wannagan Creek and the satisfaction of knowing there was still much more to explore in the badlands.

Wannagan Badlands from the Maah Daah Hey-Petrified Forest trail junction, 2019.

5-27-04

The next day Jean dropped me off back at Wannagan Campground and I rode my mountain for three miles on the Maah Daah Hey Trail, around the Buffalo Gap Bypass Trail, and then back to Medora. I had now completed all of the Maah Daah Hey Trail. We hadn’t backpacked all of it, but we were surely among the first nonbuilders to walk or complete the entre trail. We were especially lucky to do the trail in its most primitive condition, before many of the campgrounds, water wells, water caches, side trails, and other supporting infrastructure were in place. It was a fantastic experience that we’ve tried to relive with return trips on foot and on the mountain bike to revisit the beauty and wildlife of the Badlands.

For more information on the Buffalo Gap and Maah Daah Hey trails see the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association website: mdhta.com

For my new trail guide to TRNP, the Maah Daah Hey, and other trails in the North Dakota badlands and prairie:  Guidebook

For information on shuttles and other services from Dakota Cyclery in Medora:   www.dakotacyclery

Smokies, Mountain Bike, Cades Cove and Parsons Branch, 5-7-2004

When I wrote my Smokies to Blue Ridge biking guide I was looking for a set of rides fit for any biker. For the Cades Cove area in the Smokies that meant sticking to the main 11 -mile loop and not venturing out onto any of the adjacent gravel roads. But for more prepared riders there are plenty of opportunities here to get off the asphalt and onto the gravel.

First up are Sparks and Hyatt lanes that both bisect the Loop Road. Typically, when I ride Cades Cove, I’ll use these two -way gravel roads to add a 5.8-mile loop to my ride. Another option is to ride out and back on the Rich Mountain Road to the park boundary at Rich Mountain Gap, which adds 7.1 miles each way. My favorite add-on is out and back on the Forge Creek Road, with its gentle rolls and lack of traffic which adds 2.4 miles each way.

The final link in the network is the 8.2 miles of the gravel Parson Branch Road, which extends from near the end of the Forge Creek Road to the park boundary at US 129, aka “The Tail of the Dragon.” Both Rich Mountain and Parson Branch are used as escape routes from the terrors of Cades Cove traffic and are one-way only for vehicles. Bikes, however, can go in either direction. While Rich Mountain is solid well-maintained gravel, Parson Branch is not. Commonly, Parson Branch is closed due to washouts, which may take years to fix, only to reoccur again the next season. Parson Branch is too unreliable to be useful as a road, and it’s a mystery why the park has not bowed to the inevitable, and turned the troublesome road into a trail. 

Riding Cades Cove, 2006

However, when Forge Creek Road is open, Parsons Parson can usually be ridden. Most folks pair it with a ride around the Cades Cove Loop Road, and some hard cores also add the Rich Mountain Road for a very full day of riding. Mark and I had been riding regularly with our friend Matt and we decided to do the Loop Road/Parson Branch version which would give us about a 30 -mile day. Mark and Matt are both stronger riders so I was looking at a day spent bringing up the rear.

Group ride in Cades Cove, 2023.

I used the opportunity to take notes to check the mileages on the Cades Cove Loop for my guide book, but I did not use a GPS and only took a few slides. We also rode the 1.0 -mile roundtrip gravel spur to the Abrams Creek Trailhead. And we took the side trip to the visitors center at Cable Mill, where I noticed they didn’t stock any biking books or Countryman Press (My publisher) titles. Next, we headed out on the Forge Creek Road. The smooth gravel was flatter and easier riding than the busy Cades Cove. Loop. After the Henry Whitehead Place, we followed the pretty creek closely and had bridges for a few crossings. About 2.2 miles down Forge Creek we came to the gate at the east end of the Parson Branch Road.

The first half mile of Parson Branch showed why it should have been closed. The road was rutted rocky, and narrow. The initial grade was very steep, and the roadbed was loose. There was simply no way to divert water from flowing down the road. Whatever patchwork repairs were made after a washout could only be temporary.

Early on we met two men from the Smoky Mountain Soil Survey, part of a five -year USDA project. They indicated that the road would be permanently closed, but that was not the case. The team was very anti-horses in the park due to their impact on trail erosion. About 2.5 miles in, we came to a concrete auto ford, after a short, steep climb. At 3.3 miles we reached the top of the climb at the Hannah Mountain/Gregory Ridge Trailhead which was simply a small parking area.

A steep descent led to another auto ford through Parson Branch. At 4.6 miles we came to the locked gate at the start of the abandoned road to the Bunker Hill Fire Tower site. I’d ridden this far in 1994 on my attempt to ride all the way to Bunker Hill (Bunker Hill), but the rest of the Parson Branch Road would be new to me. The start of the Bunker Hill Road still looked in good condition, but I knew that it became overgrown in a short distance.

 The rest of the remaining descent to US 129 at 8.2 miles was a fun downhill with lots of auto fords and two wooden bridges. The road was badly washed out between the second and final auto fords.

The rest of the ride was the return trip on the Parson Branch and Forge Creek roads, plus the remainder of the Cades Cove Loop. The ride took from 9:30 to 4:15, a tolerable pace, even for me. Parson Branch would be too steep for many riders, but I thought Forge Creek was nice enough to accommodate most bikers. Parson Branch Road is closed to vehicles in winter, typically from November to April. Forge Creek Road is generally closed in January and February and also may be closed when wet to prevent ruts. For 2025, the vehicle free Wednesdays in Cades Cove extend from June 18 to September 24.

5-51-05, Smokies, Mountain Bike, Cades Cove and Rich Mountain Road

After 15 years or so of riding my faithful Specialized Stumpjumper it was finally time for a new bike. The Stumpjumper had served me well through all my riding while living in the Black Hills, through a lull in my riding after moving to Knoxville, and then through another busy period sparked by my writing the Smokies to Blue Ridge backroads guide (Here). Jean was riding enough that we had gotten her a new bike, and we realized my riding could use an upgrade with a different set of wheels (Including a front shock!). When I had brought the Stumpjumper into the shop for a tune up, the guys at Riversports told me that getting the new bike would be cheaper than a full tune up. The Stumpjumper was moved down to my folk’s place on Sanibel, and I used it as a greenway bike on our vacation visits.

For the first ride on my new Fisher Tassajara I chose a route in Cades Cove with Mark. We planned to ride the Cades Cove Loop, with a new (to us) side trip out and back on the Rich Mountain Road, and a familiar side trip out and back on the Forge Creek Road. This was a Saturday, and in those days the Loop Road was closed to vehicles until 10AM. It wouldn’t be until 2020 that the park went to the full day Wednesday closures.

Deer grazing in Cades Cove 2023.

We parked at the nearly full lot near the gate. The Saturday half-day closures were popular, but not nearly as crowded as the more recent full day Wednesday closures are. I noted mileages to check on my guidebook write up, but I did not take photos or use a GPS.

It was 3.1 miles to the start of the Rich Mountain Road. A sign there indicated 7.1 miles of one-way single lane gravel to the park boundary, and 12 miles to Townsend. A mile in there was a good vista with a view down to the Methodist Church in Cades Cove. The road surface was in great shape and the hills gently rolling. We passed the lower end of the Indian Grave Gap Trail, and another overlook with a view of Gregory Bald. A little over 6 miles in there is a concrete stream ford. One more brief climb brought us the lower end of the Rich Mountain Trail and the parking area for Ace Gap Trail at the park boundary at 10.2 miles. 

Cades Cove Barn, 2006

The mostly downhill return seemed flat, fast, and fun. We continued around the Loop Road to reach the start of Forge Creek Road at 19.8 miles and rode Forge Creek out to the Gregory Ridge Trailhead at 22 miles. At 24.4 miles we were back on the Loop Road again. We finished the Loop Road at 29.2 miles, and at about 3:30.

The Fisher bike performed well. Even for gravel ride with Mark, 30 miles in 3.5 hours was a fast pace. I took few notes beyond noting mileages. The Rich Mountain Road is typically closed in winter from November through April.

I would next take the new bike off road to Haw Ridge on 6-17-05. The advantages over the old bike were that it was lighter for climbing, and the front shock both smoothed out the downhills and helped the handling by keeping the front tire on the ground. Shifting was easy and the brakes worked. Both bikes had caliper brakes, but everything was worn out on the Stumpjumper.