2019 6-14, Maah Daah Hey Trail Complete!

This was the last ride of my 2019 visit to the North Dakota Badlands to update my trail guide to the area. The major change between the two guidebook editions would be the addition of 46 miles of new trail from the former southern end of the Maah Daah Hey Trail at Sully Creek State Park to the new terminus at the Little Missouri National Grassland Burning Coal Vein Campground. This ride would both complete the necessary field work for the second edition of the book, and allow me to finish the entire Maah Daah Hey rail, again.

Toms Wash Trailhead

With Jean, I had hiked the original 97-mile long Maah Daah Hey Trail primarily in two backpacking trips in 2001 and 2004, not long after the trail was complete. Our 2001 four-day trip from the Little Missouri River Crossing to north end at the CCC Campground was marked by a bewildering shuttle trip through a maze of gravel roads until we magically stumbled upon the trail, and by near desperate searches for water where several times we ended up getting water from stock tanks. By 2004, on our three day trip from the Little Mo south to Wanagan Campground, the construction of Elkhorn and Wanagan campgrounds added new water sources, and we were also able cache water during the shuttle trip. The forest service and Maah Daah Hey Trail Association have since addressed water availability by installing water pumps at all the campgrounds along the trail, and by installing water boxes to allow users to easily cache their own water.

Even in the early 2000s the plans for a Maah Daah Hey extension to the south were in place, so we knew that our “completion” of the MDH was only temporary. The southern extension was first dubbed the MDH II or the Deuce, but the forest service now prefers to call it the southern section of the Maah Daah Hey Trail.

Jean and I had mountain biked some of the new section in 2011, and had hiked other parts earlier in our 2019 trip. The previous day I had ridden the trail south to Toms Wash, now it was time to complete the final section. Without Jean to help shuttle, I decided to try combining the long C-shaped section of trail with the gravel forest service road that connected the two trailheads to form a combined single track and gravel loop.

One advantage of the southern MDH is easy access. The trailheads are mostly along Forest Highway 3, a well maintained gravel road that starts just south of Medora. I had a quick, easy drive from Trapper’s Kettle in Bellfield down to empty Tom Wash Trailhead, despite a few sprinkles that weren’t enough to keep the dust down. My plan was to leave the car at Toms Wash, ride the road to the start of the trail at Burning Coal Vein CG, and then ride the MDH back to Toms Wash.

The gravel riding was nice and straight forward. I passed only two maintained side roads, one leading east to the Third Creek TH, before turning off to the Burning Coal Vein CG. Gravel grinding on mountain bikes over the maintained roads in the Badlands has been becoming more popular, and while speeding down FH3 I could feel the allure of fast, smooth cruising through this scenic terrain. I reached the start of the MDH after an easy 7.3 miles of riding, much better than having to set up a shuttle.

Before starting up the MDH, I had one more guidebook related chore, finding the start of the Burning Coal Vein Trail. Unfortunately, all I found was an unmarked parking area and a short trail leading to the backside of a small butte, the end obscured by a network of cattle paths. I rode back through the campground and saw one party of bike riders waiting for their shuttle. They had encountered some cattle pockmarked trail riding north of Medora, but otherwise were having a great time. While I was there, Jen from Dakota Cyclery pulled in to pick up their gear. She even remembered me from the shuttles she ran for Jean and I previously; I guess they don’t get too many backpackers.

Back at the start of the Maah Daah Hey, I was surprised by the lack of fanfare for the start of the trail. There are several nice signs and displays at the north end of the trail, and I was expecting something similar for the start. Oh well, start modest and deliver big time.

The Start of the Maah Daah Hey Trail

After a quick quarter of a mile I was out of the campground and into the backcountry. The trail was extremely well constructed and very scenic. When the original Maah Daah Hey was built, the target users were hikers and horse riders, so it was a bit of a surprise when so many mountain bikers began using the trail. The construction of the new southern section allowed the trail builders to adapt their trail construction to mountain biking. The new trail has great flow, the dips and turns that can make riding so much fun. Many thanks, again to Curt, Russ, and all the crew on the grasslands.

One down 143 to go!

This day I would have the trail all to myself. This area of badlands isn’t as rugged as the landscape around Theodore Roosevelt National Park, but the trail builders took care to visit the buttes, ravines, and narrow ridgelines where the best scenery lies. There were a few areas with cow tracks, but nothing too long or too degraded. Though the southern section is open to horse riding, I saw little damage from horses, and almost no evidence of their use. Mostly the trail was wide, obvious to follow, and looked like it had been newly surfaced with fine gravel. I was lucky again with the weather, after one short spell of drizzle the skies cleared for the day. With gentle terrain and no long climbs the riding was smooth and easy.

Third Creek Trailhead

After ticking off my progress on the handy mileposts I reached the Third Creek Trailhead seven miles in. The site featured a comfy bench and lone cottonwood for shade, but not much else. Approaching Hanleys Wash around nine miles, the trail passes a grove of shady trees and a small reed-filled pond. The bridge over Hanleys Wash was one of the last major construction projects along the trail. I had to push the bike a short way coming out of the draw, so much for any improvement in fitness after two weeks of nonstop hiking and biking! Climbing to Hanley Plateau I saw the first petrified wood of the day, some buried stumps along a switchback.

The trail along the plateau was the blazing fast grasslands riding with seemingly endless vistas. 

Trail across the grasslands.

Not too far beyond was a section of classic badlands riding, perfect single track carved into the soft bedrock and gumbo of the badlands. There was one more shady section in the junipers, then the long gradual descent to Toms Wash.

Trail across the badlands

My loop ended up as about 16 miles of single track on the MDH and about 9 miles on gravel, including my quest to find the Burning Coal Vein Trail. Most importantly, I had finished the Maah Daah Hey Trail, again. This time instead of primarily backpacking the trail, most of the new, southern section was covered by mountain bike.

Right now it looks like any plans to extend the trail are unfortunately far off. There are plans to upgrade sections of the trail and perhaps to add other connectors, but it does not appear that connections south to White Butte or north to Watford City are close at hand. Use of the Maah Daah Hey Trail continues to grow and the MDHTA and other groups are working closely with the forest service on maintaining the trail.

To help support the Maah Daah Hey join the Maah Daah Hay Trail Association at: mdhta.com. 

To help support the trail and learn about mountain biking and running race opportunities on the trail visit: https://www.experienceland.org

For detailed information on the Maah Daah Hey look for my revised guidebook due in 2021 from Bower House Books at; bowerhousebooks.com/shop/trails-of-the-north-dakota-badlands-prairies

2019 6-7 ND Mountain Biking, Maah Daah Hey Cottonwood-Bennett Loop

This hike was part of our 2019 North Dakota trip designed to support the new edition of my North Dakota hiking guidebook. Bower House, my new publisher, had agreed to publish a new edition to allow us to include the new section of the Maah Daah Hey (MDH) Trail south of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) South Unit, and to provide more detail on some of the other trails in the Maah Daah Hey system. Cottonwood and Bennett were two of the trails we needed more information on. Jean and I had planned to hike them during our last visit, but slumping caused by an extremely wet spring had closed the trails during our visit. Since the hike details will appear in the new book, this description will focus on the sights and experiences of our scouting hike.

The Cottonwood and Bennett trails combine with a section of the Maah Daah Hey Trail to form a 15 mile loop hike based out of the Little Missouri National Grassland (LMNG) Bennett Campground. Only five miles off the highway, the trailhead and campground are easy to reach. Many mountain bikers going the length of the Maah Daah Hey use Bennett CG as a starting point since bikes are not allowed in the designated wilderness in the north unit of TRNP, and there is no established bypass route around the north unit. It is also the closest trailhead to the famed China Wall, just north of the loop.

Jean had not been doing much mountain biking lately, and was due for a rest break in our heavy hiking schedule, so this was a solo ride for me. Knowing Jean would be waiting all day on her own in camp, I was a little nervous about how long I would be away on the ride. This would be the first bike trip of the visit and though the trail sections we had hiked so far were dry, conditions along the MDH can change quickly. Even something minor like a flat tire could delay me significantly.

View Back to the Trailhead at Bennett Camp

The ride didn’t start out very well. Jean was able to shoot some pictures of me leaving the campground, but I hadn’t gone more than a tenth of mile when I realized that I’d forgotten some gear. I guess I was lucky enough to realize that early on, and quickly rode back to the car and packed it up. Just beyond the crossing of the Bennett Creek the loop starts; I elected to go left on the Cottonwood Trail and ride the loop clockwise.

Cottonwood Trail

Though it is only a 300 foot climb from Bennett Creek to the top of the grasslands above it, the climb is steep with several switchbacks and required a bit of bike pushing on my part. I had thought I’d done enough bike riding at home before the trip to be in shape for the MDH, but my slow progress on the climb caused me to worry that I might be  late returning to  the trailhead.

Luckily, once the trail reaches the first milepost at the top of a small butte the riding is much easier. The trail designers and builders in the LMNG (many thanks again Curt and Russ!) have a great eye for the fine lines and scenery that mountain bikers crave, and the ability to build trails to highlight these features. The next few miles of singletrack flow over the high prairie with views of the badlands around Cottonwood Creek off in the distance, and a few pronghorn were nearby to keep me company. In my concern about getting back to the trailhead on time I probably rode this section to fast, the scenery here demands a slower pace.

Cottonwood Trail

The trail next drops down to cross its namesake creek before another swichbacked climb in its last mile. After seven miles the Cottonwood Trail ends at a junction with the Maah Daah Hey. I turned north on the MDH to ride a section Jean and I had first explored the 2001 backpacking trip where we had completed the original MDH. Turning north the trail first sits on benches well above Cottonwood Creek, then snuggles up close to it as the valley narrows. These tight areas, especially those where side creeks enter, are especially prone to the sudden erosion caused by heavy rains and sudden flooding. This is after all, how the badlands form.

The next five miles along the MDH continued the great riding of the Cottonwood. The trail was more level, generally smooth and well maintained. With the creek nearby there was always good scenery and the trail had the nice twisty flow that makes riding so much fun. At the junction with the Bennett Trail, I had the option of continuing north to the China Wall, one of the MDH’s signature features. But not wanting to leave Jean alone in camp longer than necessary, I turned off onto the Bennett Trail for the last three miles back to camp.

The Maah Daah Hey Trail Above Cottonwood Creek

Bennett was also a well marked and well maintained trail. I got briefly off course where the trail passed just above the bank of Bennett Creek, but quickly regained the singletrack. There was one small sinkhole on the trail that was flagged for biker safety. Too soon I was back at the close of the loop. I rode the short spur that enters the campground directly while bypassing the trailhead then rode the road back to the car while Jean took some pictures. She’d had quiet time reading and communing with the small group of cattle that were only other occupants of the site. Once again, I had seen no one else on the trail.

Riding back into Bennett Camp

For a Better Trail Map go to MDHTA.com

2019 6-6 Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Petrified Forest Loop Hike

This hike was part of our 2019 North Dakota trip designed to support the new edition of my North Dakota hiking guide. Bower House books had acquired the rights to the books of my previous publisher, Big Earth Publishing, and after some discussion with them we decided to put out a new edition of the book with a target release date of 2020. Since this would be my first visit back to the North Dakota Badlands since shortly after the publication of the first book in 2011, I’d need to rehike nearly all the trails covered by the book. Since the hike details will appear in the new book, this description will focus on the sights and experiences of our scouting hike on perhaps our favorite route in the North Dakota Badlands.

The Petrified Forest Loop circles the area west of the Little Missouri River within the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The loop road and rest of the park infrastructure are east of the river so Petrified Forest Loop is isolated from most of the rest of the park trails. The trailhead is reached via a series of gravel forest service roads rather than the NPS loop road. Jean and I had launched a backpacking trip from here in 1999 and had been nervous enough then about the road conditions that we’d parked short of the trailhead to ensure we could drive out if the road got wet. Now however the roads were signed, well maintained, and the trailhead even sported one of the park’s excellent trailhead map displays.

Pronghorn Antelope

The hike starts with a half mile feeder trail. 2019 was a wet year and we were reaping the benefit of the of a prodigious wildflower display.  We decided to take the north side of the loop first and go clockwise around the loop. Pretty quickly we came across a lone pronghorn patrolling the grassland. It stayed with us as we dropped down into the Petrified Forest.

Fossilized Tree Stumps in the Petrified Forest

After so many years away we were astounded by the size and numbers of the petrified trees. The fossil wood found in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and the surrounding Dakota Prairie Grasslands is most often found at the base of the Sentinel Butte Formation. Scientists believe that the trees were conifers, similar to modern sequoias. Some specimens are huge, with diameters approaching eight feet. Since the root systems of the trees are typically poorly preserved, the trees probably grew in a swampy environment, similar to cypress groves of today.

Most of the trees are stumps that we covered by ash deposits from the eruption of volcanoes in the Yellowstone region 55 million years ago. The trees are well enough preserved that features such as tree rings ae still obvious. The forest lies in a gentle valley and along the walls you can see the various rock layers exposed. The gray layers are bentonite which has formed from the volcanic ash and marks the layers which contain the fossils.

After an orgy of fossil gaping and picture taking we began the gentle climb out of the forest. Hiking into the forest  were three of TRNP’s famous herd of wild horses. Though beautiful to see, we were likely more spooked by the horses than they were by us. Following our hike, I stumbled onto the website for a group call North Dakota Badlands Horse. I learned there that all the park horses have names and a large online fan club. The horses mostly live in bands led by a dominant stallion. The group that we had seen were bachelors, young males that not been able to attract females to start their own bands.

Badlands Horses

Beyond the forest the trail followed some open prairie before crossing a small draw to join the Maah Daah Hey Trail. The MDH Trail starts 50 miles south of the park in the Little Missouri National Grassland and ends 144 miles later in the north unit of TRNP. It is the premier trail in the region, and has been the catalyst of a boom in hiking and mountain biking in the region. Since this was a work trip for my hiking guide, I walked the half mile to the north to describe the junction there with the Buffalo Gap Trail, which had been built as a bypass route for mountain bikers around the designated Wilderness Area in the national park.

The trail continuing around the loop is one of  my favorites. It follows the eastern edge of Big Plateau with occasional views of the Little Missouri River on the left and constant views of the remote prairie on the right. While the hiking is flat and easy the wildlife watching, and wildflower displays are outstanding as well. Soon off in the distance loomed a herd of 40 bison. They were at the perfect range, far enough off so that we didn’t disturb them, but close enough so that they were easy to watch through our binoculars. As bison often do, this group was hanging out in a small prairie dog town.

Bison Grazing Beside a Prairie Dog Town

The north and south Petrified Forest Trails meet in a complicated spot that Jean and I came to know as the V-junction for its very narrow split between the two forks of what is essentially a Y-shaped junction. My very first hike into TRNP in 1988 came up the stem of this Y onto Big Plateau, which was a wonder of wildlife watching bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn and coyotes that still remains with me.

By this time the sun and heat were catching up to us and we ducked into a small grove of trees to trade some bugs for some shade while we ate some lunch. Approaching the Petrified Forest from the southern trail we came across another pronghorn, potentially our same friend from this morning. Then we were down in the forest among another bountiful display of fossilized trees. Since both the forests on the north and south trails are about 1.5 miles from the parking area, the NPS doesn’t recommend one side over the other. However, it seemed to us that though some of the largest specimens are on the south side, there were more fossils spread over a larger area on the north side.

Jean Entering the Petrified Forest

Petrified Forest

Exiting the forest, we met up again with our wild horse friends from this morning. Not long after we also saw our last bison of the day, a lone bull grazing near the start of the feeder trail. The mix of abundant fossils, diverse wildlife, spring flowers and skyline to skyline views of the badlands and Little Missouri River make this perhaps the most outstanding hike in the region.

Lone Bison Grazing

Our Route Through the Petrified Forest