Sometimes
getting to the trailhead is half the battle. One of my goals for our revised
North Dakota hiking guidebook (NDGuidebook) was to have detailed
descriptions of all the major new hiking trails in the Little Missouri National
Grassland. I had under three weeks to make the trip, and needed to ride or hike
the 47 miles of the Maah Daah Hey II, the Long X Trail, the Bennett-Cottonwood
Loop, and the Ice Caves Trail, plus a bunch of national and state park trails.
All that travelling made for a fun, but busy time. Of all the trails on that
“to do” list, I only missed one, the Wolf Trail at the northern edge of the
LMNG.
Jean at the start of the Wolf Trail.
The
Wolf Trail was designed to provide a recreation option for the Watford City community,
though it doesn’t seem like that idea caught on. The original plan was to tie the
Wolf Trail into a trail that would be built alongside US 83 from north of the
park to Watford City as that road was widened to four lanes. The massive construction
project is well under way, but I’m not sure of the status of the roadside
trail.
Trail head Sign.
The
Wolf Trail was the last of the major LMNG trails to be built, and remains the
least known and least used. On the day I first planned to scout it, I drove in
from Watford City via County 30, only to find the two mile dirt access road too
rutted and muddy for our then brand new Subaru. I was able to write only a
brief synopsis of the Wolf for the guide, but kept it on my list for future
visits.
In
the meantime, the Wolf Trail sat little used and unmaintained. While Jean and I
were planning our 2023 visit to the area, I saw a Facebook post indicating that
the LMNG had mowed the Wolf Trail that summer. The timing was perfect, and the
Wolf Trail was back on the top of my list. But I soon realized that an out and
back hike on the full 8.75 miles would be too much for us in a single trip, and
settled on hiking just the north half of the trail from the LMNG north boundary
down to the boundary with the North Unit of TRNP. 
Wolf Trail marker post.
But
our 2023 trip started in the window where an Oct 1 US Government shutdown was
expected. We spent our first two days in TRNP, assuming that the LMNG would
stay open even if the government shut down closed the park. Coming off a hike
in the North Unit we talked with a NPS ranger who had hiked the start of the
Wolf Trail, and reported it was in great condition. We slotted the Wolf Trail
for Oct 1.
Luckily
for us the dirt two mile access road was in good shape this time, and we
arrived at the Trailhead with our rental car in perfect shape! Only four years
late, but we were finally there. To the north of us lay the busy oil field
around Watford City, while to the south was the quiet grassland. 
The oil field plant across the road from the trailhead.
The
start of the Wolf Trail is it’s least interesting section, just a mowed path
over some much abused grassland with widely scattered wooden trail posts. About
a half mile in we crossed some old ranch roads by a stock tank and quiet little
prairie dog town. Migrating geese flew a V-formation above us. But the route
beyond was a little clearer and we reached the edge of a cluster of small buttes
after a mile. 
Badlands along the trail.
This
section was surprisingly nice as it wandered through eroded lignite and
bentonite similar to much of the TRNP North Unit. Next up was some mid-slope
forest dotted with small aspens where we walked below trees whose shade would
surely be a blessing in summer. Our ranger friend had described the trail as
getting overgrown near where she turned around, so we were a bit nervous about
being able to go much further on as the trail got a little brushy. 
Migration.
But
soon the trail punched through the forest up to the rim of the grassland. Here
the mowing resumed, presumably facilitated by a two track road just above us.
With continued views of the badlands below, we eventually popped out on the
grassland at two track LMNG Road 851, just a little more than three miles in.
We hiked a bit more along the grassland rim then followed Road 851 to the four
mile mark where the trail turned west, and continued across a self-closing gate
at the end of our hike. 
Our turnaround point.
Our
return hike was a pleasant review of the features we had seen on the outbound
leg. My newer GPS had failed early in the hike out, but my electronics behaved
themselves on the return allowing me to enjoy the scenery better.
Back through the aspens.
The
highpoint was being serenaded by a coyote hidden somewhere in the grasses
around the small stock pond just southeast of the trailhead. But we never could
spot our songster, just maybe it was a phantom wolf rewarding our efforts to
finally hike its namesake trail.
Though
I wasn’t able to hike the entire Wolf Trail, we went far enough for me to write
a description of the hike to add to my ongoing book manuscript. And more
importantly the hike was interesting enough for Jean to be on board for another
trip, knowing that this would not be just a boring hike across the grassland.
