Trail Description
Minnesota State line to Sheyenne National Grasslands
Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site
(Updated: 7/7/2010)
The NCT route enters into North Dakota at Wahpeton after crossing the Red River of the North from Breckenridge, MN. From there, it heads north to Fort Abercrombie State Historic Site and west to the Sheyenne National Grasslands. Along most of this segment, you are within the very flat Red River Valley, a major agricultural area with rich soils that originated as deposits at the bottom of glacial Lake Aggasiz. This glacial lake was once massive – it was bigger than all of the Great Lakes combined and contained more water than all the lakes on Earth today.
Since the Homestead Act of 1862 which opened the area to settlement, the Red River Valley area has been farmed but farming really took off in 1871 when railroads linked the Red River with major farm commodity shipping routes originating in St. Paul and Duluth, MN. “Bonanza farms,” up to 32,000 acres in size, dominated the Region from 1871 to 1886 and provided much of the nation’s wheat crop via their innovative “factory farming” techniques. You can learn more about this period in history by stopping at the Bagg Bonanza Farm near Mooreton, ND.
Just before reaching the Sheyenne National Grasslands, the hiker will “climb” up and out of the Red River Valley.
Camping is available at the City Museum campground in Abercrombie, at the Sheyenne Oaks Campground, and anywhere on the National Grasslands.
Sheyenne National Grasslands
(Updated: 6/30/10)
The 28-mile stretch of the NCT within the Sheyenne National Grassland is truly a gem. It offers one of the best opportunities to walk through an “in tact” native tallgrass prairie ecosystem, see a variety of habitats, and maybe even see some rare or endangered plant or animal species (e.g. prairie chicken, western prairie fringed orchid, Dakota skipper butterfly). The tallgrass prairie ecosystem is one of the most endangered on earth. The Sheyenne National Grassland’s 70,000 acres are about half of what’s left of the 10 million acres found in North Dakota before European settlement.
The Sheyenne Grasslands are managed by the U.S. Forest Service and are the only National Grassland located in the tallgrass prairie ecoregion. Known locally as “the Sand Hills,” the Sheyenne National Grasslands are actually windswept dunes not glacial deposits. The sand and gravel originated as sediment traveling down the Sheyenne River, a glacial meltwater trench draining from glacial Lake Souris. The sediments settled out in the river’s delta where it emptied into glacial Lake Aggasiz. These sediments were blown into their current form before the tallgrass prairie grasses and oak savannah stabilized them until the prairie was disturbed for farming in the early 20th Century. By the “dirty 30′s” the soils and grass cover in this area were exhausted and were starting to blow. At this time, the federal government started acquiring these lands to restore grass cover and relocating the struggling farmers following passage of the Emergency Relief Appropriations Act of 1935. In 1960, the Sheyenne National Grassland was formally designated. Today, the Sheyenne has the largest population of the Greater Prairie Chicken in North Dakota and is home to the rare western white prairie fringed orchid and the Dakota skipper butterfly.
Overview Map
(Updated: 5/26/10)
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(Updated: 6/8/2010)
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Trail Description
(Updated: 6/30/10)
During the early 2000′s the U.S. Forest Service worked hard to upgrade the NCT within the Grasslands because the original route was often wet and was deeply eroded in places. They re-designed the trail to avoid pothole wetlands (that are often flooded in the spring) and also avoid steep slopes since the trail is used heavily by horses. They also constructed the trail using compacted gravel which is very durable to all trail users except cattle, which have an unfortunate habit of wallowing in the trail. The Grasslands are heavily grazed, which means that hikers will have to deal with barbed wire fences. Fortunately, the Forest Service has installed swing gates at all fence crossings that easily allow hikers to pass through fences. Hikers should be sure to check that all fences are closed after passing through them.
The North Country Trail may be easily accessed within the Grasslands at four major points spaced out along the route. These include:
- Ransom County Rd. 54 (paved, also known as 141st Ave. SE) trailhead (ample parking & trail map, located 10 mi. east of Lisbon on Hwy 27 and 3 mi. south on Co. 54). GPS Coordinates: 46°23’55.89″N & 97°28’8.09″W
- State Hwy 27 (paved) crossing (no designated parking area, cars may park on the highway approach which is marked only by a horse crossing sign) GPS Coordinates: 46°26’31.02″N & 97°24’23.64″W
- Ransom County Rd. 53 (gravel) crossing (designated parking area to be constructed in 2010, trail crossing is currently not marked by a sign but a swing gate is present with NCT emblem) GPS Coordinates: 46°28’29.83″N & 97°20’35.72″W
- Richland County Rd. 23 (gravel) trailhead (ample parking & trail map, located about 23 mi. SW of Kindred, ND) GPS Coordinates: 46°31’23.88″N & 97°12’12.36″W
Below is a general description of the route through the Grasslands:
Note: There is a 2-mile section of certified NCT route that heads northeast from the east trailhead and dead-ends at the National Grasslands Boundary. This section is marked by wooden posts with blue paint blazes but the trail tread is not constructed the same way as the rest with the compacted gravel. It may be hard to follow. This section will be abandoned and replaced with a new loop trail that will be built along with a campground near the east trailhead.
- 0.0 — The westbound NCT departs the eastern trailhead at Richland Co. Rd. 23. heading east then south paralleling Co. 23 before swinging west to cross the road and head west. Note: This area is potentially confusing as the eastbound old trail heads off from a short distance east of the trailhead and the old westbound trail heads off northwest from the trailhead. Both are still intermittently marked with posts with dark blue paint blazes or diamonds. The trail crosses through excellent examples of an oak savannah, through aspen parklands, and also tallgrass prairie.
- 3.5 — The trail crosses Iron Spring Creek on a trail bridge. GPS Coordinates: 46°30’38.09″N & 97°15’29.94″W. This is a beautiful resting spot under ample shade cast by several large trees nearby and is also a good spot to get water (should be treated). An undesignated campsite is found on the west side of the Creek immediately before heading up the hill into the trees. Between the Creek and Co. Rd. 53 the trail passes through oak savannah, through some fine examples of the sand hills, and pass numerous little pothole wetlands that teem with wildlife.
- 9.3 — The trail passes to the east of “the lookout hill” where a fire tower used to be located GPS Coordinates: N 46° 28.579′ & W 97° 17.709′. This spot offers great views of the open grasslands to the west, south, and east and looks over the forested river bottom to the north.
- 12.8 — The trail crosses Co. Rd. 53 (gravel) and continues heading west, passing through a cattle exclosure. Generally speaking, the trail passes through more open grassland and fewer trees west of Co. Rd. 53.
- 18.9 — The trail crosses the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks after turning away from the Sheyenne River, passing through some green ash plantings, and heading south.
- 21.8 — The trail crosses State Hwy 27 and then heads southwest passing through wide open prairie with one exception being a small conifer plantation that offers a good, but dry, campsite.
- 27.8 — The trail reaches the western trailhead at Co. Rd. 54.
Also, a great map of the Sheyenne National Grasslands may be purchased online from the National Forest Store or from the District Office in Lisbon.
Water
(Updated: 5/25/10)
Water may be obtained from the stock watering tanks found throughout the grasslands that are marked by the windmills that power them. In general, these are only operating when cattle are located in the same pasture. IF POSSIBLE, WATER SHOULD BE TAKEN DIRECTLY OUT OF THE PIPE AND NOT THE TANK AND MUST BE TREATED (boiled, filtered, or purified)! Water may also be found in some of the pothole wetlands found along the trail. These typically are full in the spring and early summer but may be dry depending upon the precipitation.
Winter Use
(Updated: 5/25/10)
The section from the East Trailhead to Iron Springs Creek is marked more often than the rest of the NCT within the Sheyenne Grasslands. Generally speaking, there will be a Carsonite or wooden posts within view ahead on the trail. This is to allow trail users to follow the trail when the gravel path is covered by snow. It is a great place to go snowshoeing and/or backcountry XC skiing. Since this trail section falls within a designated non-motorized area, conflicts with illegal snowmobile use are few – but unfortunately – do exist. Note: Snowshoers and backcountry XC skiers are not restricted to the trail within winter.
Regulated Uses
(Updated: 7/6/10)
The NCT segment within the Sheyenne National Grasslands is open to mountain biking, hiking, and horseback riding.
Camping Regulations
(Updated: 7/6/10)
Primitive camping is available anywhere within the Sheyenne National Grasslands on Forest Service property.
Contact
(Updated: 6/15/10)
More information on the Trail and the Grasslands may be obtained by contacting the U.S. Forest Service at:
Sheyenne Ranger District
District Ranger – Bryan Stotts (bstotts (at) fs.fed.us)
PO Box 946
1601 Main Street
Lisbon, North Dakota 58054
(701)683-4342
Questions with this page? Contact: Matt Davis