Trail Description

Audubon NWR to Lake Sakakawea State Park
To continue west from the western end of the McClusky Canal, hikers will have to roadwalk including following the Refuge’s 8-mile long Auto Tour Route to their Visitor’s Center. Beyond the Visitor’s Center, hikers should continue west to Wolf Creek State Game Management Area, which hugs the south shoreline of Lake Sakakakwea. Overnight camping is available at the Army Corps of Engineers’ Wolf Creek Recreation Area. South of Wolf Creek WMA, hikers may roadwalk to get to Riverdale, the town established by the federal government for workers building Garrison Dam. Some services are available in town, visit Riverdale’s website for more info. West of Riverdale, hikers have a couple of options. They may walk over the top of Garrison Dam on ND Hwy 200 or they may drop down east of the dam’s overflow spillway, cross the Riverdale WMA and Garrison Dam National Fish Hatchery facilities, pass the Corps of Engineers’ Downstream Campground, and then climb back up on the dam’s western side above the powerhouse. Across Hwy 200 hikers will enter Lake Sakakawea State Park, where a 1.8 mile segment of certified trail is found. More info on this segment is found below.

Lake Audubon and Lake Sakakawea are massive. Together, it is one of the three largest man-made reservoirs in the nation with a surface area of about 368,000 acres and it reaches 178 miles upstream to Williston, ND. It was formed by the damming of the Missouri River with the construction of Garrison Dam in the 1950’s. Lake Audubon was formed when the causeway for U.S. Hwy 83 was constructed.

HIKING MAPS: This area is contained within NCTA Hiking Map ND-111.

Lake Sakakawea State Park segment – the Western Terminus!

There is currently a 1.8 mile certified segment within Lake Sakakawea State Park (or LSSP for short). Hikers, however, will find more hiking to be had within the Park including some great loop hike opportunities using the NCT. A LSSP trail map may be downloaded or hikers may purchase NCTA hiking map #ND-111.

0.0 — The NCT leaves a gravel road just off of St. Hwy 200 (gravel road goes to a trailhead parking area) and enters an open prairie and then some woods.

0.5 — Hikers will reach the junction with the Shoreline Trail coming in on the right. The Shoreline Trail (0.6 mi.) loops back around to the NCT. There is a backcountry toilet here. The NCT crosses open prairie, goes around an old shelterbelt tree planting, and then crosses some wooded ravines.

1.1 — The NCT reaches the junction with the short (0.25 mi.) Whitetail Trail, which also loops off to the right and then back to the NCT and offers some great views of the lake. The NCT continues into the woods.

1.2 — Reach the second Shoreline Trail junction coming in from the right. Note: The NCT follows the Shoreline Trail for the next 1/3 mile.

1.3 — Reach the intersection with the 0.4 mi. Overlook Trail, which takes off on the left and then loops back to the NCT. The Overlook Trail offers some of the best views of the Lake and Garrison Dam in the park.

1.6 — The NCT leaves the Shoreline Trail which continues north along the lake’s old shoreline (lake water levels been much lower of late due to a prolonged drought) to the Van Hook Campground. The NCT climbs up through a steep, wooded ravine.

1.7 — The Overlook Trail comes back in from the left and the NCT swings to the northwest in an open prairie.

1.8 — The NCT reaches its western terminus, which is marked by a large sign located just shy of the LSSP Visitors Center / Office building. Be sure to check out the Visitors Center to learn more about the Park’s amenities (includes campgrounds, marina with boat rentals and restaurant, cabins/shelters, etc.) and be sure to sign their NCT trail register book.

Regulated Uses

The NCT segment within Lake Sakakawea State Park is open to hiking and biking.

Camping Regulations

Camping is available within the State Park, within Riverdale, and below the Dam at the Riverdale WMA.

Contact

For more info:
Audubon NWR – contact the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
Lake Sakakawea – contact the Army Corps of Engineers (701-654-7411; Email: DLL-CENWO-GARRISON@nwo02.usace.army.mil)
Wolf Creek Game Management Area – contact Dan Halstead at the ND Game & Fish Department’s Riverdale Office (406 Dakota Ave., Riverdale, ND 58565, Phone: 701-654-7475)

Lake Sakakawea State Park, contact Park Manager and NCT friend Jon Tunge at:
PO Box 732 Riverdale, ND 58565 (701) 487-3315 E-mail: lssp@nd.gov