The Western Terminus of the NCT in Lake Sakakawea State Park to the east end of Lonetree Wildlife Management Area.
This section of the Trail features 33 miles of off-road Trail within Lonetree Wildlife Management Area, a long, 76-mile section following the McClusky Canal, 12 miles of off-road Trail through the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, a road walk from Coleharbor to Riverdale and across Garrison Dam, and a short, off-road segment leading to the Western Terminus within Lake Sakakawea State Park.
The NCT traverses Lonetree Wildlife Management Area (WMA), originally intended as a storage reservoir on the Garrison Diversion project, for over 30 miles. Today, Lonetree is the state’s largest WMA and offers a great variety of habitats such as native prairie, restored prairie, woodlands and wetlands, and outdoor recreation features including the North Country Trail, campgrounds and fishing. The McClusky Canal was another portion of the Garrison Diversion project and offers unique scenery, small towns, and camping opportunities.
Header photo by Dove Day