Vacation - Medora/Southern ND (Bismarck, Mandan: motels, home, camping)

[MJ1986]

My last post didn't receive any replies, so I'm hoping this one will!

I will be meeting up with my family in Aberdeen, SD, and traveling to Medora for a mini-vacation. We plan on the musical, the pitchfork fondue, etc.

What else do you ND'ers recommend? We have a few days to explore...

[MikeyToo]

Originally Posted by MJ1986

My last post didn't receive any replies, so I'm hoping this one will!

I will be meeting up with my family in Aberdeen, SD, and traveling to Medora for a mini-vacation. We plan on the musical, the pitchfork fondue, etc.

What else do you ND'ers recommend? We have a few days to explore...

Wife and are are heading that way as well this summer. Best suggestion would be to check out their website: Medora - North Dakota's #1 Vacation
Lots of things to do there.


Good luck in NoDak!...

[prairierose]

MJ, If you have time for a side trip, you might enjoy the Enchanted Highway which runs from Gladstone off I-90 to Regent. The metal sculptures are extremely interesting and there are good places to pull off the road and view them up close. Depending on the rest of your route, it wouldn't be too out of the way to take that in on the way back to Aberdeen. There is also lots to explore in the North Dakota Badlands
which are very different than South Dakota's, but also very beautiful. Hope you have safe travels!

[nd4me]

There is the Maah Haah Hey trail, a 97 mile hiking biking horse riding trail that starts near Medora and travels up through the badlands. You could go north towards Watford City to the North Badlands unit. Beautiful scenery and camping spots. Fort Buford is up the Willistion way at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone. Lots of interesting things to explore there.
East to Bismarck, there is the river boat on the Missouri. and water park in Mandan, lots of trails around the city for walking and biking. The Capitol and Heritage Center is wonderful. North to Washburn (about 40 minutes from Bismarck) there is the Lewis and Clarke Interpretive center and Fort Mandan. This is just a start since I'm not sure how long or far you want to go. Good Luck and Have Fun!

[irishruby]

You could stop by Ashley, ND and partake of a great German Meal at the Dakota Family Restaurant, Go Fishing at Lake Hoskins and possibly take in a play at The Hayloft. for more info go to www.ashley-nd.com

[3-Oaks]

Here's some things to do in central ND...

I'd imagine you'd come up thru Jamestown (or return home that way).

As long as you'd be as close as Jamestown, you might as well come all the way to ValleyCity (1/2 hour east). You can go north to Baldhill Dam & then head south again on the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, or you can do a self guided tour of some of Valley City's dozen plus bridges & then head south on the Byway skipping the northern 5 miles or so. (pick up info on the Byway & bridges at the Rosebud Visitor's Center) You could also catch the Byway from the south end in Lisbon (see below).

The two best bridges are the RainbowArchBridge on the Business I-94 loop which is a concrete MarshArchBridge. The original was built in 1925, but was very narrow, deteriorating, and didn't meet modern traffic standards. It was re-built in 2004 using the original plans for guidelines & is the only known functional March Arch bridge built since the 1930's. The other is the Hi-LineBridge which is a steel trestle railroad bridge that spans the valley. It's not the highest bridge or the longest bridge, but for combined height & length it is one of the tops in the nation. I think its 160++ feet tall and about 3/4 mile long.

In downtown ValleyCity, there's the Barnes Co Museum, which is quite large & comprehensive by 'small town' standards. There is also the Rosebud Visitor's Center where they have a neat old Railway Superintendent's Car which has been preserved & restored. Did you ever watch the old 'Wild, Wild, West' TV show? Similar to that railcar, not quite as fancy as that one but still luxurious for the times -1870's & 1880's. There are gift & antique stores, a couple quaint restaurants, two supper clubs and a couple Guest Inns if you're spending the night. There are also a couple fast food places and the truckstop if you're in more of a hurry to move on, and 3 'regular' motels if a Guest Inn or B&B isn't your thing.

If you're interested in wildlife, the pelicans feeding at the base of the dam are fun to watch and you can tour the National Fish Hatchery, also north of town. There are a lot of different bird species that can be found in the area, no matter which route you take, if you're a birdwatcher, and the fall duck, goose, & pheasant hunting are great. You will most likely see deer and wild turkeys somewhere along the way & may also see fox, jackrabbits, coyotes, squirrels, raccoons, or maybe rarely a porcupine or opossum. Every few years an elk, moose, or a mountain lion shows up & hangs around the area for a while before moving on.

The Scenic Byway takes you south through a couple smaller towns with good restaurants, the ‘Rusty Spur’ in Kathryn is good. There is also a loop of the byway which is all gravel roads, but quite interesting, as there are marked historic sites all along the Byway on both the gravel & paved sections. There's a pretty good website that can tell you more about the area & Byway. Valley City, ND

There are also enough geocaches and benchmarks around to keep you busy for a day or so if you're into that (16 geocaches within 20 miles of Valley City and 68 benchmarks within 10 miles), and a section of the North Country Trail runs thru the area, if you’re a hiker.

If you just go up to, Jamestown (home of western writer Louis L'Amour and the next town west from ValleyCity,), they have the 'World's Largest Buffalo' statue and NationalBuffaloMuseum located at the FrontierVillage. There is a herd of buffalo which can usually be seen from I-94 since the highway cuts thru their grazing area. Watch for White Cloud as you drive by on I-94 or walk the grounds of the Museum & Village. She is a rare, true albino white buffalo. Her 5th calf, born last spring is also albino. Her first 4 calves were normal colored. There is also a 3rd albino buffalo, now!!!

Just north of Jamestown you can spend a few hours to most of a day on the 8 miles of trails in the park by the Pipestem Dam & Reservoir. FortSeward and the archeological digs are also interesting. Check the local website Jamestown, ND - Travel and Visitor Informaton - Affordable Family Fun - Come Visit! for more info.

If you go west on 46, you’ll go thru the ‘Germans-from-Russia’ area. The cemeteries are beautiful with handmade wrought-iron crosses & other decorations instead of traditional gravestones. No 2 markers are alike.


For overall tourist info on North Dakota, visit the state website at nd.gov: Official Portal for North Dakota State Government. discovernd is the official tourism website...don't know wht it keeps wanting to go to the government site, tho there is a tourist section there, too.

[MJ1986]

Thanks everyone!
PrairieRose, I've seen the Enchanted Highway... I loved it...
irishruby, I grew up about 50-60 miles from Ashley... Rich German heritage... and a nice, clean town!
nd4me... I wrote that down, and that sounds awesome.
3-Oaks, We're meeting in Hettinger, and going from there... I'm not sure how east we'll make it before we depart, but good info! I should make a stop to Valley City for Pizza Corner! If only they had those tasty pizzas in Sioux Falls..

I wish we had the time to visit the International Peace Garden....

Thank you everyone!