The Maah Daah Hey Trail is a 144-mile (232 km) non-motorized single track trail in
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
, United States, that reaches from USFS Burning Coal Vein Campground 30 miles south of
Medora to the USFS CCC campground 16 miles south of
Watford City. The Trail winds through the
Little Missouri National Grasslands in
North Dakota
North Dakota () is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota Sioux. North Dakota is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minnesota to the east, So ...
's
Badlands
Badlands are a type of dry terrain where softer sedimentary rocks and clay-rich soils have been extensively eroded."Badlands" in ''Chambers's Encyclopædia''. London: George Newnes, 1961, Vol. 2, p. 47. They are characterized by steep slopes, m ...
to form the longest continuous singletrack mountain biking trail in America. Nine fenced campgrounds are accessible by gravel surfaced roads. The campgrounds include camping spurs, potable water, hitching rails, picnic tables, fire rings and accessible toilets.
Maah Daah Hey is a phrase from the
Mandan Indians meaning "an area that has been or will be around for a long time."
The trail connects both the North Unit and South Unit of
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is an American national park of the badlands in western North Dakota comprising three geographically separated areas. Honoring U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt, it is the only American national park named direc ...
, although biking is not allowed in the parks themselves. Alternate bike trails have been constructed to bypass the parks. The entire trail is open, however, to hikers and horseback riders. There are multiple trailhead entry points which can be accessed from
US 85
U.S. Route 85 (US 85) is a north–south United States Highway that travels in the Mountain and Northern Plains states of the United States. The southern terminus of the highway is at the Mexican border in El Paso, Texas, connecting wi ...
and country roads on the west side of the
Little Missouri River.
External links
*http://mdhta.com/ Maah Daah Hey Trail Association
*https://web.archive.org/web/20050213131251/http://www.ninebelow.com/ndmb/wiki/index.php?title=Maah_Daah_Hey
*https://web.archive.org/web/20070226082148/http://www.maahdaaheylodge.com/
*http://www.fs.fed.us/r1/dakotaprairie/mdhtl.htm
*
Protected areas of Billings County, North Dakota
Hiking trails in North Dakota
Long-distance trails in the United States
Protected areas of McKenzie County, North Dakota
Mountain biking venues in the United States
National Recreation Trails in North Dakota
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
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