Maah Daah Hey Singletrack

DAY 1

After meeting in Bismarck, we will shuttle west and north to the heart of the North Dakota Badlands. Here we will unload our bikes and hop on some singletrack to get our Maah Daah Hey Trail trip started. The badlands were formed by the cutting action of thousands of small streams and rivulets over millions of years. The water travels through layers of fine grain clays and silts of every imaginable color. The name of the trail comes from a Mandan Indian phrase that means “an area that has been or will be around for a long time,” and it has also been interpreted to mean “grandfather” in the Mandan language. The trail is marked with large posts emblazoned with a turtle, symbolizing firm determination, steadfastness, patience, long life and fortitude—all good qualities that will come in handy along the way. After each small granny gear grunt we are rewarded by an equally twisty downhill. We’ll camp tonight at Magpie Camp and enjoy a delicious dinner.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 15 miles

DAY 2

Today is a big day and we’ll start with a hearty breakfast and breaking down camp. We ride over the famous Devil’s Pass, an eye-widening ride across a narrow wall of clay dropping away sharply on both sides. From Devil’s Pass, the Maah Daah Hey Trail is carved tightly into the hillside. Through many turns and switchbacks, the trail eventually leads us right to the banks of the Little Missouri River. The river is usually just a trickle at this point, but it’s still a little too deep to ride, so a refreshing wade across cools us off before we climb back up through the riverside bluffs. We’ll have a hawk’s eye view of Theodore Roosevelt’s Elkhorn Ranch site, established in 1884. The ranching efforts failed when harsh winters doomed the cattle and the ranch was converted to a hunting lodge. As we descend, the trail is etched into the off camber bluff, reinforcing the “look where you want to go” technique. We’ll have lunch in a shady grove and fuel up for more great singletrack this afternoon. Today’s cumulative climbing is about 1,200 feet. Tonight’s camp is in a beautiful canyon where we’ll relax after a big day and enjoy a yummy dinner.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 19 miles

DAY 3

Today brings us the best section of the Maah Daah Hey. We’ll ride south through prickly peared valleys and more badlands landscape. We’ll climb some steep switchbacks and get a great view of the colors of sediment. 70 million years ago, this region was a vast inland sea which deposited sediment and laid down the many colored layers visible in the landscape. Wind, water and erosion have created the jagged buttes, rolling hillsides and rugged rock formations. The red sediment, called scoria, that we see from our vantage point is the result of underground coal fires. After lunch we continue south on the trail until we are just north of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We’ll also pass impressive chunks of petrified wood. We’ll camp at Wannagan Camp that has scenic views of massive buttes.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 21 miles

DAY 4

Today we say goodbye to the Maah Daah Hey and hop on the Buffalo Gap Trail to circumnavigate the park. Some of the formations are like giant sandcastles with the trail swooping right around them. On occasion, we have seen whole herds of antelope blasting through this area at break neck speeds. With full trail grins on our faces we’ll ride a few road miles right into the historic town of Medora. It is funny to think of what Teddy and his Rough Riders would have thought of the likes of us. Tonight’s camp is at Sully Creek Camp and we’ll likely hear coyotes howling from the adjacent ridge.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 25 miles

DAY 5

Our last day takes us further south to ride the Deuce Trail. We’ll fuel up on a yummy breakfast and shuttle out to Plumely Draw. This really fun section of riding is more of the Badlands up-down-up-down. We’ll continue riding through intermittent sections of grasslands and exposed rock formations as we make our way up and over the short but challenging climbs. We’ll be rewarded with a fun downhill section that takes us back to Medora. We’ll have lunch there and say our goodbyes.
TOTAL MILEAGE: 15 miles