North Dakota has a number of trails with minimal obstacles. Some are very easy and others are wheelchair accessible. Here are just a few of them.
These links were found through Internet search. I would love to have first hand recommendations from people who have been to places in North Dakota. With your help, we can share our knowledge with disabled people everywhere and also increase awareness of the need for more accessibility. Please e-mail me with your suggestions using the form in the sidebar.
Federal
State
Local
Private
Miscellaneous
Federal
Audubon National Wildlife Refuge
The refuge is 14,735 acres of “native prairie, planted grasslands, and wetlands”……”managed to provide food,water, shetler, and space to meet the need of waterfowl and other migratory birds, threatened and endangered species, and resident wildlife. ”
Map Here is the Refuge website. Phone 701-442-5474 .
Prairie Nature Trail is accessible to wheelchair users with some help. Thanks to Visitor Services Manager Jackie Jacobson for this description: “The prairie nature trail is approximately 1 mile in length and has a gravel surface. ……we have found that the gravel does not stay real well packed along the entire length of the trail. We have had students who use wheelchairs and they have needed to have a person with them to help push the wheelchair, as the wheels do not always stay on top of the gravel….especially if we have had rain. The cross slope is very minimal on the trail and is considered to be accessible. A person who is walking slowly, or using a cane or walker could navigate through this trail. It is a loop, but people are invited to hike as much as they are comfortable with, and then turn around and come back to the visitor center. “Dakota Prairie National Grasslands
The Dakota Prairie National Grasslands consist of four National Grasslands, three in North Dakota and one in South Dakota. Here is their website. And here is another very informative website from the Forest Service. For more information call 701-989-7300. For information about a specific trail, be sure to contact the individual Ranger District.
Little Missouri National Grassland For information call the Medora Ranger District. 701-227-7800
This is the largest grassland in the country at 1,033,271 acres. “A predominant feature of the grassland is colorful and beautiful badlands, a rugged terrain extensively eroded by wind and water. It is a mixed grass prairie, meaning it has both long and short grass.”Sheyenne National Grassland For information call the Sheyenne Ranger District 701-683-4342
This grassland “is characterized by sandy soils, originally deposited as a delta of an ancient river as it emptied into glacial Lake Agassiz. Since that time, the wind and rain have shaped the topography into a unique landscape ranging from flat deltaic plains to choppy sand dunes.” “It is the only National Grassland in the tallgrass prairie region of the United States.”
Oakleaf Trail is a “…4-mile loop attached to the northeast end of the North Country National Scenic Trail.” It is a marked, graveled trail intended for non-motorized travel.Denbigh Experimental Forest
? Denbigh Trail is a “…3 mile loop that winds through the tree plantings and surrounding prairie at the Denbigh Experimental Forest. It includes a small loop through the historic arboretum. It is a marked, graveled trail. This trail has two trailheads along its route. One trailhead is located at the southwest corner of the unit and the other is at the northwest end of the unit near the arboretum and administrative site. ”
?Hankinson Hills Trail is a “8 mile loop that winds through the oak trees and prairie surrounding the Hankinson Hills Campground. It is a marked, graveled trail. This trail has four trailheads along its route, including one located in the campground. ” MapTheodore Roosevelt National Park
The three units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park cover 70,446 acres of badlands and floodplain. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units of the park contributing to the diversity of habitat, plants, and animals. Periodic flooding has helped to establish cottonwood forests. Flat grasslands on the floodplains provide forage for the park’s numerous grazing mammals, including bison, deer, horses, and elk.
Here is the Park website. Hiking Guide and Trail Map Accessibility Phone 701-623-4466
Skyline Vista Overlook is a 0.1 mile paved, flat nature trail on Johnson’s Plateau.
Little Mo Nature Trail has a 0.7 mile inner loop which is paved and an 1.1 mile outer loop which is unpaved. Trail brochures are available at the trailhead.
Boicourt Overlook is a 0.2 mile trail with a “slight grade”. Hard surface.Wind Canyon Trail 0.4 mile along a canyon to a view of the Little Missouri River.
State
North Dakota State Parks require either a $5 daily entry fee per vehicle or the $25 North Dakota State Parks annual pass.
Cross Ranch State Park
“Situated along the west bank of the Missouri River, the 589-acre Cross Ranch State Park and adjacent 6,000-acre Cross Ranch Nature Preserve are one of the few areas in North Dakota to offer a true primitive outdoor experience.”
Here is the Park website. Map Phone 701-794-3731
Matah “River” Trail: “This 2.9-mile trail begins at the Visitor Center and loops around the park’s main use areas. Along the river, interpretive signs describe the history, wildlife and geology of the area. The Matah Trail Self Guided Loop is the innermost loop covering 1.4 miles and takes up to an hour and a half to hike. Self-guided brochures are available at the trailhead or Visitor Center.” Thank you, Stephanie Heklowski for the following: “Our Matah Trail is wide and an easy walking trail, it remains pretty flat the whole time. For wheelchair accessibility it is probably not the greatest. We have a lot of elderly people that do come out here to walk the trail but they usually just do part of it. As a whole the trail would take about an hour to walk at a decent pace.”Fort Ransom State Park
Here is the Park website. Map Phone 701-973-4331.
Thanks to Park Interpreter Victoria Silva for the following information: “Here at Fort Ransom State Park there are really only 2 trails that are flat, moderate, and have decent sized paths. We are in the Sheyenne River Valley, so a lot of the trails climb up and out and then back down into the valley which makes them unsuitable for easy trail users…….
Our Little Twig Trail is .94-miles and is our easiest trail in the park, as well as being a guided interpretive trail with pamphlets that can be picked up at the trailhead and followed with corresponding letter posts that are found along the trail. It goes over a couple of scenic bridges and is primarily a dirt path. People have taken strollers and motorized scooters/wheelchairs on it, but it is not made for them so it is not the easiest trail…..
Our North Country Trail is 1.35-miles one way and is a very flat trail with a big grass mowed path. It is a longer trail, especially with coming back, but it offers no challenge in regards to incline.”Lake Metigoshe State Park
“…..the lake is noted for its northern pike, walleye and perch. The rolling hills, aspen forests and small lakes attract nature and photography lovers to the area….” ” The Old Oak Trail, a National Recreation Trail, is found within the park boundaries. “
Here is the Park website. Map Trails For information call 701-263-4651.? Thanks to Amy Schimetz for the following: [see the Map] “We have multi-use trails (red) that are in most places 12+ feet wide, whereas the Old Oak/Hemerick Trails are much narrower, only a few feet wide, comparable to a glorified game trail. The multi-use trails are grass-covered and can be quite uneven, having dips and low-lying areas which would be hazards. The Old Oak and the Hemerick Trails looks is a dirt path having dips, exposed tree roots in places, areas where trail is close to a cliff/drop-off, etc. All of our trails here at the park have portions that, in our opinion, would be flat and gently sloping but further down the trail is steeper. There is no one trail that we would suggest over the other due to the slopes and uneven ground.”“We are currently researching what it would take to make the Old Oak Trail, or a portion of it, handicap accessible. “
Lewis and Clark State Park
Lewis and Clark State Park is on one of the upper bays of Lake Sakakawea. “The park features miles of shoreline with picturesque views of towering buttes and rolling hills, that provide a rugged backdrop for the park. “Here is the Park website. Map Phone 701-859-3071
Thanks to Assistant Park Manager Katie Ogden for this description: “We do have several trails along our shoreline that are wider and that are more level. I would recommend utilizing the trails in the west end of the park along the shoreline or the loop [northeast] east of the parks campgrounds.” …….”I have included a [ Map of Recommended Trails ] that has several highlighted options that I feel would accommodate the needs of your website and viewers. The trails in the west end of the park are truly beautiful and give you a wonderful panoramic of the Badlands and of Lake Sakakawea”. ………” We have a wide range of wildlife that can be seen from Pheasant, Grouse, Hungarian Partridge, Wild Turkey, Mule Deer, Whitetail Deer, Raccoon, Coyote, and various Song Birds.”
Turtle River State Park
“Turtle River State Park is located in a beautiful, wooded valley along the meandering Turtle River. The park features year-round recreational activities, including camping, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, cross-country skiing and sledding. ”
Here is the Park website. Map Phone 701-795-3180
There are no ADA compliant trails in Turtle River State Park, but Erika Kolbow suggests
Fisher Trail [0.65 mile] as “the most accessible for elderly folks. They are more than welcome to walk the roadways and such too. Many of our roads go through the same habitats as our trails.”
Local
Private
Miscellaneous
Nature For The Blind has a directory of Braille trails for almost every state in the US and for many other countries.
The Rails-to-Trails Conservancy lists wheelchair accessible trails in North Dakota.