I've never been to North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Michigan and have been thinking about making a road trip there. Or rather fly to Minneapolis and renting a car then making a loop. Plenty of places to hike in a camp in three of those but I've never seen anything in North Dakota. There has to be a few trees somewhere I can complete my dream of hanging my hammock in every state.
Doesn't really need to be a hike in, just a hang but hiking preferable.
I know they got some woodchippers there in Fargo... so must be some trees there, yeah?
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I found some promising spots on google maps.
Hammocking is possible in the Badlands if you are careful. Trees are not hard to find there, but you really have to watch for poison ivy, which shows up in the oddest places, even out on the prairie sections far from water.
And rattlesnakes, but I think the poison ivy is a worse hazard. No bear problems for well over a century, but there are foxes, coyotes, badgers, skunks, raccoons, and no doubt mice. I didn't have any problems. Sleep with your food or hang it 5 or 6 feet high.
Bison can kill you dead in seconds but you probably won't see any. There may also be some aggressive cattle here and there. My biggest issue was with one bull and his cows in a parking lot -- had to throw some rocks, and eventually bumped the bull gently with my car a few times to get him the hell out of there. These guys can also kill you dead.
The campgrounds have wells. Otherwise, water is scarce, muddy, and just plain ugly.
It looks like the North Country Trial goes through the Sheyenne National Grasslands and on google maps appears to have some trees big enough to hang. I may give that a shot if I make this trip.
I would love to hike the T.R. Nat Park but that's on the other side of the state and would rather take a week there.
The NCT thru the Sheyenne national grasslands, about an hour SE of Fargo, is excellent hammock country. It's prairie mixed with small to medium size groves of hardwood forests, many of which have perfect hang spots.Originally Posted by Nodust
Some recommendations:
I prefer the eastern half of the grasslands, because there are more trees, and the terrain is slightly more hilly (still easy hiking, but just enough microhills to keep the views more interesting than the pancake flat that you drive through in surrounding areas).
The best maps are available as downloadable .pdf files on the North Country Trail website. There's a west trailhead, a middle trailhead, and an eastern trailhead. In addition to the NCT, which runs almost 30 miles through the grasslands, there is a 4-mile loop at the eastern trailhead, which is nice for a short day hike with a hanging siesta.
Water sources can be an issue. There is a car campground at the east trailhead that has a hand pump (I think it's only available in summer). If you start at the east trailhead, and hike 3.5 miles west on the NCT, you cross a reliable creek (I think it's called Iron Springs creek); this water probably has some fertilizer runoff from nearby farms, but I have used it several times (after filtering) without a problem. Otherwise, there are several stock tanks near the trail, with either wind or solar powered well pumps; I have used those, but they are not always reliable (some of the windmills have been dismantled, etc.). If in doubt, carry all your water for an overnight.
Except for the car campground at the east trailhead, camping is the free, dispersed style, with no designated sites. I have camped several times near the creek, 3.5 mi w. of the east trailhead, as well as near a solar powered stock tank about 5 mi further west. If you keep going another ~5 mi, you reach the middle trailhead. West of this, the trail gets flatter and with fewer trees, but there are still a few good hammock-friendly spots.
Feel free to ask if you want more info. This area has a much more open, "western" feel than the woods of minnesota. During mid-summer, when central minnesota is a mosquito factory, I prefer the grasslands.
Thanks hersh. Just the info I was looking for.
I am curious about the camping you mention in the grasslands. I won't ask for your specific spot on the creek, but do you know if fishing gear is worth it to bring with if I am aiming for this area? I am looking for a relatively easy loop near home for some shake-down hikes before I aim for the Minnesota northwoods. I just came across the grasslands last night when I was looking for backpacking/camping spots and am excited to see someone of here who recommends that area. I am also from Fargo if you are ever interested in a hike together.
The creek is only a few inches deep, easily fordable when the bridge was down a few years ago. I am not a fisherman, but I seriously doubt there are any fish there. I think MN lakes are a much better bet for fishing.
As for specific spots, I just camp anywhere a little off the trail. The creek is not particularly scenic; it' just convenient for water access, that's all.
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