Across 150 miles of Western North Dakota badlands, the Maah Daah Hey trail passes through expansive rolling prairies, runs alongside steep clay badland buttes, dives into lush valleys and wooded draws, and crosses the Little Missouri River several times. There is no other place where this much contiguous singletrack passes through badlands where coyotes, pronghorn, bison, bighorn sheep, elk, and horses roam wild.

The trail got its name “Maah Daah Hey” after the aboriginal Mandan tribe. In simple english the phrase translates to “An area that will be around for a long time.” The complete 150-mile trail begins 50 miles south of Medora, ND and ends just south of the park entrance to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Maah Daah Hey crosses some of the most beautiful landscapes in North America. The ride can be done in either direction and meets a number of gravel roads, providing endless start and end points with a shuttle (or even providing a return route via gravel), however the most rewarding bikepacking routes are the 100 and 150-mile point-to-point trips.

As the singletrack trail traverses through the varying landscape, it drops into several steep creek bottoms and ascends many more steep buttes. Pushing and walking your bike will occur, but you’ll make up the time across the open grasslands. What may come as a surprise to you are the wooded draws you coast through. Though short, these aspen groves are a refreshing touch on the otherwise vast and open plains of Western North Dakota. At any moment, you may feel completely removed from society and out in the middle of nowhere. And you are. However, Little Missouri National Grassland is open to all forms of recreation and a variety of additional uses, such as oil drilling, cattle ranching and hunting. The Maah Daah Hey trail itself is non-motorized, but even late in the season you’ll likely encounter horseback riders, backpackers and other mountain bikers.

At the end of each day, you’ll be torn between exhaustion from that day’s terrain and in awe of the sun setting between clay buttes in the lush grassland before you.

Difficulty: This route has been given a 7 out of 10 overall. The technical difficulty of the trail is a 6. The physical demand is an 8. The logistics and time required to cache water (depending on time of year) and the shuttle rank a 6. These numbers are very much dependant on how much time you decide to take. For instance, if you ride 40 miles/day over 4 days, the logistics of caching water are almost non-existent, especially if ridden in the spring or fall. The river and stream crossings will make this trip in the spring more difficult than in the fall. Packable waders are highly recommended (although riders in the summer will find these crossings refreshing). These stream crossings have bits of clay in the water and it can get in your drivetrain. Either carry your bike or bring a chain and cassette cleaning tool. The terrain is made up of bentonite clay, which when wet will get on everything and gum up your drivetrain in just a few rotations. If trails are wet, do not ride for the sake of not getting stranded and having to carry your bike out.

Route Development: The Maah Daah Hey was almost a trail of the past. With several sections untraveled and unmaintained due to the lack of resources, the trail with a name that indicates it will be around forever, almost fell apart. Luckily, a passionate individual, Nick Ybarra, stepped up to steward the trail in cooperation with the Forest Service. The organization Save The Maah Daah Hey was born to create events and establish funding for ongoing upkeep. The Maah Daah Hey Trail Association is another non-profit organization working alongside the USDA Forest Service providing volunteer power, funding as well as a phenomenal online resource with an interactive map, all the water cache and campground locations and everything else you need to know to get on the trail. In addition, both of these organizations as well as the Forest Service as willing to talk to you an answer your questions. Since these organizations came into the picture, the trail has gained national attention, outdoor enthusiasts come from all over to experience the North Dakota badlands. The Maah Daah Hey won a slot in the ROUT3 competition.

NOTE: Some photos were contributed by fellow rider, Joe Stiller, a winter-ultra cyclist and creator of BarYak.