To do in Dickinson ND

Medora Musical

1. Go to dairy barn and have a peanut butter cookie ice cream sandwich
2. Go to Bogeys Diner and have lunch
3. Bid and possibly buy at an auction like the ones held by Mid West Auctions http://www.midwestauctions.com
4. See the Medora Musical
5. Have a drink at the historic Medora Hotel
6. Spend as much time as possible in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Medora Musical 

7. See the Farmers Market on Tuesdays and Saturdays 10am
8. Walk around the Patterson lake recreation area
9. Taste crab apples at the NDSU research extension park http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/dickinso/
10. See something with the Sneak Pique Productions team http://sneakpiqueproductions.com
11. Walk around young park
12. Catch a movie at the Carmike 3 theater
13. Dine at Sanfords
14. Coffee at the brew

15. Go to McDonalds early in the morning and observe the retiree breakfest groups

16. Shop Arc Aid

17. Admirer the intricate garden work in the developed neighborhoods

18. Recycle at the city Recycle lots
19. Spend some time at the library
20. Visit the dinosaur museum
21. Chateau De Mores Sate Historic Site, Medora
22. Thursday night Jazz at the Brick House Grill

Painted Canyon Visitor Center Access Trail & Western Upper Paddock Creek Trail

Starting Point : Painted Canyon Visitor Center

Exit towards Painted Canyon Visitor Center. You will see large signs and find yourself in an establish parking lot.

Upper Paddock Creek Trail

The center is a great place to start a hike, they have bathrooms, water fountains, snack machines and if you arrive during business hours the visitor center has an array of things. I stopped by the visitor center my first time in the park to get maps, hike advice and a local wildlife and plan update. The staff was very helpful and the maps they have are better than the ones I found on line.

Wildlife and Plants in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit: Bison are a relatively calm animal however it is advised that you give them their space, they are large and can be dangerous. The park is home to rattlesnakes, don't go sticking your bare hand into tall grass patches that's when they have the highest rate of bites. Beyond those two, things are fairly standard.

The access trail starts to the south west of the visitor center. Standing in the parking lot you will see an access road going off the western side, follow this road about 1/5 mile till you see a brown marker on your left side. Near the brown marker you will notice a foot path veer away from the road, this is the trail head.

The brown markers for this trail are about 6 inches across and 4 feet high. They are fairly easy to find.

The trail almost instantly heads into the canyon. Footing can be questionable during the decent due to the soft nature of the soil. There are several areas where the trail has caved in, as the canyon slowly grows. Keep an eye on your footwork and you will be fine.

There are a few places where small creeks cross the trail, I have gone in fairly wet times and been able to easily jump these creeks.

At the base of the Access Trail you come to a sign that point north/ west and south/ east. Both directions will put you on the Upper Paddock Creek Trail.

On this day I went north/west. I was interested in doing a 6 mile hike this day, 2 miles to get into the canyon and went about 1.5 miles west on Upper Paddock Creek Trail.

I saw some great butterfly's and birds.  I sat at a nice outcropping and read a book for about an hour and than returned back the way I came. This hike was very isolated, I did not see any people or mammals from start to finish.

Talkington Trail

Starting Point: East fence gate.

Exit towards "Fryburg" If you are heading west this will be the last exit before the park starts, about 4 miles before the rest area overlook. If you are heading east this will be the firs exit after the park ends, its one after the rest area overlook by about 4 miles.

Head north about 100feet and you will encounter a small parking area and a side road. It looks like a frontage road. Road name is fryburg road.

Take a left heading west, follow this as it curves north and turns into 136th/ government creek road. Go about 1 mile and look for a gate in the fence on the west(left) side. The earth will be built up so that you can pull in and park at this gate.

When I visited the gate was locked but had space for a person to squeeze through. A larger person may have to climb the fence.

Talkington Trail

The start of the trail is quite hard to distinguish since it is all grassland and rarely used. Head west through the grass and look for a brown marker that is about 6inches across and 4 feet tall. As you near the canyon the trail becomes more apparent.

The day that I hiked this trail I encountered two groups of horseback riders, about 6 people per group. 3 day hikers. 1 heard of bison totaling about 20. 1 prairie dog town, as marked on the map, a very vocal and timid community.

I hiked till I reached the scenic drive and than turned back. My advice on this trail is to bring plenty of water and wear closed toe shoes, the park has snakes. Otherwise its fairly straight forward and enjoyable to walk. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Since moving to Dickinson ND I have been spending almost every weekend hiking in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  I have an array of comments on this experience.

• The park is divided into two separated  areas the North Unit and the South Unit. 
• The South Unit in along side interstate 94 
• The eastern corner of this park is about a 20min drive from Dickinson.
• You can access the park on foot from a variety of entrance points
• To access the park by car you must enter at the Medora Visitor center and pay a $10 fee for a 6 day park access