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If you’ve ever wondered what North Dakota may have been like at the time of the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition, look no further than this 590-acre park, just an hour’s drive north of Bismark. Cross Ranch State Park is a natural area featuring rolling prairies, cottonwood glens, and marshy river bottoms, situated along some of the last free-flowing, undeveloped shoreline of the Missouri River. Visitors to Cross Ranch have plenty of opportunities to lounge under shady trees and picnic along the river, wander some of the many paths and nature trails, both in the park and the adjacent Cross Ranch Nature Preserve, or take to the river for swimming, fishing, and paddling.
Cross Ranch State Park offers 65 tent and RV sites in two camp areas. RV sites are either back-in or pull-through, provide electrical hookups, and can accommodate large vehicles/trailers; tent sites are either drive-in or walk-in. The park also offers several group sites, yurts and fully-equipped cabins, as well as a Cheyenne-style tipi. Campground facilities include flush and vault toilets, showers, picnic shelters, playgrounds, and an amphitheater. A dump station is located in the upper camp area, and a boat launch in the lower camp area. Wifi service is available. Dogs are welcome in the park, but must remain leashed. Campsite rates are $17–$25/night; tipi, yurts and cabins are $35–$125/night.
Visitors to Cross Ranch are invited to explore the area by land and water. More than 16 miles of hiking and biking trails, both in the park and the adjacent preserve, are available for exploring the area’s woods, prairies, and riverbanks, as well as observing the local birds and wildlife. You can pick up a trail map at the park’s visitor center and head out on self-guided nature walks ranging from 2 to 5.5 miles. Some trails are also open for winter snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. For a different perspective, go for a float on the Missouri River. Rent a canoe or kayak (or bring your own) and paddle around the park area, or take a shuttle (fee required) to the town of Washburn, then float 9 miles down the river, back to the park.
Located on the grassy plains near the confluence of the Missouri and Heart rivers, Fort Abraham Lincoln is North Dakota’s oldest state park. Established in 1907 to commemorate a 1700s US Army outpost, the park offers a look at America’s early years, as well as even longer ago when the Mandan peoples called this area home. The park is located about 7 miles south of the town of Mandan, and about 200 miles east of Fargo. In addition to its historical significance, the park is also noted for its diverse, high prairie landscape and exceptional views. More than 16 miles of multiuse trails are available for summer and winter roaming among the park’s prairies, woods, and shrublands.
Abraham Lincoln State Park offers more than 100 tent and RV campsites, in addition to camping cabins and Cheyenne tipis. Most sites are open and grassy, and equipped with electrical and water hookups, picnic tables and fire pits; pull-through sites can accommodate large RVs and trailers. Amenities in the campground include both flush and vault toilets, showers, water faucets, playgrounds, picnic shelters, Wifi service, and a dump station. There are also corrals available for horse campers. Additional park features include a visitor center, coffee and gift shop, and an outdoor amphitheater. Dogs must remain leashed unless in designated areas. Camping is available year-round; sites are $17–$25/night; tipis are $35/night, and cabins $60/night; reservations accepted.
There are plenty of things to do at Fort Abraham Lincoln, including hiking, biking, horseback riding, and fishing, but the main attractions are the park’s historical area and Mandan village. The historical area has replicas of Lieutenant Colonel George Custer’s home, as well as a barracks building, stables and blockhouses. Tours are available during summer months. The Mandan On-a-Slant Village—named so for the sloping ground it rests on—features several “Earthlodges” constructed in similar fashion to those used by the native peoples for homes and meeting places. A trolley runs through the park with stops at both historic locations, in addition to going to the nearby town of Mandan.
$15 - $85 / night
Primitive tent and RV sites, Five-day consecutive stay limit, 14 total days per season, camping donation welcome. Portable water hydrant access. Some electrical sites. No reservations, first come first serve.
This recreation area is part of Lake Oahe
Guide
Just off I94 this location has multiple campsites, picnic tables, fire pits, a few pit toilets and picnic tables all along a lake. Depending on the wind direction you will hear highway noise, but it appears to be well maintained and not busy during the weekday. Great one night spot for thru travelers
Legend
This is managed by the county and has a lot of privacy. Has only electrical hookahs bat has a dump station.
Ranger
Gets kinda loud on the weekend but still lots of open spots. Affordable with hookups, decent showers. Grass is well taken care of and the lake is pretty.
GuideLoved how spaced the sites are. There are not many bathrooms (pit toilets). Has a small swing set by the boat lunch. The sites are grass or dirt. Has places to put trash. You can heat the interstate traffic all night. To me it was just noise and had no problems falling asleep. I will be back. With the lake and the wildlife it was just relaxing.
AT&T and Verizon have good coverage.
GuideThis is actually a campground with vault toilets, picnic tables, and trash receptacles. There is a beautiful lake. ( no swimming).
Guide
Beautiful spot right by the river with large camp spots and grass lawn by every spot. Large playground, clean bathrooms. Cheap
Guide
Stayed one night in one of the numerous walk-in primitive sites. I reserved the site online, and received great help and flexibility from the park rangers when I needed to change the reservation date due to poor weather. There are multiple drive-in tent sites along the road to the walk-in sites. There were a few people camped in the drive in sites, but we had the walk-in section all to ourselves. The camp hosts provided wagons in the parking area for easy transport of camping supplies. I highly recommend staying in a site along the river for a great water view right from your site. The tall cottonwood trees provide great seclusion, and we didn’t hear anyone all night. There is a pit toilet next to the parking area, but we opted to drive to the ranger station/help desk for running sinks and toilets. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table. Highly recommend staying here!
Scout
Planning a hike to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park in North Dakota motivated me to learn more about the diverse landscapes and natural wonders of the U.S. national parks. It is remarkable to see the diversity of environments protected in these parks, from rugged mountains to vast deserts and dense forests. As I prepare for my outdoor adventure at Fort Abraham Lincoln, I am inspired to consider future trips to explore the beauty and biodiversity preserved in the US National Park system, which I learned more about by reading https://www.agmglobalvision.com/u-s-national-parks. Each visit promises an unforgettable experience of immersing yourself in the splendor of nature.
Legend
This review is from an overnight versus destination point of view. However, this could easily be a destination park if you want to stay in the area and check out Bismarck. The campground (CG) is about a mile off I-94 and easy to find. Check-in was quick and easy, and we proceeded to pull through site 11 right past the check-in office, store, showers, and laundry facility. The gravel site was pretty level, with utilities placed mid-pad. As our next stop was dry camping, I asked for propane, which they gladly picked up our tanks, had them filled, and returned to our site. There’s no cable TV, but we did receive OTA channels, plus we had a good shot to the north sky for our Starlink. There are a lot of mature trees here, so that satellite could be iffy depending on the site. WiFi speed wasn’t very good, but we didn’t need to use it. We got 4 bars on Verizon. The water pressure was good. They have a nice fenced dog area. This is one of the nicer KOAs we’ve stayed in, with a very nice tent area. We enjoyed our overnight stay.
GuideGorgeous lake/reservoir, fish were jumping all night. Drove in with our 34' bus and had no issue finding a nice level spot with a fire ring and picnic table. Good seperation between spots. Even though it's close to the highway which is handy there was very little traffic noise.
ScoutStayed here as an overnight stop and it was perfect for what I needed! The tent camping loop is a road through a large field with some picnic tables and trees. You can pull off and pitch your tent anywhere you like. The grass was very plush and I slept very well.
For a tent site, it was $12 cash in the drop box because I got there after hours (not sure if they accept card during office hours).
Traveler
I found this yesterday. I’ll check it out fishing spots. It says you can stay for up to 14 days in a row each month for free. They have a large parking lot for RVs as well as grass camp spots for tents.
Traveler
At arriving, there is plenty of shade. To be the only ones there, with the exception of an occasional visitor to the park. Dumpster close for getting rid of any trash! Water spigot works.... but this like the picnic tables and porta potty were covered in webs, bring something to dust! Bathroom is stocked appropriately and easy to find past the covered picnic tables. Had a nice secluded spot for ourselves. If you're looking for electric-they have it! Downside, it may not work.... it didn't for us. Woke up to a beautiful sunrise!
Traveler
The campground isn't a resort, but it's well-kept and the FHU site worked for me. The sites are laid out so the poles are shared in the middle, which makes for a bit of a tight fit for big rigs. No one on either side during our stay (with no slide outs), so had plenty of room. It's about 15 minutes to Bismarck, so a good place for restocking. Nothing at the exit -- you have to go 10 minutes or so down the highway for gas and groceries. Laundry was small, but just $1.25/$1.00 for wash and dry. Self-checkin with cash or check, which was fine. I think the trailer at the end on one corner is the host, but I never needed him, so I didn't ask. My only complaint-- #21 was underwater after an overnight rain. A pond of about 2-3 inches of water completely surrounded my rig. I looked around and I seemed to be the only one with that much water. Luckily I had seen the forecast and had hitched up the night before. But that's something the owners need to address.
GuideThis park is beautiful. The restrooms are clean and the showers are very nice as well. Lush green grass and friendly rangers
Guide
Small city park at edge of town. There's a bicycle path to the Lewis and Clark center and the town diner and museum are close enough to walk to. There is a train but I've only heard it once. Neighbor dog barks a lot. Still not bad for $25 per night with FHU.
Guide
8 back in gravel RV spots that aren't very level but not too bad. Electric hookups only. There is a water spigot at one end of the park and dump station at the cenex in town. Park is between elevator and rail tracks. Elevator started up early but only one train a day. Can't beat $11/night though. There's a good cafe in town too.
Traveler
We stopped here for a night while camping across the US with our 2 dogs, and young toddler. Very friendly staff. You have to get a fire pit and fire wood from the check in office but that was no big deal. They have a small playground and a basketball hoop with a tote of different types of balls to play with which was great for keeping the toddler out of the way while setting up camp. Showers/ bathrooms are small but the shower stall is narrow but long so there was plants of room just a tad awkward. We were so thankful for the shower as we had days of sunscreen and bug spray to wash off us.
Town is only a few minutes down the road and you can not ahead the highway from there.
LegendWe came in on a Saturday and it was packed...spots a little close together for my liking, but it was quiet overall. Lots of family enjoying family time with their kids. Once Sunday afternoon hit, everyone cleared out getting ready for the workweek.
The park staff was super friendly, bathrooms were the cleanest I have seen. I uploaded pictures. I had an awesome shower. Trail access from the campsites and of course the history!!
We walked the on a slant village, the forts overlooking the Missouri river and of course General Custer's house and the barracks. Such a neat parks with lots to do!
Mosquitos were bad when we were here surprisingly. I was getting bit every second, so I got a gazebo shelter so we could enjoy the outdoors without getting bit to death. Had a fire our final night which also helped.
ScoutNeeded a place to crash on the way back east. Phoned about 100 miles away and had a reservation in minutes.
Traveler
Great little State park, any kind of camping you could want
TravelerNice park, stayed in electric site for 2 nights, clean, water available, no dump station, vault toilets.
RangerGreat state park that is well maintained. Had an electric and water site. Bathhouse was clean with nice showers. Fishing, biking/hiking, and visiting the historic sites are things to do here. I did have to change sites because the pedestal on site 1 was too close to the road.
GuideStayed 3 days, due to not wanting to drive in the storm the last day. First 2 days were lovely and just the right amount of shade from the trees. Only 2 vault toilets, 1 in each of the RV and Tent areas. Could have done with a regular clean, but there were only 2 sites taken when we stayed. An extra 2 toilets and shower block by the boat ramp. Also a playground. (Note: Drinking water and showers are seasonal, so check the website if you need these to be operational) Each of the RV sites had their own grill and picnic table. Looked like the tent sites may share these facilities. Lots of locals visit to fish, and seemed to be quite lucky as well with Catfish and Walleye. Lovely place to visit for a few days. Also note, if you have an annual parks pass, you may get up to a 50% discount when booking.
TravelerSimple to find and easy to get in & out Along the rivers. Beautiful drive down into river valley!
LegendThis state park and the corresponding campground(CG) were easy to find off I 94 and then through Mandan. You check in at the gate where along with your camping fees, you still have to purchase an ND state-park vehicle pass for$7 a day or$35 a year. We then proceeded to back-in site 71 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). The back-in was easy and the site was plenty long enough for our 39’ 5th wheel and F450. We received an electrical error from our Watch Dog surge protector and went back to the gate and reported the issue. A ranger showed up about 5 minutes later and swapped the 50 AMP breaker so all was good. We shared a water post with our neighbor and had great water pressure of 60+ so used a reducer. We got quite a few OTA channels and could have used our satellite. We also got 2 bars each on Verizon and T-Mobile. Site 71 had a nice-sized front yard. The rangers regularly patrol the CG and there’s firewood plus ice for sale near the camp host site. There are plenty of trails to explore either by walking or biking. In addition, the state park has a lot of Custer-era calvary history. Be sure to check out the park’s visitor center then visit the Slant Indian Village that’s adjacent to the visitor center. Be careful when selecting a pull-through site, as most, if not all of them, are actually set up as two sites. So, if you were to arrive after your neighbor, you will actually be backing into your site. We enjoyed our 3-day stay and would not hesitate to come back.
GuideSite 101 has a great view of the river.
The Mandan village was interesting and the hike around the park had nice views.
Bathrooms and showers were fine.
Bismarck, North Dakota, offers a variety of RV camping options that cater to different needs and preferences, making it a great destination for travelers.
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