This is a jewel of a city campground located along the Pembina River and adjacent to the Pembina Gorge State Recreation area. Although the Gorge is administered by the ND State Parks program, there is no camping within the Gorge itself as it is a nature preserve and protected paleontology site. So, the nearby Walhalla city campground is the only option for camping right in the vicinity, and it is a great option, and is a good place for a family vacation in and of itself.
The campground is located within Walhalla’s beautiful city park, and the extensive campsite options include spacious riverside campsites with full hookups if desired, wooded standard campsites, and a spacious lush shady and grassy primitive tenting area that is wuiet and comfortable. All sites have easy access to a couple if canoe or kayak launch sites, as well as a beautiful sparkling swimming pool, brand new playground, outdoor amphitheater for summer programs, historic settler cabins, picnic areas, and easy walking distance to cafes and shops in town. The bathhouse and restrooms are very clean, the grounds are beautifully maintained with gardens and stately trees, and the community clearly takes tremendous pride in this beautiful park.
A very short drive will take you to gorgeous scenic overlook areas nearby, with picnicking high above the river, and a few minutes further away you get to various canoe and kayak launch sites for the Pembina River whitewater paddle trail, or trailheads for myriad hiking trails in the Terault State Forest or the Pembina Gorge. The Gorge also offers regularly scheduled fossil dig expeditions that the public can sign up for. The gorge region also has miles of backroad OHV trails and horse trails. At the FrostFire section of the park, on the south side of the Gorge, is a state park headquarters that includes a winter center for both downhill and cross country skiing, and a summer center with hiking trails and extensive mountain biking trails, with the option of a chair lift ride up or down the gorge for trail access or just a view. There is an equipment rental shop here (skis, kayaks, mountain bikes etc) , a cafe and dining room, and an outdoor summerstock theater that presents musicals. There is a beautiful golf course located between the town and the gorge as well.
A family would easily find a weeks worth of activities to do right in the vicinity of the campground, all while staying at a city campground that is of state park quality. Best of all, since it is a bit “off the beaten path” at the end of the Rendezvous River Regional History Trail, there are not hordes and crowds of people here and it is so peaceful and enjoyable.
Primitive tent sites are $15 a day. Standard sites for tents or RVs with hook up otions are $25 a day. The tenting area is quiet and lightly used, and set apart from the other campsites. If you want a standard campsite right on the river, we highly recommend sites G or F. If you want a quieter spacious standard site back towards the woods, site 7 would be good.
Useful links for local activities:
Pembina River Water Trail (kayak access at campground): https://www.ndtourism.com/walhalla/attractions/pembina-river-trail
https://www.parkrec.nd.gov/pembina-gorge-state-recreation-area
Palenotology Digs: https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndfossil/digs/2020/2020_Pembina_Gorge.pdf
FrostFire Park of the Pembina Gorge: https://frostfirepark.org/
FrostFire Summer Theater: https://www.facebook.com/frostfiresummertheatre/
Pembina Gorge Horseback Riding: https://rendezvousregion.com/activityhorsebackriding.html
Rendezvous Region HisNatural Hisotry and Cultural History Trails https://rendezvousregion.com/
Tetrault Woods Hiking: https://www.ndtourism.com/walhalla/attractions/tetrault-woods-state-forest
Walhalla scenic overlook and picnicking: https://www.ndtourism.com/walhalla/attractions/masonic-scenic-overlook
Walhalla Country Club: https://www.facebook.com/Walhalla-Country-Club-905429276174089/
Other general Walhalla area info: http://www.walhalland.org/
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