Nestled in the Sheyenne River Valley, about 65 miles southeast of Jamestown, Fort Ransom State Park is a 950-acre recreation area amid rolling grasslands and mixed woods. Once the site of an 1860s military encampment, the location now offers year-round outdoor recreation, from hiking, fishing, and paddling, to bird watching, horseback riding and camping. In summer, the park rents canoes and provides shuttles to the launch point, for spending leisurely days paddling down the river. In winter, its a popular destination for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The park’s most noted event is the annual Sodbuster Days, which celebrates the farming and homesteading days of the late 1800s with arts, music, food and a rodeo.
The campground at Fort Ransom State Park offers 80 RV, tent and equestrian campsites near the banks of the Sheyenne River. Modern RV sites, with electric and water hookups, are mostly pull-through, while primitive tent sites are mostly walk-in. A few group sites, both modern and primitive, are located near the outdoor amphitheater. The main camp area features flush toilets, showers, a playground, and a dump station. A canoe launch and fishing pier are located nearby. The primitive tent sites and equestrian camp area only offers vault toilets; the latter also has horse corrals. Other amenities include a visitor center, picnic shelters, and a dog park. Campsites are $17–$25/night.
This is a pretty good spot. When we were there in June the campground was having a Halloween celebration and my daughter loved it. There’s good trails to walk and it’s generally quiet. Sites aren’t very private, but the people were nice. It seemed to be more of a “locals” campground.
Wifi is at the visitors center, there’s almost 20 miles of trails to walk on and the scenery at night is beautiful! Sodbuster Days, Halloween in June and Christmas in July is a must. Also the historical building in the area is a cool thing to see!
Very green park with alot of history, including a preserved farm about early white settlers. We met some people who were staying here with their horses - how fun! Wide open green spaces, lovely. We didn’t explore much of the park unfortunately. We really wished we had rented a canoe or kayak (from the park) but it was a holiday weekend so they were all gone by the time we sauntered out of the tent near noon.
Yay: basic cafe, easy canoeing, nature center, educational, easy hikes.
Nay: campsites are not private or shady, only a few are next to the water.
Surprise: the camp staff were especially great with lots of stories to entertain the preschooler and grandma!