Note: I have had inquiries from folks who are flying into Bismarck and are interested in carpooling rental vehicles from there. If anyone is interested, or may have room to help give a lift if you are driving through from elsewhere please drop me an email and I'll try to help coordinate or get you in touch.

Where to stay:

Camping: Magpie Campground is a primitive camping area managed by the National Forest Service. Chekc the link for details. For the nights at Magpie, there are about 11 sites available. This means that there are 11 parking spurs with tent areas around them. In order to fit as many as possible we will need to set up tents pretty close (think festival or 24-hr race). If you don't like camping close to others you will be out of luck unless you want to find another campground or a hotel in Medora. I will see what can be done about reserving them and post the results here. Obviously this will be first-come, first-served unless we can pack them in pretty good. Keep in mind that this is a campground out in the middle of nowhere - no amenities or showers or fancy stuff. It makes up for it by being literally on the MDH Trail itself.

To get to Magpie:

From Medora - go east on I-94 to Belfield (about 15 miles).

From Bismarck - go west from Bismarck on I-94 to Belfield (about 120 miles)

From Belfield: please note that Belfield will be the place to stop for minor food & water & gas if you haven't done so already. There is a travel plaza at the I-94/ND 85 interchange. Go north on Hwy 85 from Belfield to Fairfield (about 22 miles). About 1.5 miles north of Fairfield you will see a sign on the side of the highway for Magpie Campground. This will be oil road #712. Take Road #712 at the Magpie Camp sign, headed west. Travel 15.5 miles on gravel road #712. The campground is located ¼ mile northeast off road # 712. This is a fairly twisty and turny gravel oil road through some pretty cool eroded bluffs. Make sure you pay attention to the signs and do not take any turns that are not marked #712; also this road is much more traveled than the others so it's easier to tell. This link has a pretty good map of how to get to Magpie from Hwy 85.

Medora City Campground is located less than 1/2 mile from downtown Medora. This is a nice camping area with showers and a small camp store. Campsites are primitive, with outhouses and above-ground grills, and are $15 per night. They do have campers hookups. However, this would be about 45 minutes or so drive from our rides at Magpie. For those of you wishing to bring family or non-riding companions this may be an option for you.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) has many campsites. The entrance to the South Unit of the Park is located immediately next to the city campground. These campsites will be much more scenic than the city ones, but this is a federal park. Campsites in the Cottonwood Campground are about 5 miles north of Medora.

Sully Creek State Recreation Area is a part of ND State Park system. This is about 3 miles south of Medora and offers scenic camping.

Lodging: There are a multitude of hotels in Medora. Check the Medora visitors guide webpage for a list and phone numbers. There will be more hotels and amenities open that weekend due to the opening of the new golf course.

Motels: The closest town to Magpie is actually Belfield, about 20 miles south of the Magpie turnoff on Hwy 85. Medora is about 45 miles away. Grassy Butte is 20 miles and has a coupld of guest ranches. Finally there is Watford City, about 50 miles north of the Magpie turnoff.

Some other info & links for lodging:

Belfield - Bell Vu Motel (701) 575-4245

Grassy Butte - a few guest ranches. Check this link to help direct you.

Watford City - several hotels to choose from. Link here.

Buffalo Gap Guest Ranch. This is a working ranch at the turnaround point on the Buffalo Gap Trail that we will ride from Medora. They have a full grill and bar, and rooms have access to a back deck, outdoor hot tubs, and a big firepit. The ranch is adjacent to the TRNP Buffalo Gap Trailhead. The ranch also has tent spots, with access to showers and the other ranch amenities. It is located about 6-8 miles northwest of Medora.

Food:

The spirit of NAGs holds that this is a BYOF and BYOB event. The night at Buffalo Gap (Saturday) there is a grill and bar in the Ranchhouse with a meat-based menu. We may choose to have a group breakfast at the Cowboy Cafe in Medora on Sunday morning. NAGs seem to have a great spirit of cuisine flowing and Friday night will be a group cookout. Bring a little something special to share if you can. For the nights at Magpie, there are no services, so an ice trip will have to be made to the closest store, about 35 miles away at Belfield. Plan on gettting ice before getting to camp to make life easier on yourself. I will call ahead and let them know to have extra on hand when I get a better idea of the numbers of folks coming out.

Beverage:

Decent adult beverages are scarce here. Make like a Boy Scout & be prepared. Bring your own microbrew if that's your thing. If you're a Budweiser kind of kid then you are good to go.