Dispersed Camping

Many people enjoy the solitude and primitive experience of camping away from developed campgrounds and other campers. Dispersed camping is the term used for camping anywhere in the National Grasslands OUTSIDE of a designated campground. Dispersed camping means there are no toilets, no picnic tables, no trash cans, no treated water, and no fire grates. Typically, dispersed camping is NOT allowed in the vicinity of developed recreation areas such as campgrounds, boat ramps, picnic areas or trailheads. There are extra responsibilities and skills that are necessary for dispersed camping. It's your responsibility to know these before you try this new experience.

Driving cross-country (off a road or trail) by motorized, wheeled vehicles is prohibited in the National Grasslands. Along certain roads, vehicles may drive up to 300 feet off road to camp. These roads are shown on the Grassland's Motor Vehicle Use Map.

Picking a Campsite

If you are going to an area where others have camped before, pick a site that's been used before. Plants, soil and wildlife are impacted by new campsites, so using existing ones will minimize your impact on the grassland. If there is no existing campsite, then follow these Leave No Trace guidelines:

Camp on bare soil if possible, to avoid damaging or killing plants and grass.
Do NOT camp within 200 feet of any water source, plants near water are especially fragile.
Don't camp in the middle of a pasture or clearing. Make your campsite less visible so that other visitors will see a "wild" setting.

Campfires

Many wildfires are caused by human activity, typically escaped campfires from dispersed campers. Campfires are allowed when you are dispersed camping UNLESS there are fire restrictions in effect due to high fire danger conditions. It is YOUR responsibility to know if fire restrictions are in effect before you go camping.
Use existing fire rings if they exist. Minimize the scarring of new rocks, soil and plants by using existing fire rings.
Clear an area of combustible material six feet away from a campfire to reduce the chance of it spreading into a wildfire.
NEVER LEAVE A FIRE UNATTENDED.
You should have a bucket, shovel, and axe available to control or extinguish escaped fire.
BEFORE YOU LEAVE YOUR CAMPFIRE, MAKE SURE IT IS DEAD OUT. You should be able to put your whole hand into the ashes without being burned and it should be cool to the touch.

Protect Water Quality

Water gets contaminated by visitors who don't take care of their human waste or their garbage and food properly.
To dispose of feces, dig a hole 6 inches deep and AT LEAST 200 FEET AWAY FROM ANY WATER SOURCE (creeks, wetlands, springs, or lakes).
When you're done, fill the hole with the dirt you dug up and take your toilet paper with you to dispose of in a proper waste container.
Never defecate or leave toilet paper on top of the ground, it could easily get into the local water source and contaminate it.
Wash your body, dishes, etc., and dispose of waste water AT LEAST 200 FEET AWAY FROM ANY WATER SOURCE.
Do not use ANY soap directly in a water source.
Use biodegradable soap.

Dispersed Camping Areas

Cedar River National Grassland
Denbigh Experimental Forest
Denbigh Experimental Forest is located on 640 acres, 13 miles west of Towner, ND on Highway 2. In addition, there are 115 acres known as the Souris Unit located three miles north of Towner, ND on Highway 14.

Denbigh was established after the 1930s when the Dust Bowl hit McHenry County. The USDA Forest Service established the Denbigh Experimental Forest in 1931. Research began to determine what conifer or hardwood trees would survive in the area. Over the next 20+ years, more than 40 tree species were planted at Denbigh. In 1983, the Forest Service contracted maintenance and forest management responsibilities to the North Dakota Forest Service. However, all of these responsibilities were transferred back to the US Forest Service-Dakota Prairie Grasslands in 1998. Denbigh is now managed by the Sheyenne Ranger District office.

The southwest one-half of Denbigh Experimental Forest was planted to thousands of trees and shrubs between 1931 and 1942, while the remainder was left as natural prairie habitat. It is used by a variety of grassland birds, prairie butterflies, and wildflowers. Over 200 bird species have been recorded here, including the yellow-rumped warbler, northern saw-whet owl, sharp-shinned hawk, brown creeper, bald eagle, red-breasted nuthatch, and red crossbill. For the last 75 years, this area has been left idle leading to tree and shrub encroachment and the invasion of noxious weeds and exotic grasses. The Dakota Prairie Grasslands is working to restore the native prairie portion through noxious weed treatments, mowing, and prescribed burning.

Associated with the Denbigh Experimental Forest, is the Towner State Nursey which was established in 1935 by the US Forest Service to produce tree seedlings for planting the proposed Souris National Forest. However, this National Forest, located just north of the Towner Nursery, was never established due to lack of funding. The nursery was closed in 1942 due to World War II and was re-opened in 1951 by the ND Forest Service who continues to operate it today. The Towner Nursery produces about 1.25 million tree seedlings per year.
Sheyenne National Grassland
Sheyenne National Grassland is located in southeastern North Dakota, comprising 70,180 acres (28,400 ha) of public land amid 64,769 acres (26,211 ha) of privately owned land. It is characterized by sandy soils, originally deposited as the delta of an ancient river as it emptied into glacial Lake Agassiz. Since that time, wind and rain have shaped the topography into a unique landscape ranging from flat deltaic plains to choppy sand dunes.

It is the only National Grassland in the tallgrass prairie region of the United States. The grassland provides habitat for greater prairie chickens in North Dakota as well as several other sensitive species such as the Dakota skipper and Regal Fritillary. It also contains one of largest populations of the western prairie fringed orchid, which has been placed on the list of Threatened Species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Other unique plants found on the grassland include other orchids and ferns.

The grassland is managed with prescribed grazing, fire, and mowing. These programs are all managed in cooperation with the local grazing association. Treatment of noxious weeds is also very important and is accomplished through herbicide application, biocontrol, and sheep grazing.

Recreation opportunities abound throughout the grassland. Visitors can enjoy activities such as hiking, hunting, camping, horseback riding, photography, and backpacking. See Activities section below for detailed descriptions. Some points of interest to visit while on the grassland include: Iron Springs creek, the Horseshoe Hills, Old Bridges, Owego Pioneer Cemetery, and an Old Fire Lookout Tower.

The grassland is located in eastern Ransom and western Richland counties, about 12 miles (19km) east of the city of Lisbon. The grassland is administered by the Forest Service as part of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands from the Supervisor’s office in Bismarck, North Dakota. The local Sheyenne Ranger District office is located in Lisbon, North Dakota.

Other places of interest in the vicinity of Sheyenne National Grassland include:

The town of McLeod, North Dakota. Visitors can learn about the area’s history, including some of the Grassland’s history at the McLeod Museum Complex. The museum complex includes a Presbyterian Church built in 1909, the Soo Line Depot, a homestead house built in the late 1800s, and a one-room school house which operated from 1904-2002. McLeod is located three miles south of Highway 27 on County Road 54 or 149^th Avenue SE.

The Nature Conservancy operates Brown Ranch through their Sheyenne Delta office located just a few miles southwest of McLeod, ND. Some of this land is managed in conjunction with the Sheyenne National Grassland.

Recreation Areas

Recreation Activities

Select an Activity

https://www.fs.usda.gov/activity/dpg/recreation/camping-cabins/?recid=79451&actid=34