Sheyenne National Grassland

The Sheyenne National Grassland is located in eastern Ransom and western Richland counties, about 12 miles east of Lisbon in southeastern North Dakota. It comprises 70,180 acres of public land and 64,769 acres of privately owned land. The Grassland is characterized by sandy soils, originally deposited as the delta of an ancient river as it emptied into glacial Lake Agassiz. Over time, wind and rain have shaped the topography into a unique landscape ranging from flat deltaic plains to choppy sand dunes.

The Sheyenne is the only National Grassland in the tallgrass prairie region in the nation and provides habitat for greater prairie chickens in North Dakota, and several other sensitive species, such as the Dakota skipper and Regal Fritillary butterflies. Learn more about these creatures and more on the Animals page.

It also contains one of the largest populations of the Western Prairie Fringed Orchid, currently listed on the Threatened Species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Other unique plants found on the Grassland include other orchids and ferns. Learn more about grassland flora on the Plants page.

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. It is also the one end of the North Country National Scenic Trail (NCNST), the longest continuous footpath in the country. If you're planning to stay a bit more local, check out the map for the North Country and Oak Leaf Trails.

The Forest Service administers the Grand River National Grassland as part of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands from the Supervisor's Office in Bismarck, North Dakota. The local Sheyenne Ranger District Station is located in Lisbon, North Dakota.