has anyone ridden the maah daah hey that can give some advice on it?

[BKocka]

im thinking of riding the duration of this trail in aug.

what are good things to bring along? (ex. food, hiking backpack or little day pack, tent, etc.)

thanks!

[SuperClydesdale]

im thinking of riding the duration of this trail in aug.

what are good things to bring along? (ex. food, hiking backpack or little day pack, tent, etc.)

thanks!

don't deam of riding this trail in august. wait until late september, october, april or may.

[bradpartyka]

I rode Maa Daa Hey over the 4th holiday and it was HOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bring lots of water!!! And sunscreen.

It is awesome though.

Also, there is an area where the Buffalo roam and they do poop on the trail. Pretty nasty. You might want to bring something to wipe it off if ya hit it. There isn't water around that area that I can recall.

[slim]

Almost the entire trail is out in the open, so in August you're going to feel like a pig on a spit. I would definately recomend a later time frame, but check the climate charts and current weather forecasts.

We brought a fair amount of chain lube, the dry dust just seems to suck it right of. Also a tire that sheds mud wel is imperative, because any wet patches are a goey type of clay, that is super sticky and will really weigh you down.

The chances of getting water other than at the campgrounds are slim to none, depending on the segment.

We ran UST tubeless tires with a real good amount of Stan's in them and had no flats between the two of us, despite my using ultra-light tires. Did get a lot of spine sin the shorts and shoes though.

Pack light! The climbs aren't long or steep, but they keep coming.
Ditch the trailer, you want to rail corners, fly of drops and pedal up switchbacks right? Less 'luxury camping' more fun riding


We used a little handlebar bag that mounts on top of the stem, from REI, $15, super easy acces to bars, GPS, map, windbreaker, camera etc.

We put waterbags on the handle bars of our bikes to counteract the rearward weight bias of the backpack and rack.

Take a solid bike, some spare parts (chain links, tube, cable) and some tools. You are a long from the next bikeshop. And a long push out if your bike craps out.

Be conservative, we only managed about 20mi a day, perhaps a bit more some days.

Check out- my wesite for pic's: http://tjaard.multiply.com

[devo kenivel]

I've tried riding this trail before but it had rained quite a bit before we got there and the surface was entirely clay. The last person mentioned a little bit about it but seriously if it's rained a bunch before you guys intend to go, I'd call a local bike shop or something and try to get an update. We only rode about a mile in and had to turn back. It wasn't an entire loss because we did get to ride some kick ass single track in Bismark North Dakota. OK, maybe the singletrack wasn't kick ass.

[Jackrabbit Slim]

I rode this trail in 2004 and had a great time. The heat is intense and a larger friend in our group was seeing some really cool halucinations so be very careful about staying hydrated and conservative about distances (you are totally on your own out there). We picked different spots along the trail to do out and backs over 3 days. The last day was 50MPH gusts coming across the plains that were really crazy. We did get good trail conditions info from Dakota Cyclery in Medora at the south end of the trail 701 222 1218. They can also set up stuff to pick you up or drop you off at a spot or spots on the trail so you can ride one bigger section instead of doing out and backs if you wanted. If there is rain before you go, you don't want to go. The wet clay is unridable, and I ride through pretty much anything I can.
The trail is epic, it is a must ride for midwesterners. The scenery is amazing (nothing like you'd expect in North Dakota unless you've lived there) and I'd really like to get back there soon.

[Mark_Kotz]

I'm planning a trip out to Maah Daah Hey in August. We plan to have 4 full days to ride. Thanks for the heat warnings. For us, it's August or never, so I'm liking the August option.

We plan to do either out and back rides (if we have 1 car) or shuttle a car to another trail head in the morning and do one way trips (if we have 2 cars). Questions for you guys:

Is water available at each of the trailhead campgrounds?
Are campgrounds fairly primative (e.g. water, outhouse, camp site) or do they have more amenities? Either is fine, but I want to know what to expect.
If we do several out and backs, what are the best (must do) trail sections?
Mileage off-road is kind of meaningless if you don't know the terrain. Can someone give me a time estimate (hours) on average between two campgrounds? (I see they are somewhat evenly spaced along the trail.) assuming the trail is dry and it's not brutally hot and humid. We are experienced sport (MNSCS) level riders.
Tires: Puncture wise, is it OK to use standard tires and tubes (with extra tubes and patch kits, etc. along) or is that sheer stupidity on this trail? If sheer stupidity, what would you recommend without investing in a full tubeless setup?
Any other advise is welcome. Feel free to e-mail me directly at markkotz at comcast.net.

Thanks!!! Mark

[Rocky Mountain]

There is water at the campgrounds just north of Medora. Not sure if they drinkable. If you stay at this campsite make sure you stay to the south side towards the river since the smell from the toilet drainage is terrible.

I rode 60 miles with no puncture protection and got no flats. Most of the others in my party did the same. Tubeless is overrated hype for most to all riders.

Contact Dakota Cyclery with the remaining questions or wait for the totally radical experts, Shad and Chris D., to reply. Dakota maybe slow in responding since the owner was seriously injured in Boulder about 2 months ago.

Just an FYI to others, after the Labor Day holiday Medora is a ghost town. Very few businesses are open and it can be a good time to go if you don't like crowds.


Is water available at each of the trailhead campgrounds?
Are campgrounds fairly primative (e.g. water, outhouse, camp site) or do they have more amenities? Either is fine, but I want to know what to expect.
If we do several out and backs, what are the best (must do) trail sections?
Mileage off-road is kind of meaningless if you don't know the terrain. Can someone give me a time estimate (hours) on average between two campgrounds? (I see they are somewhat evenly spaced along the trail.) assuming the trail is dry and it's not brutally hot and humid. We are experienced sport (MNSCS) level riders.
Tires: Puncture wise, is it OK to use standard tires and tubes (with extra tubes and patch kits, etc. along) or is that sheer stupidity on this trail? If sheer stupidity, what would you recommend without investing in a full tubeless setup?
Any other advise is welcome. Feel free to e-mail me directly at markkotz at comcast.net.

Thanks!!! Mark

[paulye]

We rode the Maah Daah Hey last August and are going back again in August. We did out-and-backs from Magpie Campground and did the Buffalo Gap Trail from Wannagan Camp to Medora (after a van ride from Jen at Dakota Cyclery).
Camping is primitive (Pit toilets, hand pumps for water). We used the campground water to keep the bikes clean. We brought all the potable water we needed when we drove in. We only had one flat over sixty miles of riding with standard tubes.
It's a great ride!!

Lauren and Jennifer (owners of Dakota Cyclery) are on their way home to Medora according to their website. Stop in and say hello - great people.

[jitterjepp]

I went out there on Monday and went from a the CC camp to Medora in about 39 hours. My suggestion is to take more time than that, sleep more than six hours and do it when its not 110 degrees in the valleys. I'd also bring iodine tabs for making cow troft water safe. That was a big help along with the shirt/algee filter.