The Maah Daah Hey Trail received some great press again this year. The March '08 issue of Adventure Cyclist had yours truly on the front cover! And the 6 page story and photos were written by our favorite writer/photography Chuck Haney from Whitefish, Montana. Chuck was one of the first photojournalist to fall in love with the "Badlands" and literally helped put it and us, on the map back in 1997! His story compares the trail from those first rides back in it's infacy to the fall of 2007. Well done Chuck!
This fall another writer from Montana rode the whole trail. Chris Jorgenson from the Billings Gazette. That story appeared on October 3rd, 2008. Another great job!
Outside Magazine wrote a story in reference to Theodore Roosevelt and if he was here today if he'd find the Badlands as remote and romantic as he did 125 years ago and if he'd ride a bike? He was an athlete and an outdoorsman-of course!! One more-Watch for the April 09 issue of National Geographic Adventure Magazine for another short story on the Maah Daah Hey Trail! We love the press!!
Each year we try to improve what we do-whether we "Learn from our Mistakes" or "Practice makes Perfect" or maybe the combination of the two, nontheless, we want to make your Maah Daah Hey Adventure a memorable one! This past year we added a few "value added" goodies to our "Works Shuttle". In addition to bringing ice for your coolers, bringing extra supplies if you need them, haul your garbage each day, we also have several 7 gallon containers of "city" water which we refill each day. Keep in mind the well water at the campsite is potable, but the city water does taste better. We also have a couple of 4 foot tables, lawn chairs, and coolers if you need it, at no additional charge. By the way, the wells do not run dry. Some of the campsites take some extra "pumping" and you do manually have to prime the pump. Magpie camp takes the longest.
The Maah Daah Hey II or "The Deuce" will be completed by August '09. Eight miles are cut in from the Bully Pulpit Gulf Course going south. Another 8 is started at the Burning Coal Vein(southern camp) going North. Work will resume when the weather warms up this spring
Reservations are coming in so get your pals together and get on the schedule! Think Green-Park your vehicles at our safe lot in Medora Campground, and book our Works Shuttle. The impact of one van, versus 3 or four SUV's is much better for the environment and less wear and tear on your personal vehicles. We see lots of flat tires on vehicles out there as the scoria rock surface of the roads can slice them up. So park it-and use our services! In this crazy economy it is still one of the most economical vacations/adventures you'll ever have.
Another Note: We are now Cannondale Dealers again, along with Maverick Bicycles and KHS. We have a full service shop and can take care of all your trail emergency! One thing you should bring is an extra derailleur hanger for your particular bike as it is difficult to stock everyone of them. Shifting with finesse will avoid that problem but that is one of the major mechanical breakdowns we see out there.
We hope to see you all this summer!
Jennifer and Loren Morlock
January 22nd, 2009 - The U.S. National Park Service (NPS) is currently seeking your comments on whether or not to make exceptions for mountain bikes on certain trails such as the segment of the Maah Daah Hey Trail that runs through the North Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. IMBA has made it easy for you to take action now, click on that and it will only take a few minutes for you to help open up and expand existing trails.
September 20th, 2008 - The Maah Daah Hey Trail extension running between Burning Coal Vein campground and Medora is progressing and sections are ridable. You can access the completed sections by riding North approximately 7 miles from Burning Coal Vein or by heading South about 11 miles out from the Bully Pulpit golf course. The trail starts just before the course. The entire extension will not be complete until next year, but about 22 miles will be completed by the end of fall.
There's another new section leaving from Summit Campground, which is located 18.5 miles south of Watford City on Highway 85. There you will find the new Summit Trail to connect you to the Maah Daah Hey.
Bikers and hikers are coming out in full force this fall. The weather is fabulous and now the fall colors are setting in. Shuttles are going out daily so give us a shout if you want a ride, if more than six get together discount rates will apply.
May 22nd, 2008 - Shuttle prices have increased due to higher fuel costs, and please note that if the river is too high to ford with our shuttle, an extra $100 will be charged for transportation to the next site.
Check out the USGS Real-Time Water Data for the Little Missouri at Medora, ND.
May 12th, 2008 - Check out our new photo gallery courtesy of professional photographer Jeremy Wade Shockley. That's great, but we've also just got in more Maverick bikes to meet the demand for rentals.
April 17th, 2008 - We got a jump start on spring this year. We returned from Arizona the end of March and our first customers showed up on April 5th! It snowed that night but with the dry conditions, the snow melted and there was dust on the trail by mid afternoon Sunday. The Crocus (Pasque flowers) are in bloom and with the recent rains it's really starting to green up.
The shop is open with a flexible schedule and we'll be there as often as weather permits. We have to rely on "Solar" heat as our "early 1900 era blacksmith shop" is not heated. So for those of you planning your summer adventure, e-mail is still the best communication. Use keywords Maah Daah Hey Trail, Shuttle, Bike rental etc... so my Spam filters don't delete it. I have been checking messages, and you can leave a message on the machine as well.
It's official! We are now available to shuttle, guide, rent bikes, repair bikes and custom order your new Cannondale, Maverick or KHS bicycle. Stayed tuned to this website for my "Need to Know" segment of the Maah Daah Hey Trail. Hope to hear from you soon!
Jennifer & Loren
December 25th, 2007 - The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation granted permission for Loren to build a trail along the Little Missouri River from the bridge to the bike path. Loren hasn't lost his knack for designing a fun trail and this approximate 1.5 mile stretch winds its way along the river, through the cottonwoods, and will be a great beginner trail as well a perfect connector to hook up with the Maah Daah Hey Trail. It is about 60% complete, which he will resume next spring.
Maah Daah Hey Trail Shuttle.
