How the trail came to be, the rides we send riders to first, the shuttle stops that get you there, and the maps worth having in your pocket.
Route details, elevation and conditions for the 95-mile IMBA Epic stretch of the Maah Daah Hey. The best place to plan a day or a full push on the northern half.
Trailforks ride footage of The Deuce, the southern stretch of the Maah Daah Hey — see the lines, terrain and flow before you drop in.
The association that builds and maintains all 144 miles. Trail maps, alerts, volunteer days and the Maah Daah Hey 100 race all live here.
Water, weather, wildlife, closures and trail etiquette — the association’s answers to the questions riders ask most.
The idea of linking TRNP's North and South Units with the Elkhorn Ranch takes shape, and planning finally clears the way for construction.
Construction begins. Jen and Loren Morlock are already deep in North Dakota trail advocacy.
The Forest Service and state partners build the original route; Dakota Cyclery puts the Badlands in front of visitors and media.
The original trail is finished at about 96 miles. Jen Morlock joins the early association board.
The trail association forms, Dakota Cyclery wins the first guided-tour and shuttle permit, and the trail earns National Recreation Trail status.
Jen and Loren make Medora home, deepening Dakota Cyclery's local roots.
The Southern Extension is planned, built and opened.
The final connection completes the system at roughly 144 miles.
Volunteers, agencies and conservation groups keep the trail maintained and stewarded.
The association marks 25 years, and Dakota Cyclery's legacy continues as Dakota Cycling Adventures under Julie and Jairo Ramos Lagos.
Original planning, construction and public-land management.
State recreation partnerships and trail development.
Advocacy, fundraising, infrastructure and maintenance.
Jen and Loren Morlock
Early advocates, association leadership, guiding, shuttles and promotion.
Grassroots volunteer maintenance and stewardship.
Conservation advocacy for the Badlands.
Tourism development and promotion.
Statewide promotion of the Badlands and the trail.
Built through collaboration, and kept alive by generations committed to protecting and sharing the Badlands.
Not everyone needs all 144 miles. These are the stretches we put first-timers and visiting riders on — both finish with a ride back to the shop in Medora for a cold drink and a bike wash.
Our most requested starting point. Gentle rolling climbs, wide-open views and forgiving clay doubletrack make it an easy intro to the badlands, and it keeps every group happy.
Ride it as an out-and-back or link it back toward Medora for a full day on the trail.
A local favorite with a little more climbing and a lot more payoff. Ridges, draws and fast flowing singletrack where every small grunt is rewarded by an equally twisty downhill, with a finish that rolls right back to the shop in Medora.
Best ridden with a shuttle drop so you can enjoy the descent instead of saving legs for the road.
The Maah Daah Hey — North Dakota's IMBA-designated Epic — runs rough singletrack through grass and clay, split into nine trail units of varying size and difficulty, with spur trails, campgrounds and trailheads spread across the whole length. We shuttle to all of them — tell us where you want to start and where you want to finish.
A new trailhead at the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Medora, opening the north end of the trail system right where the story starts. We will be running drops there as soon as it opens.
