Meti-Gosh(I love it here)-E
By Kelli Bowen
I love North Dakota, but don’t tell anyone, because I don’t want hordes of people coming and flooding my state. One of the best things about North Dakota is the lack of other humans. In my home state, there are favorite places that I have, and this year I get a bonus because I get to visit my favorite North Dakota state park twice this season: Lake Metigoshe State Park.
What makes Lake Metigoshe State Park my favorite? Good question! It has small lakes throughout the park for kayaking and hiking around. There is Lake Metigoshe itself which is both in the U.S. as well as Canada, and even though I’m pretty sure it’s legal, there’s something that feels slightly naughty about rolling up in Canadian waters without having to show a passport (it’s only illegal if you set foot on Canadian soil apparently). There are numerous trails for biking, hiking on foot, and a water trail for canoeing or kayaking. For the kids, there’s a swimming area, there are playgrounds, and a freakin ice cream truck that comes through the area during the summer! Plus the campgrounds. If I want to tent away from those other pesky humans, I can. If we want a pull-thru camper site, they’re there. If I want to hike or paddle a couple miles in and rent a cabin - YEP. If I’m feeling like staying in a yurt? That can totally happen. Lake Metigoshe State Park is just the BEST!!
The climate is wonderful (I’m a cool climate girl). I was able to wear a sweatshirt up there in August when I was sweating my keester off the days prior and after when we weren’t in the park, so basically it’s magic.
We were able to check out Old Oak Nature Trail which is North Dakota’s first National Recreation Trail. There was also a Precious & Few self-guided hiking activity while we were there, so we went along a multi-use hiking trail finding fact sheets about various species that are threatened, endangered and recently de-listed. We found all of the species and then submitted a completed fact sheet, and guess what? I won a gift card to a local restaurant, so that’s pretty neat!
As far as camper sites, Lake Metigoshe knows what’s up. We had our own little area with trees between spots, so we weren’t staring at the neighbors. It felt secluded, which was great! We were surrounded by choke cherries, which is a personal favorite.
Point for point, Lake Metigoshe wins in our books for best State Park. To be Faaaaaaair, I haven’t been to every North Dakota state park, but I hope to be, and I’ll let you know if I find a new favorite. Do you have a favorite North Dakota State Park?
Kelli makes her home in Cass County with her husband, two daughters (8 and 5) and two dogs. She works for a regional seed company by day and tries to be an alright mom, wife, friend and writer by night.
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