Adventure camping: Take your pick of a wagon, tent, yurt or tipi

North Dakota adventures don’t end when the sun goes down. After an enjoyable day in the great outdoors, sleeping under the stars will add a truly unforgettable element to your destination vacation. Get creative as a way to relax and rejuvenate, consider spending a night in a covered wagon, field tent, or a yurt.

Covered WagonS

Westward settlement led pioneers overland with all of their possessions in covered wagons. For those now touring in station wagons, Fort Ransom State Park keeps the pioneer spirit alive with the Percheron Wagon, fully equipped with beds, refrigerator, microwave and air conditioning (not just by opening the flap).

The wagon is one of several accommodation options unique to the area’s settlement period. The park also offers overnights in the historic Bjorne House, built in 1879, and the two-person Nils Olson Cabin. Explore the scenic Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway or kayak the Sheyenne River with rentals from the state park. Paddle easily knowing your wagon or settler's house under the stars awaits.

Nestled along the Little Missouri River is the Conestoga Wagon in the Medora Campground that will make you feel like a true pioneer. This wagon has ample space to set up camp, enjoy dinner around the custom wagon wheel table, and take in a Badlands sunrise.

Field TentS

Military personnel on campaigns throughout Dakota Territory provided protection to railroad workers and settlers. Protection for soldiers came in the form of field tents. Modern field tents provide shelter with a luxurious “glamping” feel today at Fort Seward in Jamestown. They include many of the amenities of the 1870s, but hunting for food is as simple as running to the nearby market. With the cooler stocked, head back to camp to experience what it was like on a night out on the prairie. Add another historical element with a stay before or after June’s annual Fort Seward Wagon Train.

YurtS

Yurts are traditional lodges still used in some cultures as primary housing. Pretty Point Yurt at Cross Ranch State Park near Washburn is an unforgettable way to end a day of hiking, birding or fishing in the park or exploring nearby Lewis and Clark Expedition sites in Washburn and Stanton. Smaller yurts and cabins are other options within the park and additional yurts are located in Fort Ransom and Lake Metigoshe state parks.

Tipi or Earthlodge

Visit Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Nation Tourism to rent a tipi for a night and enjoy the scenic beauty and stimulate your senses watching cultural presentations and tasting the traditional foods; or you can stay the night in an earthlodge, take a trail ride, hear stories of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara peoples from cultural interpreters, and experience living culture at powwows and other events throughout the year.

Lund's Landing offers a beautiful, quaint country setting, genuine hospitality, Juneberry pie, a full-service restaurant, cabins, kayaks, canoes, boat rentals, fishing, hunting, birding activities, golfing, camping, tipi camping and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Trail. The tipis can accommodate 2-3 people, and the $125 tipi package (per night for 2 people) includes free use of a kayak and access to showers.