Three Chapters to host North Country Trail Hiking Festival
As the weather is slowly starting to warm up, more and more people are beginning to enjoy time outdoors. Coming up May 19th-21st, the third annual Three Chapters Hiking Festival will be put on by the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter right here within the community.
Many fun hikes and activities are planned throughout the weekend for all ages.
The Times-Record spoke with Becky Heise member of the North Country Trail Association about the upcoming event. “This is the third year of this event. The first was held in June 2021, in the area of Lake Sakakawea State Park which is the Western Terminus of the North Country National Scenic Trail. It was hosted by the newly formed Central Flyway Chapter. Last year, 2022, it was hosted by the Dakota Prairie Chapter in the Lisbon area. This year the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter is hosting the event here in Valley City. Hikes will include the Valley City segment, several segments along Lake Ashtabula and the Sheyenne State Forest down south of Fort Ransom. This event gives us a chance to share favorite segments of our trail, some history of the area, and encourage locals to use and enjoy the trail.
The North Country Trail is built and maintained almost entirely by volunteers donating countless hours of labor each year to try to maintain the trail in enjoyable hiking condition. However, sometimes the miles of trail exceeds the number of volunteers there are to help. The North Country Trail is always looking for volunteers to help develop new trail and maintain existing trail,” said Heise.
Heise also provided a detailed schedule for those interested in attending the event.
Festival Schedule:
Friday: 4:00 p.m., Valley City Historical Hike. Meet at the Medicine Wheel Park, 149 Winter Show Road. Includes a tour of the Medicine Wheel Park and Solar System hike, through historic VCSU campus, downtown Valley City to historic Chautauqua Park. Shuttle service will be provided back to your cars at Medicine Wheel Park prior to dinner. Easy to moderate 2-mile hike.
6:30 p.m. Picnic at Chautauqua Pavilion, 933 12th St. NE. Bring food for yourself and family and a chair if you are planning to be outside. Evening refreshments at Brockopp Brewing at 114 Main St. E, Valley City.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m.. Meet at the Rosebud Visitor Center to car follow to West Ashtabula Crossing for a hike to the Old Highway 26 Recreation Area. Shuttle service will be provided back to the Crossing. Park in the adjacent parking lot, moderate 3-mile hike.
Noon, bring your bag
lunch to the picnic shelter at West Ashtabula Crossing picnic shelter.
Saturday: 1:00 p.m., Meet at the Sibley Crossing restroom parking lot and trailhead for a moderate 5-mile hike from Sibley to historic Karnak Bridge. Shuttle Service will be provided back to your cars at Sibley.
Saturday: 6:00 p.m., Dinner ($20.00 per guest) at the Hannaford Mercantile Restaurant.
Hannaford Merc dinner program. Evening refreshments at Brockopp Brewing at 114 Main St. E, Valley City.
CHOICE ACTIVITY:
Sunday: 9:30 a.m.: Oak Ridge Trail Loop hike. Meet on the East which is on 122nd Ave. SE (2 miles southeast of Fort Ransom on the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway). This is the first North Country Trail segment established in North Dakota. Moderate to difficult for elevation -- 1.5mile loop.
Sunday: 9:30 a.m.: Kayak (or canoe) from Valley City National Fish Hatchery to Chautauqua Park in Valley City. About 2 hours. If you need help shuttling cars or kayaks please let us know. If you would like to participate but
don’t own a kayak, you can rent one at the Kayak Locker station located at Bjornson Municipal Golf Course, 3473 Woodland Park, Valley City. See www.vcparks.com/rentals for more information.
RSVP to the event by Friday May 5th, 2023, to either Connie Geinert cgeinert1@hotmail.com or Becky Heise dbheise@bektel.com. The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter also wants to remind people that it is Valley City High School graduation that weekend so if you’re looking to book accommodations to do it soon. Everything is free and open to the public except for the dinner on Saturday which is $20 per person. Menus for that night are still being determined. There is no cost for the shuttle rides as volunteers will be transporting people in their personal vehicles. “A part of the reason for this festival is to make people aware of the North Country Trail in their own communities. It is amazing that people still don't know about the trail even though it has been in the area for at least 20 years at the Sheyenne State Forest since 1982! It was the first certified segment of the North Country Trail in North Dakota,” said Heise.