Advice needed on the Badlands

[Travis Leanna]

Hi Folks,

I'll be doing a 12 day hike/packraft in the North Dakota Badlands this August. Have a few questions:

1. How are the bugs?

2. Will I need a rain jacket? (I'm leaning towards no.)

3. So much depends on weather this summer, but what's your experience with finding water in drainages, wells, creeks, etc?

Any other advice is welcome.

[David Chenault]

I assume you're thinking MDH trail and packraft the Little Missouri? If so, I'd worry about having enough water to float within anything approaching decent speed. Historical average for August is 214 cfs which is very little for a river that wide.

It'd be a great bikerafting trip early summer, just so far away.

[Travis Leanna]

David, you are correct in regards to our route.

I'm aware of the CFS issues we may have, and besides praying for a rainy month leading up to our trip, we have a failsafe built into the route in case packrafting just isn't working.

We're starting at the Elkhorn ranch site, which is about halfway between the two park units. We're hiking south, then packrafting back to the Elkhorn site. There we will resupply from our car, and continue rafting to the northern unit. The final leg will be hiking the MDH back to our car. It's a big figure-8.

If packrafting proves futile, we can bail at the car, or just do a yo-yo on the northern part of the MDH.

I'd love to go in spring, but with my work schedule it is impossible.

[David Chenault]

Sounds like a good plan.

I've never been in August, so I can't advise too specifically. Might be some good t-storms that time of year, and while there are perennial streams they're few and far between. On my fall MTB trips I can't recall riding through water very often.

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