Cross Ranch State Park
29th Ave SW, Center, ND
Center, ND
One of the last free-flowing, undammed reaches of the Missouri River, with a floodplain forest of giant cottonwoods and a neighboring bison preserve.
Cross Ranch State Park protects one of the very last stretches of the Missouri River that still runs free, undammed and largely undeveloped, in a state where much of the great river has been turned into reservoirs. Here the water still braids around sandbars and cottonwood islands much as it did when Lewis and Clark passed through, giving a rare glimpse of the wild Missouri.
Along the bank stands a floodplain forest of enormous plains cottonwoods, some centuries old, shading a network of trails that wander through woods and prairie. Just upland from the park, a Nature Conservancy preserve keeps a herd of bison on the native grassland, so a visit combines a living river, an old forest, and the animal most bound up with the story of the plains.
What Guests Love
- A rare undammed, free-flowing stretch of the Missouri River much as Lewis and Clark saw it
- A floodplain forest of towering, centuries-old cottonwoods
- Miles of quiet hiking trails through woods and prairie
- The neighboring Nature Conservancy bison preserve on the uplands
Worth Knowing
- The park sits along a working river, so watch water levels and currents and keep an eye on children near the bank
- The bison on the adjoining preserve are wild animals, so view them from a safe distance and never approach
- Trails wind through cottonwood bottoms that can be buggy in summer, so bring insect protection
- This is a quiet, natural park with limited services, so come prepared for a low-key outdoors visit
Details
Center, ND
Learn about Cross Ranch State Park
The last wild Missouri
The Missouri is the longest river in North America, and across the twentieth century much of it was dammed to create huge reservoirs, drowning the old river bottoms under still water. A few reaches were left free-flowing, and Cross Ranch protects one of the finest, a stretch where the current still shapes sandbars, side channels, and wooded islands.
This is close to the river the Corps of Discovery followed upstream in 1804 and again in 1806, and it is the kind of country the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara farmed and traveled for generations before them. Standing on the bank here, watching the water move over its shallows, is one of the best ways to sense the river as it once was along its whole length.
The cottonwood forest and its people
The park is named for a cattle ranch that once worked this bottomland, and its floodplain forest is one of the largest and oldest stands of plains cottonwood left on the river. These broad, deeply furrowed trees depend on the river's floods to seed new generations, so an undammed reach like this is exactly what keeps the forest alive. Walking beneath the biggest of them, some centuries old, is a quiet highlight of the park.
This country has been home to Native peoples for thousands of years. The Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara, the Three Affiliated Tribes of the MHA Nation, built earthlodge villages and farmed corn, beans, and squash along the Missouri, and their homeland lies just upstream at Fort Berthold. The land Cross Ranch preserves is part of that long-inhabited river valley.
Bison, trails, and wildlife
Adjoining the state park is the Cross Ranch Preserve, owned by the Nature Conservancy, where a herd of bison ranges over restored mixed-grass prairie on the uplands above the river. Bison once numbered in the millions on these plains, and seeing them on native grassland here connects the park's forest and river to the wider story of the northern plains.
Miles of trails link the river bottom, the cottonwood forest, and the prairie edges, offering easy walking and good wildlife watching. Deer move through the woods, wild turkeys and songbirds fill the mornings, beaver and other animals work the riverbank, and bald eagles are often overhead, especially in the colder months.
Season by season on the river
Summer is warm and green, the fullest season for hiking, paddling, and camping in the cottonwood shade, though the river bottom can be buggy, so insect protection helps. Long evenings on the water are a highlight.
Fall is many visitors' favorite, when the cottonwoods turn brilliant gold along the river and the air cools. Winter is cold and still, good for spotting eagles and quiet snowshoe walks, and spring brings high water and green-up. Watching river conditions and dressing for prairie weather makes any season rewarding.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Center
Cross Ranch Preserve
Adjoining the park
A Nature Conservancy prairie preserve with a ranging bison herd, on the uplands above the river.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
About 25 miles northwest
The earthlodge village homeland of the Hidatsa and Mandan, where Sakakawea lived, with reconstructed lodges and trails.
Bismarck and Mandan
About 35 miles southeast
The capital city area, with the State Museum, Fort Abraham Lincoln, and services along the Missouri.