What a gem of a park! We camped for one night (could have easily stayed longer if we'd had more…read moretime) and enjoyed fishing and the historic sites. Ranger Austin was a friendly wealth of information and my 5 yo really enjoyed wearing the buffalo head dress he brought over. Our campsite faced the Missouri, which was sweet. However, all of the campsites are pretty close together. If I were to go back, I'd opt for site 1, which faces the river and has a little more space to it as it is close to a parking lot, but not obtrusively so. Also, the bathrooms were spotless and boasted the nicest campground shower I've ever had.

For a state with an abysmal and brutal record (in fact to the present day) of encounters with…read moreindigenous Americans (oh wait, that's not very distinguishing among other states is it?) this state park does quite an excellent job of presenting a rebuilt indigenous people's village. The cultural and linguistic explanations about the native people's way of seeing and thinking is especially noteworthy. The reconstructed "earthlodges" sit on the site of an actual, large settlement of a northern plains tribe from the 1700s. If you tour this site, you'll learn about the spread of smallpox from the Spanish populations further south, up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers, that weakened the entire population even before contact with the european invaders from the east. There are exhibit narratives about a tribal leader traveling to the east to meet with U.S. leaders, however, these narratives omit the brutal part of the european-native confrontation. Notably, the Whitestone massacre from the 1860s, where 300+ women and children at a big harvest camp were brutalized and killed, not too far from this exact site. (A "genocidal" action of the U.S. Army that provides historical precedent for the likes of Boko Haram.) Yes, history is told by the vanquishers, but in this case, a very dedicated woman of indigenous origin has spoken of her heritage through storytelling over many years, and her painstaking, tenacious work has paid off in the quality and insights available at this exhibit. You'll be enriched by insights into the native peoples' worldview. Additionally, I recommend a stop at the visitors center because the media there really brings alive the structures you see in the native village. The military forts at this state park are so predictable...and deceitful (because right to the present, few european americans want to admit and reconcile with the perpetration of atrocities.)

This is easily among my favorite places to camp in NoDak during summer & has one of the few groomed…read morewinter trails. We were able to do a March hike on well-packed snow.The yurt, which is available during winter, books up fast. There's a very detailed and still accurate review below, so, I won't repeat all of that, I'll just say it all still holds true, and the mosquitoes have only multiplied since then! The hiking trails are quite nice & I love the layout being along the water's edge. The water is surprisingly clear, but keep an eye out for erosion, those ledges are no joke.

Cross ranch campground may be my new favorite campground in the local area around Bismarck. It's…read morenot teaming with all the updates like most campgrounds around these days. No annoying street lights. No paved roads, it's just you and nature. Set right against the Missouri river it's beautiful and at night it's almost like you can see every star in the sky. There is no light pollution here at all! There is a little registration store here for purchasing things. You can rent paddle boats and kayaks. There are sites here for rvs, primitive sites for tents, and cabins to rent. This would be a perfect place for a family reunion. This place would be perfect if it just had a more centrally located shower facility.

I was surprised to see that Dick's was pretty much empty of customers, even though this store is…read morechock full of stuff. Perhaps they're over at Scheels who sells all sorts of guns and aren't Dick's about it? Anyway, this store has lots of outdoor gear, exercise gear, some firearms, fishing and sports. The table of sleds and other snow toys was well stocked. [Review 10624 overall, 392 of 2019.]

I have been in this store 2 times and have never been acknowledged, the few staff are usually…read more"busy" organizing, putting away things, etc. products are good for a sports store. This store is out of my way so I don't come here often, but their competition (Scheels) is a state staple who prides itself on customer service and quality products.

This park allows every season to shine & winter may very well be the best time to stop be…read more Once the lake freezes over, there's something magical about walking on the water. The landscape is spectacular & we frequently see wildlife. The campground is also pretty good.It's a clean, well-kept park.

Nice upcoming state park. They have planted many trees which are starting to fill out. The camp…read moresites are a bit close together so may lack some privacy on busy weekend. Shower facilities are newer with hot water and water pressure! Oh yeah..... Boat landing and beach area is very nice. Wr are many deer, birds, gophers running around the property. Park is well taken care of. We will be back and fish the big lake some more

Scheels is an amazing store. The service is great! They have a great selection of items and the…read morestore is massive.i love walking around the store and seeing all they have to offer. There is so much to see in the store and feel that it's well organized. I love the selection and variety of options. You can spend hours in this store! They have a lot of items on the sales rack so you can get a lot of great deals, especially during the off season. They really have everything you can imagine. Highly recommend!

On July 30, 2025, I stopped in your Scheels store in Bismarck looking for a pair of Keen shoes,…read morewhich I purchased from you store may time before. I was approached by a sales associate and I told him that I was looking a new pair of Keens shoes. I indicated that I require a shoe with a wide width, and then indicated if the display does not indicate wide widths we don't have them. I then asked he could please check your store to if by any chance you might a pair on the shelves. He told me if they are not indicated come in a wide width you don't have any on hand. I then asked if could order a pair me on and have sent to my house as on some my prior purchases of this brand of shoe, his response was that was to online and look for what I wanted and order them myself. It appear if my sale was not going to be a quick sale or if was not one the youths purchasing back to school shoes, he was not interested in helping me. Now we are told to support our local businesses, but if this the kind of service we are going receive we might just well go the big box stores.

A solid state park & a regular stop for our hiking adventures, especially in winter. The staff are…read morealways super friendly & we encounter them frequently in the parking lot that doubles as parking for a trailhead & the gift shop/ ranger station/ equipment rental. The empty check-post is decorated (so cute) for the winter holiday season. It's about halfway between Minot and Bismarck- a convenient midway break on our shopoing trips to Bismarck.

A nice park for what it is. There are a lot of themed hikes, with the trails lit up & marked well…read more Staff are always friendly. I don't think I'd camp here, as there aren't really trees & I don't boat. It is the closest park to my house.