I normally review these types of places on a different web site. However, this State Park in North Dakota is quite unique and deserving of a review on here. This land where this state park is located was once part of a large ranch. (The ranch part is still across the street and is now run by the Nature Conservancy.) This park is beautiful and quite peaceful (except for the mosquitoes, bring plenty of repellant!). There are two sections: The Main section (where the Visitor Center is located) and the Sanger campground. The Main campground is dry camping only with both RV and tent sections. In the RV section (Governor's Loop), the spaces are both back in and pull through. The pull through spaces are quite spacious, plenty of room for a big rig and tow car. Plus, all sites have good spacing for privacy between sites, and plenty of trees for shade. Further down outside the Governor's Loop, there are a couple of great "buddy sites" where you can put two and even three RV's in a site for camping with friends. However, each RV has to pay it's own fee, you can't get a "two/three for one" in the buddy site. Even further down, the tent sites have good spacing and lots of trees for great shade. There are two types of tent sites: Park in and Hike in. The Park in sites have room for your car and tent. The Hike in sites have a small parking circle, and you make a small hike on a well maintained grass trail to the tent sites. One of the Hike in sites has a Tipi, which was installed this year. There are vault toilets located at convenient locations throughout the area. You can take a shower in the Visitor's Center. The park also features two really great Yurts heated with propane and include small refrigerators. There are also two really nice log cabins. No toilet facilities in the Yurts or cabins, you use the vault toilets or the Visitor Center restrooms. There is a very nice picnic shelter with a kids playground. The Sanger campground is two miles down and features a boat ramp, RV sites with electrical hookup, and tent sites. The RV sites in Sanger aren't as spacious as in Main, but there is adequate vegetation between sites to allow for privacy. The tent sites in Sanger have a heavy tree canopy and have great shade, plus the spacing is more than adequate for privacy. The RV sites have some shade except for site 16. Site 16 in Sanger is very popular with people who like to fish. Site 16 is located right near the Missouri River, and you can throw a fishing line right out your RV window. However, Site 16 is dry camping. Parking in this loop is dicey. The tent sites have no parking area other than the main road through the loop. The RV sites have room for a toad as long as your RV is not over 32 feet. If Sanger is full, then driving through it gets dicey with cars parked along the tent sites. Sanger has one vault toilet serving the whole loop. During the summer, you can rent canoes to take on the Missouri River. During the winter, this park is popular with snowmobiling, snowshoeing, and cross country skiing. I have not stayed here in winter, so I have one question: If it's 30 below, and you are staying in a Yurt or Cabin, how does one make one's way to a vault toilet or to the showers in 30 below temperatures? Finally, two caveats: 1: The entrance to the Main campground has a train trestle with a 14 foot clearance. However, big rigs seem to make it through. 2. If you are coming from the Eastern part of North Dakota, your GPS will insist that you go through Hensler. DO NOT DO THIS! The road from Hensler is a dirt road, you don't want to take your RV on that road. Instead, navigate yourself to Washburn using US 83 and ND ALT 200. Then, turn your GPS off and follow the signs directing you to Cross Ranch. If you are crazy enough to leave your GPS on anyway, it will still try to route you through Hensler from Washburn. IGNORE! Just follow the well placed signs, and you will get to Cross Ranch. read more
