25th Annual Conference

NCT Overview

Download NCT Overview

Join Us in VALLEY CITY, North Dakota for the 2009 North Country Trail Annual Conference July 30 - August 2

Welcome to the beautiful Sheyenne Valley
Outdoor enthusiasts are invited to explore the North Country National Scenic Trail in North Dakota. The focus of the conference is educational workshops, tours, and a full slate of outdoor activities including 12 planned hiking opportunities and canoeing the Sheyenne River. Family and nightly entertainment are also provided. The conference will provide learning opportunities, networking and fun-filled events for the whole family. The event is being hosted by the Sheyenne River Valley Chapter of the North Country Trail Association and will be held on the campus of Valley City State University.

Prairie Hiking at its finest!
North Dakota offers hikers a unique experience. The state is known for its wide open spaces and features the western terminus of the North Country National Scenic Trail which spans seven states and stretches 4,600 miles. Certified segments of the trail in North Dakota are located along the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway including Sheyenne State Forest, Fort Ransom State Park, Valley City, and Lake Ashtabula. These segments offer opportunities for prairie hiking that are not available anywhere else in the country.

Irene Szabo, editor of North Star magazine, said, "The state offers trail that is undeniably different from anything the other six states feature, because it is, after all, the remains of the prairie where buffalo once roamed. Vast grasslands and impounded waterways are protected variously by the federal Corps of Engineers or Bureau of Reclamation. Some trail lands are National Wildlife Refuges, others National Grasslands, while still other spots are protected as state parks or managed by North Dakota Wildlife divisions. Immense farms provide views of hundreds of acres of wheat, soy and pinto beans, and most visually appealing, miles of bright and colorful sunflowers with their ripe faces turned toward the sun. With these farms and open prairie dominating the area, everything is bigger than imagination. A sunburn is likely after a day's walk, for this is hiking in the wide open spaces indeed."

Welcome to North Dakota!
The Sheyenne River Valley Chapter invites all North Country Trail Association members to join us to learn, have fun, and hike some of the most scenic areas in the Midwest. We would like to show you some best kept secrets like wooded trails, massive railroad bridges and a waterfall!

We have planned some "out of this world" entertainment, lively music, and delicious meals (please note special dietary considerations at registration time). Limited shuttles are available to/from the Fargo airport and Amtrak station based on need. For ridesharing information, visit www.northcountrytrail.org/classifieds.

Let Us Entertain You!
Across two years. Across 7,800 miles. Deia Schlosberg, 28, and Gregg Treinish, 26, two Montana-based wilderness educators, became the first two people to backpack the Andes Mountain Range, the first two to walk it through the mountains without relying on roads, and the first woman to have walked South America. Named National Geographic Adventurers of the Year in 2008, these dedicated hikers persevered through high peaks, deep valleys, knee-deep peat bogs, rainy seasons, trackless deserts, bamboo forests and incredible views. Deia and Gregg will be featured during Friday night's community benefit night-you won't want to miss their account of this unforgettable trek "Across the Andes" or the live and silent auctions that come before them!

The E Company of Custer's Memorial 7th Cavalry was first formed in 1967 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the old Fort Ransom post. On Thursday night at the picnic, they will allow you to share camp life with them and their families. Thrill to their re-enactment of drills on horseback and demonstrations of marksmanship with black powder pistols! Afterwards, Brother Jukebox will have you rocking to the best of Country and Rock and Roll music.

For more than ten years Nature/Wildlife Tourism has demonstrated one of the strongest growth patterns in the travel and outdoor recreation market, contributing over $47.7 billion to the US economy. After dinner on Saturday night Jim Mallman, President and founding Board member of Watchable Wildlife, Inc., will provide an overview of what is happening in nature tourism worldwide and explain the reasons for promoting it in your community.

Would you call spending several nights sleeping in a van in sub-zero temperatures to capture scenes just before dawn, obsessed? Daron Krueger and Clint Saunders, better known as the Obsessed Photographers Group, gives you slide show glimpse into their latest book, aptly entitled "Obsessed with North Dakota." A book signing will follow, all on Saturday night after Jim Mallman.

New to the 2009 Annual Conference: Family & Youth Activities
Bring your children or grandkids along with you to the conference and help recruit the North Country Trail users and volunteers of the future! A variety of activities will be offered to appeal to both NCTA members and area families centered on getting kids outdoors and away from the video games. Some of the scheduled activities will be offered for kids (under 12) so that parents/grand parents can enjoy the "boring adult stuff" parts of the conference, but a majority of the activities are designed for families to participate in together.

Please note: Registration for kids under 16 is free, but a-la-carte meal fees will apply. In addition, some activities will have a special fee (noted below) and may be cancelled if not filled.

Specific activities for kids and their families include:

Family hikes on the NCT at Clausen Springs Recreation Area and in Valley City including a visit to Medicine Wheel Park.

A drop-off program for kids to visit the VCSU planetarium to learn how to navigate with Lewis & Clark (extra fee of $10, minimum of 10 participants). Afterwards, participants will visit the Rosebud Visitor Center.

A hands-on hiking with kids workshop for the family.

A family day trip to the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown, ND and hike on the White Cloud Nature Trail (extra fee of $18 per family (mom/dad & kids), minimum of 10 participants).

Outdoors games for kids at Riverbend Farm on Thursday and on campus on Saturday, a kid's auction on Friday and a family scavenger hunt on Sunday morning.