The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department will begin a series of infrastructure upgrades across several state parks this month, including doubling the capacity at Rough Rider State Park in Billings County.
The projects aim to modernize campsites, improve utility infrastructure and meet growing demand for RV-friendly facilities.
Work at Rough Rider State Park, located south of Medora, is scheduled to begin Aug. 18. Crews will restructure the Whitetail Flats Campground to create more sites and convert most into pull-through spaces, which are easier for RV campers to access.
Upgrades will also include improved water systems and 30-50-amp electrical service.
Deputy Director Paul Taylor said the enhancements are in response to a surge in camping demand that has persisted since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Taylor also noted that many of North Dakota’s state campgrounds were designed in the 1980s and ’90s, when RV power needs were lower.
The restructuring will address aging infrastructure and bring facilities in line with current camping trends.
“So it’s a combination of increased demand and just recognition that we need to kind of catch up a little bit on … some things (that) were kind of becoming a little bit long in the tooth, shall we say,” Taylor said, as reported by The Jamestown Sun on August 11.
Rough Rider was selected for expansion in part because of its consistently high occupancy rates.
Taylor also said the park’s campsites are nearly always full during the summer, even on weekdays. “Rough Rider is a different animal altogether. It’s very busy,” he said.
The planned improvements will extend beyond campsites. Upgrades will be made to septic systems, water pressure and roads, and crews will plant new trees.
A section of the park will also be prepared for a future comfort station.
Taylor said the new comfort stations, planned for multiple state parks, will feature bathrooms and showers and serve as storm shelters during severe weather.
Overnight camping at Rough Rider will also be suspended during the renovations, though the Maah Daah Hey Trail will remain open. Construction is expected to continue into the spring.
Additional modernization projects will follow at Icelandic, Grahams Island and Fort Ransom state parks. Work will begin at Icelandic and Grahams Island on Sept. 2 and at Fort Ransom on Sept. 8.
At Icelandic State Park, the South Loop and part of the West Loop campsites will be upgraded. Grahams Island State Park will see improvements in the Ziebach and Howard campgrounds, and Fort Ransom’s modern site campground will also receive updates.