Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > North Dakota

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 2 visitors

State: North Dakota
Date Submitted: June 1, 2005
Submitted by: "Alphadog"
Motorcycle Road Length: 12 - 40 Miles Miles

Written Directions

Take
exit 292 off Interstate 94 in Valley
City. The scenic byway goes both north and south from
that point. On my map, the route was not marked as a scenic
byway, but lots of signs in the area show that it really
is. I suggest you try going both North and South from Valley
City. If you go North, the route goes for about 12 miles
along the river (you'll be on River Road) and it takes you
up to Lake
Ashtabula. If you go south from Valley city (starting
on Kathryn Road) you'll follow the river to the town of
Kathryn
and later on this route the road changes names a lot and
if you follow the scenic byway signs you'll be fine
but if you want a list of the various road names, here they
are starting from Valley City and heading South to Fort
Ransom: Kathryn Road, 117th Ave SE or Route 21, Sheyenne
Road which at some point starts being called 118th Ave SE
(and still Route 21), and then this road T's into Hwy 46,
take a left (East) for just under 2 miles and you'll turn
right (South) on to Valley Road which will take you into
Fort Ransom State Park.

Scenery

This is a stretch of river valley scenery and rolling hills designated as a National Scenic Byway. The road wanders through Valley City, Kathryn and Fort Ransom following the Sheyenne River. Along the way, it passes farms, ranches, and open fields. Particularly for this area of North Dakota, which is characterized by very flat, treeless prairie and farmland, this road offers the best scenery for literally hundreds of miles in any direction.

Road Quality

Most of the road is rolling hills, gentle turns and good road conditions ... VERY good by North Dakota standards. However, after Fort Ransom, the scenic byway turns to 17 miles of gravel. Even though the official scenic byway continues on the gravel road, here is where I stop as I don't like to ride motorcycles on gravel. If you don't either, I suggest you turn around and cover the same route heading back north to Valley City.

Roadside Amenities

The scenic byway is well marked with signs so you'd have to work at getting lost. It has many information stations that I didn't take the time to explore, but I'd guess point out history or other points of interest along the way. Fort Ransom State Park looked like it offered very good camping facilities (again, I didn't take the time to check them out). All of the towns along the way were beautiful and had lots of amenities including family-run restaurants, antique shops and other stuff. If you have the time, you really should explore Valley City, Kathryn and Fort Ransom.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather . - More info on Fort Ransom State Park

Nickname (optional) "Alphadog"

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Reviewed by Guest on November 5, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Billy
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: FYI - Gravel from Kathryn South and from Lake Ashtabula North... - Very nice - I rode this late this fall, not much traffic. - I'd do it again.
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Reviewed by Guest on August 25, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: bruce
motorcycle_year: 1982
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Standard
Comment: we rode early morning august 22 2010 and it was beautiful.very nice road and scenery.we live in a land of plenty!
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