In the far northeast, the Pembina River has carved a deep, forested gorge — a pocket of rugged, wooded country that surprises everyone who expects the plains to stay flat.
The plains have a reputation for flatness that the Pembina Gorge cheerfully demolishes. In the far northeast corner of the state, the Pembina River has cut a deep, twisting valley through the terrain, cloaking its slopes in one of the largest blocks of unbroken forest in the region — a green, rugged surprise in a country better known for its horizons.
Where the Flat Plains Fold
The gorge is a haven for those who like their outdoors wooded and steep. Hikers and horseback riders climb its wooded trails; paddlers run the winding river in spring; and in winter the slopes draw skiers and snowmobilers to a terrain the surrounding prairie cannot offer. Moose and deer move through the timber.
From the almanac's reckoning:
- The Pembina River carved a deep, forested gorge in the far northeast.
- The gorge holds one of the region's largest unbroken forests.
- Its slopes offer hiking, paddling, skiing and snowmobiling by season.
It is a reminder that the plains hold more variety than the interstate reveals, and that the patient explorer is always rewarded. The almanac counts the Pembina Gorge among the state's best-kept secrets — a fold of rugged green in the great flat north.
Elsewhere in the Almanac
Deer Camp and the Rifle Season of November
When the November rifle season opens, families gather at deer camps across the plains for a tradition that is as much about the fellowship as the hunt for the whitetail and the mule deer.
The Little Missouri: A Canoe Through the Badlands
In the brief weeks of spring runoff, paddlers slip onto the Little Missouri and drift the length of the badlands, past buttes and bighorn and bison, in the quietest way to see the wild country.
Under the Darkest Skies: Stargazing on the Open Prairie
Far from the glow of cities, the western plains hold some of the darkest night skies in the country, where the Milky Way throws shadows and the aurora dances on winter nights.