Well, at least the one I chose Sunday night…it’s the bike path above Pioneer Park, which had its heyday in the mid 1990s. That’s when it was developed and expanded to serve as the course for the Prairie Rose State Games mountain bike race. It’s one of three really nice mountain bike trails in Bismarck-Mandan, and I’ll highlight the other two down the road. This is where I tend to join the trail, just off the paved path above River Road. You can see this big pointed hill if you look down from the lookout point accessed from Burnt Boat Road.

This trail isn’t all grassland; it dips down into the trees numerous times. There are some nice drops and climbs in there, some old car bodies, and some welcome shade on a hundred degree day. There are a number of different possibilities on this path, winding all over the place.

Once you pop back up out of the trees there are a couple of loops along the hill, over by the Interstate, and then even back up the BSC side and around that area. I didn’t choose to do that part Sunday night due to time constraints. This trail overlooks some of Bismarck’s best river scenery. On much of the trail I was able to hear the live music from Merriwether’s.

There are some fun parts like this…don’t end up falling on your head and tumbling down to River Road! You have to look out in some places, because the city has closed certain parts of the trail to protect against erosion. Points like this can clearly be seen from River Road, although they don’t look nearly as serious from the bottom.

If you’re looking for a workout and have moderate mountain biking skills, hop on the trail above River Road…it’s a challenge! If you think it isn’t, do three laps sometime. That will change your mind.