Harvest Hike: Walking Trivia

 

This year, we're combing the annual three-sisters garden harvest with a guided family-friendly hike! Starting at the Visitor Center and ending at the On-A-Slant Village, the hike will be approximately 3/4ths of a mile in length. Along the hike, a Park Ranger will quiz your knowledge regarding the crops the Mandan tribe grew while they occupied the area. Pets are welcome but must be leashed and picked up after at all times. The hike route will be easy to moderate and stroller friendly. A separate route will be available for those with strollers as a portion of the hiking route will go down stone steps.

 

At the conclusion of the hike, we'll need your help to harvest our corn, beans, squash, & sunflowers from the garden. This isn't regular crop varieties either. This year we'll be harvesting Mandan Bride (or Painted Mountain) corn, Hidatsa Red & Arikara Yellow beans, Hidatsa Winter Squash, and Arikara Sunflowers. Here's the really cool part....everything you help us harvest, YOU GET TO TAKE HOME (while supplies last)!

 

During the hike and the garden harvest, park staff will talk about Mandan agricultural practices, what crops they grew, how they grew them, what tools they used, how they prepared and stored their food, and much more!

 

*Special note: bees and other insects frequent the sunflowers to pollinate. Anyone who is allergic to bees is asked to please keep a safe distance away. Park staff will have gardening tools available for everyone to help lend a hand.