The Awesome Hike In North Dakota That Will Take You Straight To An Abandoned Tunnel
By Leah|Published October 07, 2017
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Leah
Author
Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. She loves small-town life and currently enjoys living on a small farm in the ND prairie. She's always had a passion for writing and has participated in novel writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo multiple times. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked.
If you want to give yourself a bit of a spook while exploring North Dakota this October, you might want to stop by this unusual recreation area and take a hike on its trail. If you’re easily scared by being in the dark, then this is not for you! This spot is not only a little unnerving but fascinating and full of history: it is also the only spot like this in the entire state. Check it out if you’re brave enough:
At the Sundheim Park and Recreation Area in McKenzie County, North Dakota, you will find the state's only lift bridge and railroad tunnel.
The Fairview Lift Bridge was built in 1913 but was scarcely used and has been sitting abandoned since the 1980s. In 1997, it was registered on the National Register of Historic Places.
There is a trail open to the public that will take you across the Fairview Lift Bridge and to this long since abandoned place.
The trail is called the Fairview Lift Bridge and Cartwright Tunnel Trail, and as you now know, it will bring you right to North Dakota's only completed railroad tunnel — a tunnel that was never used.
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The views from the bridge of the Yellowstone River are beautiful on their own, but it's that dark destination at the end of this section of the trail that this hike is all about.
At the end of the bridge is the Cartwright Tunnel, North Dakota's only railroad tunnel. The tunnel unfortunately never saw any use and has sat abandoned since it was built.
The tunnel goes through at enough of a bend that about halfway through you can no longer see either of the entrances, and there are no lights. You just have to keep on walking until you finally start to see the light radiating from the exit.
After exiting the tunnel, you'll reach a dirt path and scenic little nature area.
The trail does not loop so you must turn back and go through the dark tunnel again. Luckily, the trail is not exceptionally long and usually takes about 15-20 minutes to complete. The tunnel is just over 1,400 feet in total.
This tunnel and bridge combination makes for a pretty spooky hiking destination, but it's an awesome piece of history and hidden gem in North Dakota worth a visit — if you're not afraid of the dark, that is!
