Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway


The Standing Rock Indian Reservation is home to the Lakota and Dakota people and is located 35 miles south of Bismarck, ND or 115 miles north of Pierre, SD. Visitors are invited to take the Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway which begins at the Cannon Ball River south along Highways 1806 and 24 and ends at Highway 20 and BIA Route 4 intersection near Mobridge, SD. History comes alive on this journey as the great Lakota spiritual leader Sitting Bull lived and died here; Meriwether Lewis and William Clark stopped 14 times, famous mountain men like Jim Bridger and Jedediah Smith passed through and it is the final resting place of Sakakawea. It’s an open land with a panoramic horizon, and vibrant with Indian culture.

Sights & Places
1.	Holy Hills of the Mandan Indians located near Cannonball, ND, visitors will find the Holy Hills of the Mandan Indians. Legend says it is the place where the Mandan emerged into the world again. Interpretive signage and visitor information is available at the Cannonball Pitstop Convenience Store.

2.	Missouri River/Lake Oahe The Lake sparkles in the distance, with rounded bluffs that make up the eastern border of the Missouri River flood plain. Lake Oahe offers some of the best fishing in the region. Walleye, Trout and other game fish are simply waiting to supply dinner. Guides are available to provide access to some of the best fishing sites around. The Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Game and Fish Department welcomes visitors who wish to hunt and fish on the reservation. For more information go to http://gameandfish.standingrock.org/. Photo courtesy of Kranzler Kingsley

3.	Prairie Knights Casino & Resort Prairie Knights Casino and Resort, located at 7932 Hwy 24, offers a wide variety of high stakes gaming options and 96 spacious hotel rooms. Stop in for a quick buffet-style meal or for fine dining at the Hunter’s Club, one of North Dakota’s premier restaurants. On weekends visitors can catch a rodeo or famous headliner concert.

4.	Prairie Knights Marina The marina is located one mile south and 2 miles west of the Prairie Knights Casino and Resort with public access to Lake Oahe, 32 electrical RV sites and a picnic area. Photo courtesy of Kranzler Kingsley (Prairie Knights Marina)

5.	Prairie Knights Quik Mart Travelers can fuel up or buy bait and tackle at the Quick Mart adjacent to Prairie Knights Casino.

6.	Standing Rock Lewis & Clark Nature Trail An interpretive botanical nature hiking and mountain biking trail is located at Prairie Knights Marina. Three one-mile trails are located along the bluffs of the Missouri River. The nature trail offers a permanent single track trail, botanical and interpretive signage, restrooms, a picnic shelter, and ADA accessibility.

7.	Chief Sitting Bull’s Burial Site Upon entering Fort Yates, visitors will find the original burial site of Sitting Bull. Sitting Bull was a strong advocate for maintaining the land, rights and ways of the Lakota people. Although he is best known for his role in the Battle of the Little Bighorn, Sitting Bull’s battlegrounds went beyond the dusty fields of open warfare with the U.S. military. He advocated for the Lakota way of life in front of makeshift negotiation tables in complex treaty discussions, around campfires with his fellow leaders in deliberations, and in noteworthy venues around the world while traveling with Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. Sitting Bull was killed along the Grand River in the western portion of the Standing Rock Reservation on December 15, 1890 and was subsequently buried at Fort Yates, North Dakota.

8.	Standing Rock Monument On the east side of Fort Yates, overlooking Oahe Reservoir, is the Standing Rock Monument from which the Standing Rock Agency derived its name. The name of Standing Rock derives from a stone held sacred by the Dakota/Lakota people. There are many stories about the stone but all speak of it as a woman or woman and child who turned to stone. It was thought to be wakan—holy or sacred and was revered by the people. The earliest reference to the stone is in the John K. Bear Winter Count for the year 1740: “A woman pouted and turned to stone.”

9.	Standing Rock Tourism Office The Standing Rock Tourism Office is located in the new Tribal Administration Building across the street from the Standing Rock Monument. The tourism office provides several historic step-on-guide tours packages.

10.	Fort Manuel Near Kenel, SD is the replicated log outpost Fort Manuel. The original fort was constructed in 1811 by fur trader Manuel Lisa. It is documented as the final resting place of Sakakawea, the Shoshone guide of Lewis & Clark, who died at Fort Manuel in 1812.

11.	Sitting Bull and Sakakawea Monuments Located near Mobridge, SD on Highway 1806. It is said that Sitting Bull's remains were removed from his original North Dakota burial site in 1953 to this site marked by a stone monument carved by famed sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski.

12.	Indian Memorial Area and Jedediah Smith Historical Monument On the South Dakota segment of the Byway just north of Mobridge, South Dakota on Hwy 1806, is the Indian Memorial Area with the Jedediah Smith Historical Monument, which describes the life and accomplishments of this famous explorer.

13.	Grand River Casino The Grand River Casino is located near Mobridge, SD and offers a variety of gaming options, lodging and dining facilities.

14.	The Bay Marina This marina is located just south of Grand River Casino and west of Mobridge, SD. Photo courtesy of Grand River Casino.

Events
1.	Pow Wows or Indian Celebrations are held throughout the summer beginning in May with the Memorial Day Weekend Pow Wow in Kenel, SD and ending the 3rd weekend in August in Wakpala, SD. The public is invited and there is no charge to attend.

2.	Rodeos and Horse Racing are also held throughout the summer often in conjunction with the Indian Celebrations or County Fairs.


For more information, please call Standing Rock Tourism Office at 701-854-8500 or go to www.standingrocktourism.com.