In Bottineau, you can plan your trip around city parks, the “Dairy Dipper” ice cream parlor, and ice sports. Public ice skating in the city is available seasonally; to the north are alpine slopes, and to the northwest is a network of trails for a variety of activities. When planning, it’s worth distinguishing between what’s available in town and destinations in the nearby area.
Ice Cream Parlor and Local Products
Pride Dairy makes ice cream, butter, syrup, and toppings from local ingredients. Its Bottineau operation includes the old-fashioned “Dairy Dipper” ice cream parlor. This gives the town a specific culinary destination, while Pride Dairy’s product range extends beyond ice cream.
Parks in Bottineau
On the western edge of the city, Forestry Park offers open spaces and wooded areas for recreation, adventure, and leisure activities. The park has hiking trails and a 9-hole disc golf course. These options offer different experiences: you can explore the park landscape on hiking trails or enjoy the course as a recreational sport.
McBain Park, also known as “Old City Park,” is next to Oak Creek and offers a quiet picnic area. It’s a different kind of park from Forestry Park: here, the focus is on a picnic area by the creek, while Forestry Park combines open and wooded areas with hiking trails and disc golf.
Tommy Turtle Park has an RV park with 16 full-hookup sites, as well as restroom and bathhouse facilities. The park also has two large play areas for children. For RV travelers, the site and restroom facilities set it apart from the other parks described; the play areas are another feature of the location.
Ice Skating and Winter Sports
The Bottineau Community Arena, also known as the “Lumberdome,” is one of the oldest ice sports arenas in North Dakota. It offers public ice skating and is open each season from mid-October to mid-March. Two outdoor ice rinks are right next to the arena: one is for recreational skating, and the other is for hockey. The local options therefore differ both in whether they’re indoors or outdoors and in their intended use.
Bottineau Winter Park is ten minutes north of Bottineau and offers eight alpine runs, with difficulty levels ranging from beginner to expert. Alpine runs provide another winter sports option besides ice skating in the city. Check whether Winter Park is open before your trip.
Trails in the Nearby Area
Six miles northwest of Bottineau is the Turtle Mountain State Recreation Area. It has more than twelve miles of motorized trails open to off-highway vehicles (OHVs), hikers, cyclists, snowshoers, and horseback riders. Unlike the alpine runs at Winter Park, these trails are intended for a range of activities. The location and wide choice of uses help distinguish this destination from the parks in the city and the winter sports options north of Bottineau.
For the broader travel overview: Bottineau County.
