3
Pull-thru
USACEAshtabula Lake · North Dakota
Mel Rieman Rec
Overview The Mel Rieman Campground and Recreation Area is a 70-acre facility on the shoreline of Lake Ashtabula in eastern North Dakota.
Sites28all reservable
Elev.1,335ft
Comf.May-Oct6 months
Max rig75 ft3 pull-thru
Electric21sites
From Fargo1h31real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 1,335 ft, Mel Rieman Rec has a 6-month comfortable window (May-Oct). Winter nights average around 4°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 28 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Of the sites, 3 pull-through, and the longest takes a 75-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: 1 named hiking route, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and shade. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Jan
May-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
85%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
May 6
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 16.
63°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Fargo
70 mi
1h31
02
Bismarck
142 mi
2h33
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 5.7 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 28 SITES
Color byShow only
28 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
2
Accessible
0
Prime
28
Sites
★ The standout
Site 21
MEL RIEMAN REC AREA · shaded.
To neighbor
128 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
1
Trail segments
15
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
5.7 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.