Stretching along the shoreline of Lake Sakakawea, the Little Egypt Recreation Area’s miles of soft sand beaches beacon summertime visitors.
“It has some of the nicest beaches you’ll find in North Dakota,” says Jeremy Ludlum, director of the Williams County Parks Department.
Visitors can launch a boat at Little Beaver Bay, Lund’s Landing or Lewis and Clark State Park for boating and fishing on the big water, then zip over to the waterfront campsites at Little Egypt, located about 30 miles south of Ray. The park offers picnic areas and camping with 21 RV sites and four primitive sites on land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and managed by Williams County Parks.
Little Egypt is just one of five recreational lake areas the Williams County Parks Department either owns or manages. Others include:
- Blacktail Dam is about 25 miles north of Williston and offers 53 RV sites, picnic areas, boating and several playgrounds. A nine-hole golf course is located on the north side of the park.
- Epping/Springbrook Dam, located about 15 miles east of Williston, offers 13 RV sites and four primitive sites, a fishing pier, a walking trail and a playground.
- McGregor Dam has 18 RV sites and plenty of fishing access located about 15 miles north of Tioga.
- Kota Ray Dam is closed for 2024 as several upgrades are made.
“Each of the parks has its own unique attractions, whether you want to be on Lake Sakakawea at Little Egypt or if you want a smaller, more intimate experience at Kota Rey or at McGregor. It just depends what you're looking for,” Ludlum says.
This summer, Kota Ray will be closed, as Williams County starts an improvement plan for all its properties.
“Kota Ray is a more intimate area. It’s a great lake to fish. If you want to take your kids out and catch fish, Kota Ray is the best lake to do it,” he says.
Improvements for 2025 at Kota Ray will include electricity and water at every site and development on the north side of the area.
“We've never had anything on the north side before,” Ludlum says.
Another unique attraction will be a bicycle playground designed as a course for kids or adults to try.
“I encourage everyone to get outside. That’s the nice thing about our parks at Williams County. Not only are they for campers, but there are things you can do for day use. I want people to get outside. Our winters can be long, so when it’s summertime, just get outside to any of the parks we have here in Williams County,” Ludlum says.
___
Luann Dart is a freelance writer and editor who lives in the Elgin area.
Also read about:
