School Hill - Just Hiking

Statistics

Date - 06/27/2026
Elevation - 2,355'
Route - South Slopes
Miles - 0.5
Elevation Gain - 160'
ACME Mapper - Link
CalTopo - Link
Partners - Not Applicable

Description

I grew up on a dairy farm milking Holstein cows in the small community of New Salem, North Dakota. Many farmers in the area milked cows in addition to growing crops in the 70's and 80's; however, most of them sold their herds in the 90's as large dairy operations were simply more efficient and it was no longer profitable for the small farmers to continue milking. Anyway, due to New Salem, North Dakota, being a dairy community back in the day, they decided to build the world's largest Holstein cow on School Hill.

I never really thought of adding School Hill to my summit list, but I found it on the peakbagger website, and it is also on the topographical map with an elevation. I had to return to North Dakota for a wedding, so I took part of one morning to hike to the top of the hill again. I have done this many times throughout high school for football training and occasionally over the years for fun. School Hill and Salem Sue are basically a roadside attraction that people visit while driving through North Dakota.

Photos