Medora · $$$ — Top in state
Road trips · North Dakota
North Dakota road trips & hidden gems.
North Dakota hides the painted Badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, bison herds, and big lonesome plains. Summer and early fall are the window. Quiet, wild, and yours alone.
Best time to visitSummer & early fall
Don’t missBison in the Theodore Roosevelt Badlands
Gem Hunt nominees10 candidates
Hikes10 curated
Gem Hunt nominees
What locals say you shouldn’t miss.
Community-nominated candidates. Add yours and vote to help choose the first published finalists.
Enchanted Highway
A 32-mile back road from Gladstone to Regent lined with the world's largest scrap-metal sculptures — giant grasshoppers, tin families, leaping deer — all built by one local artist on the open prairie.
Salem SueThe world's largest Holstein cow, 38 feet of fiberglass on a hilltop above New Salem, visible for miles along I-94 in the central part of the state.
W'eel TurtleA giant turtle built from over 2,000 painted tire rims in tiny Dunseith, near the Canadian border on the way to the International Peace Garden.
National Buffalo MuseumA museum devoted entirely to the American bison in Jamestown, with a live herd grazing outside beneath the world's largest buffalo statue, right off I-94.
Pembina GorgeA rare forested river canyon in the far northeast that surprises everyone expecting flat prairie — great for a leg-stretch, an overlook, and fall color along the Pembina River.
Mystical HorizonsA 21st-century Stonehenge of pink granite slabs perched on a ridge above the farmland near Bottineau, with sighting tubes for the solstices, equinox, and the North Star — a quiet, free detour.
The big ones
National parks in North Dakota.
The bucket-list landscapes — when to go and what not to miss.
Explore by interest
Everything else worth a stop in North Dakota.
Start with a few highlights, choose one interest, or explicitly open the full state guide.
Showing General guide and Hikes highlights. Choose a category or Show all for the full state guide.
More worth the detour
The general guide to North Dakota.
Museums, monuments, historic sites, and local-only stops from Roamward's shared place map.
Chateau de Mores State Historic Site
A 26-room French chateau on the empty Dakota Badlands prairie, built in 1883 by an exiled French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores, who tried to build a meatpacking empire in Medora at the same time young Theodore Roosevelt was ranching nearby. The furnishings are mostly original -- walk through and it still looks mid-unpacking, a genuinely strange collision of Parisian aristocracy and frontier cattle country.
Fargo Air MuseumA flyable-collection aviation museum next to Hector International Airport, restoring WWII-era warbirds and vintage aircraft that occasionally taxi out and take to the sky during open-house events -- a hands-on, kid-magnet stop at the eastern gateway of I-94.
Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center -- Fargo Woodchipper & Celebrity Walk of FameThe real wood chipper used as a prop in the Coen Brothers' 'Fargo' sits inside the visitor center at I-94 exit 348 (complete with a fake leg for photos), steps from the Celebrity Walk of Fame's cement hand- and footprints -- the ultimate 'we saw the sign, we had to stop' roadside gag gift.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park (Custer House and On-A-Slant Village)Two civilizations, one bluff over the Missouri: reconstructed 1870s cavalry post where Custer lived before riding out to the Little Bighorn, and six rebuilt earthlodges from a Mandan village that stood here since roughly 1575 until smallpox emptied it in 1781. Living-history tours let you walk into the Custer House parlor and then descend into an earthlodge minutes later -- rare side-by-side storytelling of military and Native history on the same hilltop.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic SiteA meticulously reconstructed 1830s fur-trade fort at the literal confluence-adjacent border of North Dakota and Montana, once the most important trading post on the Upper Missouri, hosting Assiniboine, Crow, and Blackfeet traders alongside American Fur Company agents. The whitewashed palisade and bastions look almost too pristine to be real against empty Badlands-edge prairie.
Geese in Flight (Enchanted Highway)World's largest scrap-metal sculpture (Guinness-certified 2002): 110 feet tall, 150 feet wide, built from oil well pipe and tank scrap by local artist Gary Greff. It's the opening landmark of the Enchanted Highway, visible from I-94 and reachable via a short spur off Exit 72 near Gladstone -- the classic 'first stop' photo op that starts the 32-mile sculpture drive to Regent.
Boots on
Best hikes in North Dakota.
From family-easy to bucket-list — trails worth the detour, great for the RV & camping crew.
Buck Hill (TRNP)
a short climb to a high badlands viewpoint
Caprock Coulee Loop (TRNP)badlands and prairie in Theodore Roosevelt’s North Unit
Maah Daah Hey (Wannagan)a section of the legendary badlands long trail
Mineral Springs (TRNP)colorful badlands clays in the South Unit
Painted Canyon Nature Traila quick badlands loop right off the interstate
Pembina Gorgethe deepest gorge in North Dakota
Where to eat
Road-trip dining in North Dakota.
Restaurants, diners, and food halls that fit the drive — curated by town, not scraped from a phone book.
Bistro 1100
Upscale eclectic American and Italian dining in a century-old carriage house with terra-cotta walls, sourcing local produce for over 20 years.
ButterhornDowntown eatery from owners including a Top Chef contestant marrying European-inspired technique with New American plates and craft cocktails.
Fireflour PizzaContemporary downtown pizzeria and craft coffee bar specializing in wood-fired Neapolitan pies with a refined espresso program.
Pirogue GrilleLocally owned downtown fine-dining room balancing creativity and care with regional game, walleye, and bison on an ever-changing menu.
WalrusLongtime locally owned favorite known for signature pastas, creative feature menus, and an extensive beer, wine, and cocktail list.
BernBaum'sJewish-Nordic mashup deli where Scandinavian heritage meets pastrami, house bagels, lefse, and shakshuka in a quirky downtown room.
Tee it up
Public golf you can book in North Dakota.
Bismarck · $$$
Ray · $$$
Wahpeton · $$
Fargo · $$
Grand Forks · $$
Plan the North Dakota trip
Get the scenic route, the stops, and the timing.
Explore and save the trip on the web now. Join the iOS beta list for verified check-ins, shared trips, badges, and your growing map.
Where to stay
Find a place to stay near North Dakota.
Hotels, cabins, and rentals close to the action — compare and book for your trip.
We may earn a commission from bookings made through this link — at no extra cost to you.