State Of North Dakota
The Peace Garden State is home to stunning prairies, Badlands, rivers, and lakes. Visitors who love the great outdoors and history will appreciate its many parks, and countless historical sites.
This Midwestern state is known for its natural landscape, half of which is covered by The Great Plains. Wild horses and prairie dogs roam the state’s famous long stretches of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands. Unique rock formations create the Badlands region of the state.
Explorers will love to traverse North Dakota’s scenic landscape and experience Native American culture and U.S. history through museums, historical sites, and trails. The state capital of Bismarck hosts an annual United Tribes International Powwow. Fargo is home to Native American and modern art at the Plains Art Museum.
Families can take in the nightly Medora Musical in Medora, which brings the American West to life, and learn about buffalo at the National Buffalo Museum in Jamestown. Adults and kids alike will appreciate the many hiking trails, camping sites, and scenic drives that show off North Dakota’s natural beauty.
Best Places to Visit in North Dakota
Bismarck
The state’s capital offers visitors a taste of the outdoors, American history and heritage.
North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum: View the permanent collection of the Historical Society of North Dakota, which includes prehistoric artifacts dating back 12,000 years.
Dakota Zoo: The popular family tourist attraction houses over 600 animals on 90 acres.
State Capitol: Built in the 1930s, the North Dakota State Capitol building features Art Deco architecture.
Cities in North Dakota
Mandan: Known as the place “Where the West Begins,” Mandan sits on the west side of the upper Missouri River. Check out the Fort Mandan State Recreation Area to see where the Lewis and Clark Expedition built their winter encampment from 1804-1805.
Minot: Visit the Scandinavian Heritage Park, which features replicas from Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Iceland.
Fargo: Not just the name of the popular film, this city is home to the Plains Art Museum, which exhibits contemporary and Native American works, and the Fargo Air Museum, which displays modern and vintage airplanes.
North Dakota State and National Parks
Theodore Roosevelt National Park: Located in Medora, this sprawling national park has three geographically separated areas of Badlands where bison, elk and prairie dogs roam. Make sure to find your way to the Painted Canyon Overlook, which offers unparalleled views of the Badlands.
Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park: Home to the replica Mandan On-A-Slant Indian Village and Custer House, the recreated 19th century home of Lt. George Custer.
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site: Experience reconstructed earth lodges of the Northern Plain Indians and tour the historic and archaeological remnants of three Hidatsa villages where Native Americans occupied for more than 11,000 years.
Lake Sakakawea State Park: The 1,293-acre public recreation area features camping sites and hiking trails, including the 4,600-mile North Country National Scenic Trail.
Popular Tourist Attractions
Unique and Scenic Byways and Trails
North Dakota offers miles of beautiful vistas, green backdrops, wildlife and waterways.
Maah Daah Hey Trail: A 144-mile non-motorized single track trail weaves through the Badlands, offering stunning views of plateaus, large expanses of rolling prairie, and jagged peaks and valleys.
Enchanted Highway Sculptures: A 32 mile stretch of Interstate-94 features a collection of the world's largest scrap metal sculptures.
Sakakawea Scenic Byway: Follow part of Lewis and Clark’s trail and discover historical sites along the massive Lake Sakakawea.
