What's to see and do in North Dakota?
 

We'll be going through ND on our way to Yellowstone over the Memorial Day week-end. We have three days to get from Minneapolis to Yellowstone. Anything special we should see or do? How is Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park?

No replies? Maybe that's my answer.

Last night's episode of "West Wing" had a sub-storyline (not elaborate enough to call a sub-plot) about North Dakota wanting to drop the "north" from their name. IIRC, this was taken from an actual news story. Some people apparently think that the place would be more attractive (to tourists and perhaps residents) without the north so it wouldn't sound so cold. One presenter on the TV show pointed out that South Dakota gets vastly more income from tourism. Because they have "South?" Well, they also have Mount Rushmore!

I'm originally from South Dakota and have to admit that your question has left me stumped. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is supposed to be nice. There is also an International Peace Gardens that is suppose to be good. I'm afraid that I don't know what city it is in, but it is close to the Canadian Border. I would also imagine that the terrain along the southwestern border that includes North Dakota's version of the Black Hills would be pretty. Most people just try to get through the state on the way to somewhere else.

Here is the scoop.<BR><BR>From Minneapolis to Yellowstone, you'll probably be on Interstate 94. Zip through the farming country from Fargo to Dickinson (4 hours) and then begin thinking about stopping off for a nice hike or tour. The ND version of the black hills (the Badlands) is very rugged and unique.<BR><BR>Medora should be your destination, as it has an "old town" that is reminiscent of the turn of the century. From there, you can access Teddy Roosevelt Park. The 100 mile Maah Daah Hey trail is one of the most challenging biking trails in the world.

ND is my home state which is a part o the old west and the settling place for thousands of European immigrants. Most of what you will see in ND is related to agriculture. The eastern region is flat and treeless except for shelter belts grown by farmers. The major crops are wheat, other small grains and sugar beats, but you will also see sunflowers, soybeans, pinto beans etc. As you travel toward Bismarck (the capital) the land becomes more rollong and prairie like. Note any buffalo heards along the way. Stop in Bismarck (a good overnight destination) and visit the capitol grounds including the unique skyscraper design of the Capitol Building itself and the history musem.(skyscraper in ND means 19 stories!). Northwest of Bismarck along the river drive is nice scenery, but if you go up US 83 to Washburn and either follow the signs or make local inquiries, there is a big Lewis and Clark display/Museum along the Missouri River. A special effort is being put forth for the bi-centennial of the L&C adventure. A final stop is definately the Medora area and the TRNP. Check web sites for schedules but in the summertime there are outdoor plays and re-enactments of the TR era that are of great interest. Hope this helps. Visit the following web site: http://discovernd.com/visiting/<BR><BR>P.S. In Montana be sure to take the side trip to the Little Big Horm Battle ground. It will give you a much better perspective of the Custer/Indian battle. It is south of Billings on I-90. If you decide to take this trip, leave I-94 at Bighorn/Custer onto state road 47. Its about 30 miles of 2 lane but it will save you about 50 miles of driving. I would recommend returning to Billings and taking the Bear Tooth pass (US 212)into Yellowstone. Well worth the drive!<BR><BR>PSS If you are from the east coast, be sure to understand about western distances. Providance RI to Bridgeport CT takes nearly two pages in the Road Atlas but is only 120 miles. Montana takes two pages in the Road Atlas and the equivilant distance is 480 miles.

Thanks so much. This will help a lot.

Whenever you hear people on game shows talk about visiting every state but one...the ones that they need to visit to have the complete 50 are either Alaska, Hawaii, or North Dakota

Hey, that's me! 49 and counting.<BR>And I've been to AK and HI....I just can't for the life of me find an excuse to get to ND!!

I am a sportsman, love to fish and hunt. North Dakota is a sportman's paridise. The western side of the state is pretty, but there is really no reason to go through NoDak. Bismarck is not a destination city, there is not "Rushmore" type of draw, and unless you are driving from the north-central to Montana, there is no reason to travel through Nodak.<BR><BR>I personally find ND much more enjoyable than states like Kansas, Nevada (except Vegas), or Ohio. But they get screwed due to their location.

Thanks for the post and to all the answers. We will be coming through ND on our way home from OR & WA late this summer. Then we will have been in all 50 states..in our 50 years of marriage! Will look for the spots mentioned.

Can't really add much more than what people have already posted. What we found on our trip last year thru ND (we were visiting friends in Bismarck) is the lack of gas stations along the way. We nearly ran out of gas between Sioux Falls, SD and Fargo. <BR><BR>Poor planning on our part since we assumed there would be gas stations all along I-29. Fortunate for us, a really nice guy was willing to sell us enough gas to get us into Fargo so we could completely fill up. He said he gets about 10 people a week stopping by to buy just enough to get into Fargo. My question is...why doesn't he just buy a strip of land by the interstate and set up one of those self-pay pumps....he'd make a fortune! After that we made sure we had a full tank all the time! (We normally travel I-80 and lack of gas stations is not a concern)<BR><BR>So...when you plan the roadtrip up 29 or across 94...make sure you have your gas stops planned...and work out your miles/gallon (fuel consumption) so you aren't walking along the interstate!<BR><BR>We'll never do that again!<BR><BR>Sheli