Best of North Dakota
Rodeos & roadside attractions. Bison and Badlands. Just like Teddy Roosevelt, we’re ready to discover the beauty & charm of our country’s 39th state.
We started our adventure in Bismarck (to be close-ish to the National Park). There isn’t a ton to do in the capital city, but we managed to see some bull riding, take a walk along the “Big Muddy” and check out downtown’s Mural Alley (off 5th Street, halfway between Broadway and Main).
FOOD & BEVVIES: Terra Nomad is truly amazing. We ate everything (not kidding) on their breakfast and lunch menu and would have gone back for dinner if they hadn’t had a private event. Seasonal offerings like peach panzanella salad make this a rare and glorious find. Butterhorn is a nice dinner option. (“Butterhorn” is their version of the classic croissant.) Fireflour has yummy pizza. Laughing Sun Brewing Company is great for craft beers.
A day in Bismarck is all you need, then it’s time to hit the Enchanted Highway! Words cannot describe how much I enjoyed this. It’s kitsch at its absolute finest. We started with Salem Sue (the world’s largest Holstein Cow) and then systematically checked off the others. Along the way you’ll see fields of hay and sunflowers that will make you want to grab a paintbrush a la Van Gogh. ALSO: did you know sunflowers always face the sun? And when there’s no sun, THEY FACE EACH OTHER?! I’m not crying, you’re crying…
Sue is in New Salem and the “Enchanted Highway” starts on I-94, Exit 72. It’s between Gladstone and Regent.
Stop #1: “Geese in Flight”. It’s 110 feet tall and in the Guinness Book of World Records!
Stop #2: “Deer Crossing”. The buck is 75 feet tall and the doe is 50 feet. They’re made from oil well tankers.
Stop #3: “Grasshoppers in the Field”. They’re 12-40 feet tall.
Stop #4: “Fisherman’s Dream” maaaaay be my favorite. I loved the big mouth bass.
Stop #5: “Pheasants on the Prairie”. But these guys were GD adorable. The rooster is 13,000 pounds, the hen is 12,000 and the three baby chicks weigh in at 5,000 pounds each.
Stop #6: “Teddy Roosevelet Rises Again”. This was the least impressive of the sculptures, TILL I saw the well-placed rock behind the horse (which I both appreciated and also hated).
Stop #7: “The Tin Family”! This is the oldest of the Enchanted Highway sculptures and made out of telephone poles & wire <—(see: mama’s hair)
PRO TIP: Hit a grocery store and pack a picnic lunch to enjoy along the way. There is NO FOOD ANYWHERE. Also, make sure to gas up before your trek. If you drive on to Regent you might see part of Stop #8, a Knight & Dragon.
Time to check out the Teddy Roosevelt National Park! This is the place that inspired our 26th president to protect 230 million acres of public land. We started at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center. It’s nice to stop and get maps, a lay of the land & cute souvenirs. They can also tell you where they’ve last seen the most bison, longhorn cattle, wild horses, etc. (since they roam freeeeeeee).
We started with the South. We drove everything and stopped to hike (or snap the occasional pic at a scenic outlook). PRO TIP: In the summer it actually gets hotter later in the day (5/6 p.m.) It’s best to get out early morning (to avoid the crowds AND escape the heat)—there’s little to no shade in the badlands.
Old E. Entrance Station is where you’ll see hundreds of prairie dogs. (They squeak when they talk to each other!) Boicourt Overlook was a cute li’l hike. Wind Canyon Trail has a great view of the Little Missouri River Valley. Skyline Vista Trail is a nice place to watch the sunset.
The next day we tackled the North. PRO TIP: stop at Java Gypsy for a coffee and breakfast burrito on the way. They’re so delicious we wish we would have bought two (fresh/yummy food in Medora is hard to come by). It’s tucked behind a gas station at 3526 US-85 in Belfield. Seriously, we’re OBSESSED.
The North part of the park has a 14-mile scenic drive. Sperati Point is nice. Cannonball concretions were insane. Petrified Forest Loop was cool.
We were lucky enough to be in Medora when it was Ranchorama Rodeo Days. I HEART RODEOS!
We also went to the Medora Musical (obviously). Get there a little early so you can see the horsemen round up the “wild elk” running behind the set. The Burning Hills Ampitheatre is truly something to see.
Swing by the Cowboy Café for one last slice of Americana. Built in 1962, the wooden booths have carved brands from the surrounding ranches (some date back to 1888) as well as framed photographs of local ranchers. When we were there, banana cream, strawberry rhubarb and homemade kuchen (German cake) were on the menu—but breakfast is a solid choice too.
