6-Day Road Trip Itinerary in North Dakota

Overlook point in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park , with green fields, hills, and river in distance — The River Bend Overlook in Theodore Roosevelt National Park offers dramatic views of the surrounding badlands.

Many travelers leave North Dakota as their 50th visited U.S. state, so much so that the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center even has a cheeky “Best for Last Club” (members get a commemorative T-shirt and certificate). Those who have procrastinated about the Peace Garden State are missing out on one of America’s most underrated places. It actually feels like two underrated places in one: Out west, it’s all about badlands, cowboy culture, and rough-and-tumble energy boomtowns; in the east, it’s pure Midwestern vibes, with a palpable Scandinavian heritage.

The best way to see this vastness is from behind the wheel. This six-day road trip begins in the capital city of Bismarck and then continues in a roughly 700-mile clockwise loop around the state’s wide-open prairies and charming small towns, before ending in Fargo.

Two-story hallway in North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck (L); State Capitol exterior at dusk, with grass and trees in foreground (R) — The North Dakota State Capitol in Bismarck is an art deco skyscraper with prairie-inspired details, such as chandeliers that look like heads of wheat.

Day one: Bismarck

Fly into the capital city of Bismarck, which got its name in 1873, when railway executives decided to honor chancellor Otto von Bismarck in an attempt to attract German settlers—and their investment money. Breakfast is at the James Beard–nominated Anima Cucina, where the morning menu includes Italian-skewing dishes like prosciutto Benedict, porchetta hash, and frangipane tarts.

The city’s most attention-grabbing building is undoubtedly the North Dakota State Capitol. Unlike the neoclassical, domed structures you find elsewhere, this one is an art deco skyscraper that ranks as the state’s tallest building. You can take a guided architecture tour or simply wander around on your own, taking in the 1930s details, including chandeliers that look like stalks of wheat and bronze elevator doors depicting life on the prairie.

Next door, the North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum houses an eclectic collection that includes life-size dinosaur fossil casts, taxidermy birds, Native American moccasins and beadwork, and a full 1950s soda fountain. And don’t skip the gift shop, which stocks quirky souvenirs like a North Dakota–shaped Christmas ornament made out of lefse, a Norwegian potato flatbread.

Cross the Liberty Memorial Bridge to the neighboring town of Mandan for lunch at the Paddle Trap, which has a sprawling patio overlooking the Missouri River and a private marina if you’d rather arrive by boat. For the full Midwest experience, order fried cheese curds and walleye street tacos.

From the riverfront, it’s about a 20-minute drive to Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, which was established in 1907, making it the oldest state park in North Dakota. This site was home to both a Mandan tribal village and later a military post, and you can stop into the reconstructed home of George Armstrong Custer and adjacent barracks for a living history tour from a costumed guide.

Even cooler than the site itself is the involvement of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC): During the Great Depression, crews built park infrastructure and reconstructed army blockhouses and traditional Mandan earth lodges (semi-underground dwellings), the latter with the help of Scattered Corn, the first female Corn Priest of the Mandan tribe.

Back in town, grab a casual dinner at Laughing Sun Brewery, where you can pair beer and barbecue with live music and axe-throwing, and then spend the night at the conveniently located EverSpring Suites.

Day two: Bismarck to Medora

Overhead view of open-air theater stage with Old West town backdrop, plus audience in banked rows of seats in foreground — The Medora Musical has been going strong for more than half a century.

There’s a lot to squeeze into your second day in North Dakota, so plan for an early morning. Pick up a pastry—breakfast danishes or strawberry-rhubarb sweet rolls—at Brick Oven Bakery, and then head almost exactly due west on I-94. About 75 minutes into your drive, at exit 72, you’ll spot a 110-foot-tall artwork called Geese in Flight, which Guinness World Records recognizes as the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture.

This is the start of the Enchanted Highway, a 65-mile round-trip detour created by school principal–turned–artist Gary Greff to bring tourists to his tiny town of Regent. Along the way, you’ll meet a 60-foot-long grasshopper, a 70-foot-tall trout, a 40-foot-tall pheasant, and even an enormous Teddy Roosevelt on horseback. It takes about 75 minutes to get all the way to the southernmost sculpture (a knight fighting a dragon) and back, but you can turn around at any point along the way for a shorter journey.

The end goal for today is Medora, an 1880s frontier town that’s now a gateway for Theodore Roosevelt National Park. After his mother and wife died within hours of one another on Valentine’s Day 1884, the future president decamped to this corner of the Dakota Territory to mourn and eventually build a ranch in the badlands. Check into the Rough Riders Hotel, an old-meets-new property that traces its roots to the town’s early days; it now contains one of the largest private libraries of books written by or about T.R. (as he’s lovingly known out here), and you might even find a teddy bear dressed like him in your room.

You’ll want to get to the national park ASAP, so stop for a quick burger and milkshake at Sheriff Bear’s before taking the two-minute drive to the entrance to the national park’s South Unit. The park, for reference, is divided among the North Unit, the South Unit, and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit, all connected by the Little Missouri River and the Maah Daah Hey Trail.

Two cooks wearing plaid shirts, white aprons, and straw hats cooking steaks on pitchforks in vats of hot oil — The Pitchfork Steak Fondue is a Wild West–inspired dinner experience that offers sweeping views of the badlands.

Give yourself at least two hours to tackle the 36-mile scenic drive, which cuts through badland landscapes of colorfully striped buttes, hoodoos, and canyons. You’ll want to stop at the many prairie dog towns to see these playful rodents popping out of their holes like Whack-a-Mole and sending out alarm calls to one another. You might have to stop, on the other hand, for the park’s other marquee fauna: Slow-moving bison herds have been known to cause traffic jams. Of course, you can extend your visit with short hikes, like the 0.2-mile Boicourt Overlook Trail (great for sunsets) or the 0.4-mile Wind Canyon Trail (which offers the best views of the river below).

Freshen up at the hotel before driving a few minutes up to a butte overlooking the town to find two of the most fun-loving attractions in Medora. First up is the Pitchfork Steak Fondue, a communal outdoor dining experience where cooks skewer New York strips on pitchforks and fry them in barrels of oil. They’re served alongside a buffet of fixin’s, like baked beans, baked potatoes, coleslaw, and more.

From here, you’re just a quick stroll to the escalators leading down to the Burning Hills Amphitheater, which was carved into the hillside by volunteers in 1958. It now hosts the Medora Musical, a country western revue that incorporates everything from Teddy Roosevelt lore and live horses to reworked pop hits and an impressive Old West town set. It’s kitschy, sure, but it’s a can’t-miss.

Day three: Medora to Watford City

Aerial view of Little Missouri River in Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit, with rugged hills in distance — The Little Missouri River cuts through the crowd-free North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The next morning, channel Teddy’s famously impressive appetite at the hotel’s restaurant, Theodore’s Dining Room, with a braised bison and caramelized onion omelette, before heading back up the butte on the edge of town. Since July 4, the Medora Musical has shared a parking lot with the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, a stunning building by Norwegian architecture firm Snøhetta. One of the most eco-friendly buildings in the United States, it features an earthen roof planted with native grasses—and is the only presidential library where you can arrive on horseback. (There are hitching posts.)

Inside, you’ll find artifacts like Roosevelt’s Rough Riders uniform and the eyeglass case that saved his life during a 1912 assassination attempt. But the library is also filled with whip-smart interactive experiences: You can listen to stories around a ranch campfire, design your own campaign poster, navigate down the Amazon River in an immersive video room, or even chat with an AI-enabled version of the president.

After exploring, stop into the on-site restaurant Salt+Scoria, which is run by chef Candace Stock of the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nation. The menu is dedicated to Native and foraged botanicals and ethically sourced bison, elk, and game, and you’ll find dishes like wild rice salad, venison and beef chili, and green chili pozole with tepary beans.

From here, head back out into the land Teddy loved: It’s about a 70-mile drive to the national park’s off-the-beaten-path North Unit, which has even fewer crowds than the already peaceful South Unit. Note that there is no infrastructure around the park, so you’ll want to stock up on all your beef jerky and trail mix needs at the Sweet Crude Travel Center gas station along the way.

The main attraction is a 28-mile out-and-back scenic drive, from which you’ll spot herds of bison and plenty of birds (wild turkeys, spotted towhees, lazuli buntings). Don’t miss the gorgeous badlands panorama at the River Bend Overlook or the unique geological formations known as cannonball concretions.

You’ll be spending the night 20 minutes farther north in Watford City, an oil boom town whose population quadrupled in the past 25 years. For dinner, head to Stonehome Brewing, a sleek brewery that takes its name from the English translation of the founders’ Old Norse surname, Stenehjem.

You’ll most likely be bellying up to the bar next to oil field workers and engineers as you eat jalapeño popper pizza or barbecue chicken macaroni and cheese, washed down with Dakota Cerveza or Bent Bison Bock. The brewery shares a building with Wild Cow Coffee and Cream, where you should stop in for a scoop of huckleberry ice cream before heading back to your room at Teddy’s Residential Suites.

Day four: Watford City to Minot

Multistory wooden Norwegian stave church in park in Minot, with several people in foreground — The Scandinavian Heritage Park in Minot is home to a full-scale replica stave church from Norway.

Start your morning with a coffee at Door 204, which doubles as a café and a private postal service; you’ll find interesting flavors like lavender or brown sugar cold foam. Drive about two hours northeast to Minot, which is known as “Magic City” for the speed at which it grew in the 1890s when railway tracks were laid.

In the compact and walkable downtown, order a creatively topped burger (mac and cheese, pepperoni pizza, poutine) at Ironhorse Kitchen and Bar, located inside a historic grocery warehouse next to the tracks. After you snap a few shots of the nearby Union Silos, enormous murals painted on grain silos, peruse the home goods at Koselig at 106, a shop dedicated to the Nordic concept of koselig, or coziness and contentment.

Spend the afternoon at the Scandinavian Heritage Park, a 14-acre site dedicated to Nordic immigration to the Midwest; you’ll find nods to each of the five Scandinavian countries, including a 25-foot-tall Swedish dala horse and a full-scale replica of a Norwegian stave church.

For dinner, head to Beowulf Craft Kitchen & Lounge, a new restaurant at the city golf course serving clever dishes like knoephla poutine, which pairs fried knoephla (dumplings) with white cheddar curds, garlic herb butter, roasted garlic, and veal demi-glace. Then finish with a nightcap at Atypical Brewery & Barrelworks, which turns out both creative beers (peach sour ale, Mexican hot chocolate stout) as well as a mean nonalcoholic pineapple cider. Minot’s hotel scene skews toward midrange chain hotels, the newest of which is a Spark by Hilton.

Day five: Minot to Grand Forks

Before heading out, stop into Prairie Sky Breads for breakfast sandwiches on house-baked bread and an inventive coffee drink, such as a Coke latte or a dirty navel (a shot of espresso in orange juice). Remember: A box of cardamom knots is a good thing to have in the passenger seat on a long drive.

After about an hour, stop to stretch your legs in the town of Rugby and take a picture of the 1931 stone obelisk that marks the geographic center of North America—although there’s some debate about if this is actually the correct location.

By late morning, you’ll reach Grand Forks, the home of the University of North Dakota, but for lunch, you’re technically going to be traveling out of state: It’s about a 30-second drive across the Red River to East Grand Forks, Minnesota, and Bernie’s. Part café and part market, it’s the brainchild of Food Network personality Molly Yeh and her farmer husband and serves breads made with freshly milled flour from their farm and dishes from church cookbooks. Expect cozy Midwestern comfort food like pickle grilled cheese, tater tot hot dish, and even hot dog mac and cheese.

Check into the stately but playful Olive Ann Hotel, a member of Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio that takes its name and design inspiration from the aviation pioneer Olive Ann Beech. Opened in 2023, the hotel occupies a 1915 bank building and incorporates design elements like propellers, rivets, and metallic finishes inspired by historic Beechcraft planes.

Spend the afternoon strolling the handsome, compact downtown and stopping into shops like See Dick Run, a local sporting goods store, and Widman’s Candy, which has been around since 1949. It’s known for “Chippers,” chocolate-covered rippled potato chops—though the candymakers will chocolate-coat everything from sunflower seeds and bacon to corn nuts and jalapeños. Save time to slow down on the Greenway, a 2,200-acre park lining Red River and Red Lake River, where you can watch for birds or borrow two wheels from the city’s bike share program.

Dinner is at Elvy’s Ivy, where a menu of dry-aged steaks is bolstered with unexpected dishes that draw on both Midwestern and international influences: walleye smash burgers with blueberry ketchup, but also harissa-topped camel burgers and even grilled kangaroo loin. And because your hotel is a three-minute walk away, order the Rok Beets Sour, which is made with rye distilled in Minnesota and roasted beets.

Day six: Grand Forks to Fargo

Colorful bison statue in front of a grain silo–shaped visitor center — The Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center is a must-visit spot for fans of the movie *Fargo*.

Your last day will be in Fargo, North Dakota’s largest city, with almost 140,000 people and a vibrant Midwestern metropolis vibe. In other words, head out early to soak it all in. Before you leave Grand Forks, stop into Sweetwaters Coffee and Tea in the Olive Ann lobby and caffeinate with a chicory-spiked French Vietnamese au lait, before driving 80 miles south along I-29.

Start with a pilgrimage to the Fargo-Moorhead Visitors Center, which is designed to look like a grain elevator. Cinema fans: The building houses the infamous woodchipper prop from the Oscar-winning Coen brothers movie named after the city, plus a signed script and other movie memorabilia.

Fargo boasts one of the most exciting food scenes in the region, and you can check out its pedigree at Luna, a neighborhood spot where Ryan Nitschke has twice been nominated for a James Beard award for best chef in the Midwest. The rotating menu skews seasonal, with dishes like spring vegetable panzanella salad, curry chickpea lasagna, and seared sea scallops with saffron couscous—but you also can’t go wrong with its impressive selection of cheese and charcuterie.

Immerse yourself in regional culture at the Plains Art Museum, which occupies a 1904 International Harvester warehouse. Current exhibits are dedicated to contemporary quilts and treaties between the United States and Native Nations, with provocative Indigenous artworks that incorporate materials from buffalo rawhide to tampons.

Wide angle of two-story industrial brewery and food hall in Fargo — Brewhalla in Fargo is part food hall, part brewery, and part boutique hotel.

After a stroll down Broadway to take in the street art, make your way to Brewhalla, a sprawling food hall, hotel, and market opened by the folks from Drekker Brewing Company. The brewery itself is set within a landmark that’s older than the state of North Dakota, an 1880 locomotive repair building, but it’s now attached to a hip industrial space that’s fast becoming a creative epicenter of Fargo.

Drop your bags off in your room upstairs, where walls are splashed in colorful murals inspired by the beers made on site. They come in different configurations, so yours might include a kitchenette, dining area, or a separate living room.

Back downstairs, wander the market hall’s various shops: the Plant Supply for plants, pots, and botanical gifts; Tiny Things, “a weird little store” filled with miniatures and trinkets; and Unglued, a queer-friendly gift shop selling crafty, progressive souvenirs.

Then choose your own adventure for dinner: There are spots for burgers, pizza, and Asian noodles and buns, but the most special is Mångata Wine & Raw Bar. Taking its name from the Swedish word for the glimmering reflection of moonlight on water, the counter serves dishes like saucy shrimp cocktail, a rotating daily crudo (like halibut with coconut and calamansi), and tinned fish, such as Danish freshwater trout with juniper and lemon thyme. You won’t believe how fresh the seafood is more than 1,200 miles from the nearest ocean—one final surprise in a state that’s full of them.

Nicholas DeRenzo

Nicholas DeRenzo is the Brooklyn-based editorial director of newsletters at Afar. He reports on travel, culture, food and drink, and wildlife and conservation, with a special interest in birds. He has worked in travel media for 17 years, most recently as the executive editor at Hemispheres, the in-flight magazine of United Airlines, and his bylines have appeared in the New York Times, New York Magazine, BBC, and Time. You can follow along on his travel (and bird-watching) adventures on Instagram at @nderenzo.