North Dakota
Experiencing the famed North Dakota region through culture and adventure
Many famous people have shaped the history of North Dakota. Amazing exploits were had thereby Sitting Bull, George Custer, Sakakawea, and Lewis and Clark. To experience the routes they took long ago, hike the Lewis & Clark Trail with Corps of Discovery expedition members or just meander about Theodore Roosevelt National Park. See the bison and wild horses that graze in the park and take in the unspoiled scenery that served as inspiration to the 26th President of the United States. Both outdoor enthusiasts and explorers can still come and experience what makes North Dakota such a legendary location today. Great restaurants, regional and local art galleries, fun activities, and stunning landscapes are all there, wherever you go.
Greetings, great occasions
Every town in North Dakota shares one quality: friendliness. Sioux Indians called “Dakota” “friend.” There is a conviviality that permeates the different cultures that have settled in this state. At two of the largest festivals in the state, culture takes the stage. Visit Bismarck in September for the United Tribes International Powwow, one of the biggest in the nation. Many thousands of people visit to see the 1,500 drummers and dancers representing 70 Native American tribes in the US and Canada. Norsk Høstfest, usually celebrated in early October, provides still another amazing cultural experience. The biggest Scandinavian festival outside of Scandinavia is hosted in Minot; there is a Viking village, Nordic food, and a plethora of food and craft merchants.
Finding North Dakota Events
You will learn more about the history, culture, and natural resources of the state. Wander through West Fargo’s pioneer village of Bonanzaville, founded in the early 1900s. In Fargo, let your imagination run wild at the Plains Art Museum. Visit the Badlands, sometimes referred to as “Hell without fire” by the early Americans. But contemporary explorers call these places amazing, rough, and wonderful. Theodore Roosevelt was so taken with this setting that he established two ranches. The Maltese Cross Cabin is open to visitors before they enter Medora’s South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Of the three park units, Elkhorn Ranch Unit north of Medora is the most isolated. The 232 km long Maah Daah Hey Trail, which connects all of the park’s sections and allows you to travel on foot or by bike, begins close to the North Unit near Watford City and the South Unit at Medora. When at Medora, be sure to sample the “pitchfork steak fondue” and take in the nighttime Medora musical spectacle.
Traverse North Dakota on the Lewis & Clark Trail and the Missouri Corridor. See Fort Abraham Lincoln in Bismarck-Mandan, the location from which the 7th Cavalry left for Little Bighorn and On-A-Slant Mandan Indian Village. Other communities in the region include Double Ditch Indian Village, which is next to the Missouri River north of Bismarck, and Chief Looking’s Village on hills overlooking the river. At the State Capitol grounds in Bismarck, the North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum offer information on the state’s colorful past. Stop at the Sakakawea House in Stanton’s Knife River Indian Village after touring the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center and Fort Mandan in Washburn. The early 1800s saw peaceful trade between local tribes and fur traders in the region that is now the Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site. A hunter at the fort on the banks of the Missouri River, close to its confluence with the Yellowstone River and the Montana border, Hugh Glass’s narrative was told in the movie “The Revenant”.
Finally, on the US-Canada border, the 930-hectare International Peace Garden represents harmony between these two close neighbors. The two lakes, the hiking and mountain biking paths, and the hilly wooded grounds all exhibit the hues of hundreds of blooms in the gardens both in the spring and summer. Wander around the garden’s borders freely between these two nations.