Spending the summer break in North and South Dakota aren’t usually at the top of many people’s “to visit” list. But they really should be. When it comes to road trips in America, Route66, Big Sur, and California road trips are a few that tops everyone’s list. Each state is so unique and you’ll likely see things you’ve not seen before and with the current travel scenario, your best bet is to travel domestically and hit the roads for the USA socially distanced road trip this year!
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Day One – Fargo
Book your flight so you arrive in Fargo mid-day. Rent your car and get out to explore the Fargo Moorhead area.
Your first stop of the day for your summer break in the North and South Dakota trip should be the replica Stave Church at the Hjemkomst Center in Moorhead, MN (just over the river from Fargo). The center also has a replica Viking ship that was sailed by a local family from Duluth, Minnesota all the way across the Atlantic to Norway.
Pop back over the river to explore downtown Fargo. Get bubble tea at Teaberry and then head over to Nichole’s Fine Pastry for the most delicious sweets in Fargo.
Downtown also has plenty of locally-owned restaurants for you to choose from is you would like real food and not just sweet treats.
Head on over to the Fargo-Moorhead visitor center just off I-94 to see the famous wood chipper from the movie Fargo and get your picture taken with it.
Spend the night at a hotel in West Fargo and get dinner at Sickie’s Garage Burgers and Brews. Sickie’s has just about any kind of burger you could ever want and tons of beer to choose from. I recommend trying some from the local brewing companies.
Day Two – Jamestown and Bismarck
Start the next morning of your summer break in North and South Dakota trip tackling the three-hour drive from Fargo to Bismarck. I won’t lie. It’s a lot of open fields and flat land. The drive should be broken into two one and a half hour portions with Jamestown being the city that splits it.
From Fargo to Jamestown, I promise you won’t see land flatter anywhere in the world. The region immediately outside Fargo used to be covered in by a glacial meltwater lake following the last ice age. Once the lake dried up, the sediment on the bottom remained (obviously) leaving the flat land.
As you come on Jamestown, be on the lookout for a herd of bison with an albino one around mile marker 257. They can be on either side of the interstate, so be on the lookout.
Once in Jamestown you need to see the World’s Largest Buffalo, meander through Frontier Village, and stop in at the National Buffalo Museum to learn more about the history.
After Frontier Village and all the bison things, stop at La Carreta for lunch. They are a locally owned restaurant and have some of the best Mexican food I’ve had outside of Mexico.
For the next stop on your summer break in North and South Dakota trip, hit the road again and make your way to Bismarck. You’ll notice the landscape changes to the west of Jamestown. Once in Bismarck, you’ll want to stop at the North Dakota Heritage Center. The facility is full of fossils, gems, and archeological artifacts from the region.
For dinner check out Kroll’s Diner and order some of their award-winning knoephla (neff-lah) soup. Knoephla is a potato and dumpling cream-based regional soup. It is perfect any time of the year and delicious.
Bismarck is the capital of North Dakota and offers a variety of hotel options from the major hotels’ chains and locally owned hotels as well.
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Booking.comDay Three – Dickinson, Medora, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Start your day with breakfast at the hotel. I start all my travel days with hotel breakfast because it’s quick, easy, and included in the price of my overnight stay so why not. Then jump back on I-94 and continue west.
About a half-hour out of Bismarck you’ll see a giant cow sitting on top of a hill. That is Salem Sue in New Salem. North Dakota has a thing for giant animal statues.
Once you get to Dickinson, stop at the museum center for more fossils, gems, and geology. They also have a topographic sandbox that can entertain me and little kids or the kid at heart for quite a while.
After the museum pop on over to Jack’s Family Restaurant for borscht. Borscht is a sour soup from Ukraine/Eastern Europe. Dickinson and the western part of North Dakota had a lot of immigration from Ukraine and eastern Europe and they brought their recipes with them.
Stop at the Walmart in Dickinson before heading off to Medora to get food and water supplies for the next day. During this leg of your summer break in North and South Dakota trip, you will be in the middle of absolute nowhere without a cellular signal.
Hop back on I-94 and keep on going west. Medora is a short half-hour to forty-minute drive, depending on if you choose to follow the speed limit or not.
Medora is a complete and total tourist trap, but there are some really cool things to do there. When you get to Medora, head straight to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and purchase an annual pass (not the day pass). You can use the annual pass at other parks in the coming days and will save money.
In Theodore Roosevelt National Park you will see herd after herd of bison, tons of prairie dogs, and if you’re lucky, the wild horses.
For dinner, get tickets for the Pitchfork Steak Fondue. The steaks are loaded on pitchforks and cooked until perfection. After dinner, make sure to get a seat at the Medora Musical.
Medora also has plenty of hotel options for travelers. I recommend booking in advance as they do fill up sometimes during summer vacations.
Day Four – Devil’s Tower
When I did this trip, the day spent driving to Devil’s Tower was by far my favorite on the entire summer break in North and South Dakota trip. I loved that it was the complete middle of nowhere. Nothing but pastures and a big sky for miles. As the Devil’s tower is located in Wyoming and not in the Dakotas, therefore, opt for this day trip only if you are comfortable with a long day drive.
Take I-94 west into Montana and get off at the Wibaux exit. There is a rest area at the exit and I recommend using it before heading south on US 7. From Wibaux to Devil’s tower, the drive is about three hours. I stopped for pictures about halfway. And for breakfast/lunch/snack time.
Once I finally made it to Devil’s Tower the sun was in the perfect spot to snap a couple of killer photos before I pushed on to the next town. Don’t do what I did.
Devil’s Tower has a one-mile hiking trail around the base of the monument that I wish I would have had time to do. And for anyone braver than me, you can also climb the monument.
Overnight at a hotel near Devil’s Tower National Monument.
Day Five – Mount Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave National Park
Today will be the highlight of your summer break in the North and South Dakota trip! The drive to Mount Rushmore is gorgeous and takes you through the Black Hills National Forest. I didn’t spend too much time here. It was quick, I’ve seen it and now it’s time to push on. Unfortunately, your national park pass will not get you into this site as there is a separate parking fee you need to pay.
Custer state park is beautiful. The park is full of gorgeous rock formations and more herds of bison. Like all the other parks on this trip, there are also hiking trails.
After Custer State Park you’ll drive through Wind Cave National Park. Entrance to the park is free however if you want to tour the cave, they offer several different options around the $12 per person range. I definitely recommend touring the cave, it was one of the highlights of the trip when I went.
If you still have time at the end of the day, check out the Mammoth Site in Hot Springs. The museum is an active indoor dig site and really cool. You should definitely consider visiting it during your summer break in the North and South Dakota trip.
Once you are done for the day, make the hour drive north to Rapid City and stay at one of the hotels.
Day Six – Wall Drug and Badlands National Park
From Rapid City, jump on I-90 East until you come to the town of Wall. They are well known for a drug store turned extreme tourist trap called Wall Drug. You should not mind adding it to your summer break in the North and South Dakota trip!
Back in the day, Wall Drug used to be a place to get free cold water after spending the day out in the heat and the sun. Now, the place is a definite tourist trap with a little bit of something for everyone.
After you are done checking out Wall Drug, the Badlands National Park should be the next place you hit. The Badlands is one of the most unique and beautiful places I have been close to home.
Day Seven – Drive back to Fargo and Fly home
Depending on when you booked your flight home, you might have to hustle it back to Fargo, for the final leg of your summer break in the North and South Dakota trip. That’s usually something I do. Or you might have another nice leisurely drive. There are still plenty of places for you to stop along the route back to Fargo, pick something that sounds interesting to you, and just go!
These seven days are just a rough guide. Feel free to extend the trip or shorten it based on your needs. I live on the eastern side of North Dakota and did this trip in three days. But to do it properly, you probably should have at least five.
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For more on summer and road trips – check out my other summer vacation guides
- The Best Unpopular Summer Road Trips in America
- Most Underrated Summer Break Destinations From Around The World
- Unpopular European Summer Break Destinations
Author’s Bio:
Niki is a travel writer and Photographer who works full-time, goes to school part-time, and still manages to travel the world frequently. Her main goal is to show others that it is possible to travel with the busy life they already have and that you don’t have to sell your belongings and quit your life to gallivanting around the world.
Learn more about Niki and her travel adventures on her blog Chasing Departures and follow her journey on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
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I did a smaller road trip in South Dakota to hit Badlands, Devils Tower, and Custer State Park. I was blown away by the landscape and I wished I had more time to explore further. I’d love to go back one day. Thanks for pointing out everything I missed!
That’s great, April! I hope you can go back there soon to experience what all you missed last time 🙂
This is actually so good! Officially on my bucket list!
Yay! So happy to know that 🙂
I have not been to that part of the country yet. I am impressed with how much there is to see, going to have to add it to my bucket list.
Hope you can visit there soon! Happy travels 🙂