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Trips to Go
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Western Heritage and Heroes
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Categories: Bodies in Motion, History and Legends
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Suggested itinerary for traveling around western North Dakota. Starting in Williston traveling east on Highway 1804 to New Town, then south on Highway 22 to Highway 200. Traveling east on Highway 200 to Beulah and Hazen, then south to New Salem. After New Salem, travel west on I-94 to Richardton, Dickinson and Theodore Roosevelt National Park and Medora.
There are many additional activities in every area. Groups can participate in canoeing, horseback riding, hiking, biking, swimming or golfing. Please check the state travel guide for these additional activities.
DAY 1
Williston Area
Lewis and Clark State Park
- Situated on one of the upper bays of Lake Sakakawea. Full-service state park with modern and primitive camp sites, cabins, a camp store, picnic shelters, nature trails, swim beach, fishing area, and much more. www.parkrec.nd.gov/Parks/LCSP.htm
Links of North Dakota
No. 53 in Golf Digest's Top 100 Public Courses – 2005. In true links fashion, uneven lies and wind will challenge every aspect of your game. www.thelinksofnorthdakota.com/
Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center
- Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center tells the story of the confluence of these two mighty rivers, and provides the same magnificent view that Lewis and Clark Expedition members enjoyed when they visited in 1805 and 1806. Featured in the 2,000-square-foot permanent gallery will be the Lewis and Clark journey, the fur trade era, Fort Buford, and the development of the modern-day irrigation and energy industries. http://history.nd.gov/historicsites/mycic/index.html
Fort Buford State Historic Site
- Military post established at the confluence of the Yellowstone and Missouri rivers in 1866. Nez Perce Chief Joseph and Hunkpapa Sioux leader Sitting Bull were imprisoned here. It is the site of Sitting Bull’s surrender in July of 1881. http://history.nd.gov/historicsites/index.html
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
- The American Fur Company fort, built near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, dominated the fur trade on the Upper Missouri River between 1829 and 1867. Indians and the fur traders peacefully co-existed before the great Indian wars. www.nps.gov/fous/
Writing Rock State Historic Site
- Site preserves two large boulders bearing many Indian pictographs. Indian artifacts and tepee rings can be seen.
New Town
Four Bears Casino & Resort
- Full Las Vegas-style casino with live entertainment and a beautiful overlook of Lake Sakakawea. www.4bearscasino.com
Three Tribes Museum
Four Bear Bridge
- The newly constructed bridge is named for 19 tribal chiefs of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara Indian tribes. It is the longest bridge in North Dakota, spanning nearly a mile of Lake Sakakawea.
Killdeer
Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site
- Commemorates a battle fought on July 28, 1864, between 2,200 troops commanded by General Alfred Sully and 6,000 Sioux Indians.
Little Missouri State Park
Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge
- The refuge contains 4,034 acres of prairie, grasslands and wetlands and serves as an oasis for waterfowl and shore birds. Birds include Canada geese, snow geese, ducks, piping plover, blue heron and bald eagle. www.fws.gov/lakeilo/
DAY 2
Beulah
- Home to the energy trail of North Dakota. By appointment, you can visit most power plants or coal mines in the area, including ANTELOPE VALLEY STATION, COYOTE STATION, DAKOTA WESTMORELAND AND COAL MINE, FREEDOM MINE, GREAT PLAINS SYNFUELS PLANT. www.beulahnd.org/
New Salem
New Salem Sue
- World’s largest holstein cow – 38 feet tall and 50 feet long, built to honor the area’s dairy industry.
New Salem Historical Society/Custer Trail Museum
- Nine buildings: school, church, blacksmith’s shop, 1910 house, railroad depot.
Richardton
Assumption Abbey
- Visible by the twin spires of St. Mary's Catholic Church, built in 1909. Bavarian Romanesque structure, vaulted ceilings, original paintings, 50 large stained glass windows, the Abbey library, gift shop, wine cellar and shop are open by request. www.assumptionabbey.com
Gladstone
Enchanted Highway
- Giant metal sculptures, including "World's Largest Tin Family," "Teddy Rides Again," "Pheasants on the Prairie," "Grasshoppers in the Field," "Geese in Flight," and "Deer Crossing." Gift shop in Regent has miniatures of each statue. www.enchantedhighway.net
Hettinger County Historical Society Museum
- Located at the end of the Enchanted Highway, this four-building museum features Doc Hill's office, a drugstore, pioneer town and home.
Dickinson
Dakota Dinosaur Museum
- Museum features 14 full-scale dinosaurs, minerals, mammals, fossils and sea life. Life-size Triceratops and Pachycephalosaurus outside the entrance. www.dakotadino.com
Joachim Regional Museum
Prairie Outpost Park
- Several historic buildings, including a general store, post office, church. Germans from Russia stone house, Norwegian stabbur and veterans’ chapel.
Ukrainian Cultural Institute
- Featuring Ukrainian cultural exhibits, folk arts, religious display, research library and is home to the Ukrainian Cultural Institute's cheese button factory. Visitors are welcome and special demonstrations upon request. www.ukrainianculturalinstitute.org
Medora Area
Medora is the gateway to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. This authentic Old West cowtown was founded in 1883 by the Marquis de Mores and named for his wife. Medora offers a musical extravaganza, trail rides, mountain biking, hiking, museums, many gift shops and restaurants are bustling during the summer season.
Chateau De Mores State Historic Site
Doll House Museum
Bully The Play
Pitchfork Fondue
- Experience unique dining on top of one of the highest bluffs offering a spectacular view of the scenic Badlands and the town of Medora. Ribeye steaks are fondued "western style" with all the fixin's. www.medora.com/attractions/fondue.html
Medora Musical
- Broadway-style musical show in spectacular Burning Hills Amphitheatre. The surrounding hills resound with music and laughter at this fast-paced, song-and-dance professional extravaganza. www.medora.com/attractions/musical/index.html
North Dakota Cowboy Hall Of Fame
- Center for Western Heritage and Cultures, Native American, ranching and rodeo, trail drivers, homesteading and the sport of rodeo. It includes the impact of the horse on the development of the life on the plains. www.northdakotacowboy.com
Billings County Courthouse Museum
- History of Billings County, along with frontier farm/ranch memorabilia, extensive barb wire collection, restored pioneer days courtroom/jail.
DAY 3
South Unit Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Scenic splendor in the savagely beautiful North Dakota Badlands, named for the 26th President of the United States and managed by the National Park Service. This beautiful national park has three units, all offering distinctly different views. Named for the 26th President, it memorializes his contribution to conservation. www.nps.gov/thro/
Bully Pulpit Golf Course
- Ranked America's Best New Affordable Public Course by Golf Digest in January 2006. Located just 3 miles south of Historic Medora, this 18-hole course is set in the beautiful North Dakota Badlands. www.medora.com/attractions/golf/index.html
ADDITIONAL OPTIONS:
- Trail ride through the Badlands on the marked trails or the Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Mountain bike through the Badlands on the Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Hike along trails through the Badlands to see nature and wildlife
- Canoe through Theodore Roosevelt National Park on the Little Missouri River.
Grassy Butte
Old Grassy Butte Post Office
- Nationally registered historic site built of logs and sod in 1912. Now serves as a unique museum housing exhibits from the 1800s and early 1900s.
Little Missouri National Grasslands
- Largest and most diverse of the 19 grasslands found in the western United States. It covers more than 1 million acres, including both Theodore Roosevelt National Park units. The only stand of limber pine in the state is just north of Marmarth and the only natural Ponderosa Pine Forest in the state is located west of Amidon. www.fs.fed.us/r1/dakotaprairie/
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - North Unit
- The North Unit has taller buttes and is heavily forested in places. The beauty draws visitors year-round for sweeping vistas of this designated wilderness. The 14-mile scenic byway in the North Unit provide easy access to popular vistas and wildlife viewing – you will always see buffalo herds and prairie dog towns, and you may catch a glimpse of wild horses, mule deer, elk and maybe even at coyote. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is open year-round, with guided trail rides and primitive camping available inside and outside the park. www.nps.gov/thro/
DAY 4
Watford City
Long X Visitor Center and Museum
- The Long X Visitor Center and Museum is the central location for information on the area's cultural, geological, historical, and geographic attractions. The Pioneer Museum features a timeline of the history of the area and Grandma's Pantry and Books gift shop. www.4eyes.net
McKenzie County Pioneer Museum
- This pioneer museum has many artifacts exhibited in the historic classroom.
McKenzie County Heritage Park
Contacts:
Williston Convention and Visitors Bureau
McKenzie County Tourism
Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation
Dickinson Convention & Visitors Bureau
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