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Trips to Go
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National Parks and Historic Sites
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Categories: Highways and Byways, History and Legends, Set the Kids Free, The Scenic Route
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Suggested itinerary for traveling around Western and Central North Dakota.
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.
Morning
Williston Area
MISSOURI – YELLOWSTONE CONFLUENCE INTERPRETIVE CENTER: (5 miles west on Highway 200 to Highway 1804, then 16 miles to Missouri – Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center)
- Center tells history of the area and the people who inhabited the area near where the two great rivers converge. Permanent and rotating exhibits, meeting rooms, gift store. Walking path, picnic area.
FORT BUFORD STATE HISTORIC SITE:(½ mile west of Missouri – Yellowstone Confluence Center)
- Established in 1866 at the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, Fort Buford became a major supply depot for military field operations. Site of Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881. Walking trail on site.
FORT UNION TRADING POST NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE: (3 miles west on Highway 1804)
- Fort Union Trading Post was the most important fur trading post on the upper Missouri from 1828 to 1867. At this post, the Assiniboine, Crow, Cree, Ojibway, Blackfeet, Hidatsa, and other tribes traded buffalo robes and other furs for trade goods such as beads, guns, blankets, knives, cookware, and cloth. Explore the reconstructed trading post. This partial reconstructed trading post serves as a stage for living history interpretation. During the summer various fur trade personnel are portrayed within the courtyard of the trading post.
Afternoon
New Town (70 miles east of Williston on Highway 1804, approximate drive time 1 hour)
THREE TRIBES MUSEUM
- Museum serves as heritage center to display and preserve history and culture of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara people. FOUR BEARS BRIDGE: Longest bridge in North Dakota, spanning nearly a mile of Lake Sakakawea. The current bridge is decorated with medallions reflecting the heritage of the Three Affiliated Tribes, the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara who inhabit the reservation.
CROW FLIES HIGH BUTTE
- See a breathtaking view of Lake Sakakawea, Badlands bluffs and the foundations of the underwater town of Sanish. This site was used by William Clark while waiting to reunite with Meriwether Lewis.
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.
KILLDEER MOUNTAIN FOUR BEARS SCENIC BYWAY
- From the Killdeer Mountains to the deeply entrenched Little Missouri River Breaks and Badlands, this byway provides a unique and enchanting landscape in one of the most scenic areas of western North Dakota. The rich culture and history of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara tribes paired with the recreation opportunities of Little Missouri State Park provide visitors an enthralling adventure in West Central North Dakota.
Morning
THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK NORTH UNIT: (15 miles east on Interstate 94 and 52 miles north on Highway 85 North)
- During his administration, President Theodore Roosevelt founded the United States Forest Service, signed the National Monuments Act and established the first federal game preserve. His conservation efforts led to the founding of the National Park Service, established to preserve and protect unspoiled places like his beloved North Dakota Badlands, now known as Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The two units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park offer majestic Badlands scenery, abundant wildlife and all kinds of adventures of your making. The North Unit, accessible from U.S. Highway 85 south of Watford City, has taller buttes and is heavily forested in places. The beauty and allure of the North Unit draws visitors year-round for sweeping vistas of this designated wilderness. The scenic drive is 14 miles has turnouts with spectacular views and interpretive signs. The nature trails are self-guided and take you through coulees and breaks. Visit the prairie dog town, Oxbow Overlook and the Edge of Glacier Pullout.
Grassy Butte
OLD GRASSY BUTTE POST OFFICE
- National 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: 140 mile stretch of grasslands cover more than 1 million acres. Both Theodore Roosevelt National Park units are part of the grasslands. Terrain includes: rolling prairie, badland terrain, woody draws, and high buttes. Animals found in the grasslands include: prairie dogs, eagle, flacons, elk, antelope, mule and white-tail deer. The only stand of limber pine in the state is just north of Marrmath. The only natural Ponderosa Pine Forest in the state is located west of Amidon.
Afternoon
SOUTH UNIT THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK
- The area was described in 1864 by Gen. Alfred Sully as “hell with the fires out.” The main access to the South Unit is through the historic town of Medora. North Dakota Badlands provide the scenic backdrop to this park. Named for the 26th President, it memorializes his contribution to conservation. Visitor’s center and Theodore Roosevelt’s cabin from the Maltese Cross Ranch. The loop drive could provide a view of buffalo, deer, elk, big-horn sheep, wild horses, mule deer and prairie dog towns.
OPTIONS:
- Trail rides through the Badlands on the marked trails or the Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Mountain biking through the Badlands on Maah Daah Hey Trail
- Hiking along trails through the Badlands to see nature and wildlife
- Canoeing through the Theodore Roosevelt National Park on the Little Missouri River.
Morning
SAKAKAWEA SCENIC BYWAY
- This byway highlights fantastic views of the Missouri River Valley along with some of the state’s most outstanding Lewis and Clark destinations. Visitors are able to follow the course of this great journey and discover the history and culture of the people who lived in the rolling hills and wooded valleys of the Missouri and Knife Rivers.
KNIFE RIVER INDIAN VILLAGES NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE
- American Indians occupied this area for more than 11,000 years. This is also where Lewis & Clark met Sakakawea in 1804 and Visit the ruins of an ancient Indian village last occupied in 1845, a collection of artifacts and a reconstructed American Indian earthlodge. American Indians occupied this area for more than 11,000 years.
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| Attractions that have been included in this trip: |
| Grassy Butte Post Office |
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