Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Mar, Courtney, and Cynthia for another Friday Five. This week's topic is 5 Fitness Trends I’ll Never Try, but I'm going off theme because I'll try anything once... if someone pays for the class and drags me there. So instead, let's talk about 5 Things to Do in North Dakota!
A little background: Alex and I went to North Dakota the first week of June to cross off my 49th state. We were originally going to go to Alaska, but I decided we should save it for last because North Dakota seemed "so boring." I was wrong! We really love hiking, beer, and friendly people, and North Dakota did not disappoint. I was surprised by how lovely the state was and the people were extremely hospitable.
Without further ado, here are some things to do, complete with trip photos:
See Downtown Fargo
When I think "downtown" I usually think tall buildings and business people. Fargo's downtown isn't quite like that (at all), but it's small, inviting, and packed with amazing restaurants and a few beer hangouts. I highly recommend Wurst Bier Hall. Amazing food and brews. YUM. We loved it so much we came back on our way home.
Follow the Lewis and Clark Trail
We inadvertently followed their trail for half a day's drive and stumbled upon Lake Sakakawea and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Obviously, it's all paved road now (unless it's covered in a man-made lake)... but it's kind of wild to image their party canvassing the land back in 1804-06!
Visit the World's Largest Buffalo and the Enchanted Highway
The WLB is about the only thing to do along the drive from Fargo to Bismarck, but it was fun. There's a museum and a historical village. We ran out of time and weren't able to see the Enchanted Highway – just got to see the bird sculpture at the exit – so this was the next best thing!
GO TO Teddy Roosevelt National Park NOW!
I've been to a lot of National Parks and this is one of my favorites. There are two parts of the park (North and South) with main roads that take you through the highlights. You can see a ton of wildlife and there are several lookouts and short hiking trails off the main road. We did an epic hike in the North unit that blew us away. If you're in North Dakota, you need to go here! We based our trip around the park and I'm so thankful we did. It was gorgeous.
Try Some Backwoods Camping
While we spent a few nights in hotels, we also camped (had to check a bag with our tent). I prefer backwoods (hike in/hike out) camping to drive up campsites. I enjoy the solitude and feeling like we're "really" camping. Pulling up to a campsite is ok (and we did that another night at Lake Sakakawea), but it kind of feels like cheating because you can return to the car at any time. Anyway, we hiked along the Upper Talkington Trail at TRNP and were rewarded with amazing views and a pretty epic campsite. We didn't see any animals (beyond bugs), but we heard a very vocal pack of coyotes howling! (Oh, and saw lots of bison poop.)
Bottom line: don't save North Dakota for your last state. We took a 4 day trip and saw so much. I need to do a TR park summary post... someday. ;)
What's your next or best trip?
A little background: Alex and I went to North Dakota the first week of June to cross off my 49th state. We were originally going to go to Alaska, but I decided we should save it for last because North Dakota seemed "so boring." I was wrong! We really love hiking, beer, and friendly people, and North Dakota did not disappoint. I was surprised by how lovely the state was and the people were extremely hospitable.
Without further ado, here are some things to do, complete with trip photos:
See Downtown Fargo
When I think "downtown" I usually think tall buildings and business people. Fargo's downtown isn't quite like that (at all), but it's small, inviting, and packed with amazing restaurants and a few beer hangouts. I highly recommend Wurst Bier Hall. Amazing food and brews. YUM. We loved it so much we came back on our way home.
Follow the Lewis and Clark Trail
We inadvertently followed their trail for half a day's drive and stumbled upon Lake Sakakawea and the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Obviously, it's all paved road now (unless it's covered in a man-made lake)... but it's kind of wild to image their party canvassing the land back in 1804-06!
Visit the World's Largest Buffalo and the Enchanted Highway
The WLB is about the only thing to do along the drive from Fargo to Bismarck, but it was fun. There's a museum and a historical village. We ran out of time and weren't able to see the Enchanted Highway – just got to see the bird sculpture at the exit – so this was the next best thing!
GO TO Teddy Roosevelt National Park NOW!
 |
| Very hard to pick just two photos. |
I've been to a lot of National Parks and this is one of my favorites. There are two parts of the park (North and South) with main roads that take you through the highlights. You can see a ton of wildlife and there are several lookouts and short hiking trails off the main road. We did an epic hike in the North unit that blew us away. If you're in North Dakota, you need to go here! We based our trip around the park and I'm so thankful we did. It was gorgeous.
Try Some Backwoods Camping
 |
| Our campsite! (Our tent is the little beige dome on the ridge.) |
While we spent a few nights in hotels, we also camped (had to check a bag with our tent). I prefer backwoods (hike in/hike out) camping to drive up campsites. I enjoy the solitude and feeling like we're "really" camping. Pulling up to a campsite is ok (and we did that another night at Lake Sakakawea), but it kind of feels like cheating because you can return to the car at any time. Anyway, we hiked along the Upper Talkington Trail at TRNP and were rewarded with amazing views and a pretty epic campsite. We didn't see any animals (beyond bugs), but we heard a very vocal pack of coyotes howling! (Oh, and saw lots of bison poop.)
Bottom line: don't save North Dakota for your last state. We took a 4 day trip and saw so much. I need to do a TR park summary post... someday. ;)
What's your next or best trip?
Didn't know there was so much to do in North Dakota. Sounds like a great state to visit.
ReplyDeleteLovely, I've never been to ND before. Looks beautiful!
ReplyDelete