As America approaches its 250th anniversary, few road trips capture the nation’s spirit quite like a journey through North Dakota, Montana, and South Dakota. This route blends frontier history, iconic national parks, living Western culture, and small towns where local food, craft beer, and heritage take center stage. Designed for travelers with time to savor the journey, this itinerary stretches from the creative energy of Fargo to the thundering hooves of the Buffalo Roundup at Custer State Park, with unforgettable landscapes and communities in between.
📍 Stop 1: Fargo, North Dakota – Culture, Creativity & Plains History
Fargo, North Dakota’s most populous city, is a lively and culturally rich stop worth a day or two.
👀 Major Sights
- Plains Art Museum 🎨 – Contemporary and regional art
- Bonanzaville, USA 🏛️ – Pioneer village & frontier history
- Fargo Theatre 🎭 – Iconic Art Deco venue for films & live events
- Downtown murals, shops, and riverfront paths
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Luna Fargo 🌱 – Farm-to-table, locally sourced menu
- Rosewild 🍸 – Modern Plains cuisine & creative cocktails
- Drekker Brewing Company 🍺 – Bold craft beers & vibrant taproom
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Look for Campgrounds and RV parks along the Red River for a scenic stay
- Pelican Hills RV Resort, Pelican Rapids, MN – located in the heart of Minnesota lakes country, with 166 RV Sites, open seasonally from approximately May 1st to October 1st.
- Buffalo River State Park, Glyndon, MN – a beautiful park offering a variety of recreational activities such as biking, camping, canoeing/kayaking, fishing, hiking, horseback riding, nature viewing, off-highway vehicle riding, and shooting sports.
📍 Stop 2: Minot, North Dakota – Heritage, Parks & Local Flavor
Known as the “Magic City,” Minot offers a welcoming mix of culture and outdoor fun.
👀 Major Sights
- Scandinavian Heritage Park – Nordic culture & architecture
- Roosevelt Park Zoo 🦒 – One of ND’s top family attractions
- Dakota Territory Air Museum ✈️ – Military & aviation history
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Ebeneezer’s Eatery & Irish Bar 🍀 – Local favorite
- Atypical Brewery & Barrelworks 🍻 – Small-batch craft beer
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- RoughRider RV Resort, Minot, ND – Pull through sites with full hookups, peaceful setting but within close proximity to town.
📍 Stop 3: Medora, North Dakota – Badlands Beauty & Theodore Roosevelt’s Legacy
Medora is the emotional heart of this journey. Nestled at the edge of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, it’s where rugged Badlands landscapes meet presidential history. The nearby Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, opening in 2026, adds a powerful America 250 connection, exploring leadership, conservation, and citizenship.
👀 Major Sights
- Theodore Roosevelt National Park 🦬 – Badlands hikes & wildlife
- Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library 📚 (opening 2026)
- Medora Musical 🎶 – Outdoor western show under the stars
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Theodore’s Dining Room 🍽️ – Regional flavors
- Pitchfork Steak Fondue 🔥 – Iconic sunset dining experience at the Musical venue
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Cottonwood Campground, Medora, ND – Located in the heart of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, near the South Unit Visitors Center, offering basic campsites nestled right up along the Missouri River.
- Medora Campground, Medora, ND – friendly staff, shady pull-through sites, strategically located near Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the Medora Musical, ND Cowboy Hall of Fame, and more.
Image courtesy of Range Riders Museum
📍 Stop 4: Miles City, Montana – Cowboy Culture & Yellowstone River History
Crossing into Montana, Miles City feels like stepping into authentic cowboy country. The Range Riders Museum tells the story of ranching, rodeo, and frontier life, while the historic downtown showcases classic Western architecture.
👀 Major Sights
- Range Riders Museum 🤠 – Ranching & rodeo heritage
- Historic downtown & Tongue River walks
- Authentic small-town cowboy culture
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Black Iron Grill Rotisserie 🥩 – Locally sourced beef
- Main Street Grind 🍔 – Western comfort classics
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Miles City KOA Journey, Miles City, MT – Stay on the grounds where the Sioux, Cheyenne and Crow once lived, and where Captain William Clark and Sacajawea (1806) and General George Custer (1874 and 1876) once camped. Use only exit 135 to avoid Low Clearance Bridge (11’5″) in town.
📍 Stop 5: Red Lodge, Montana – Gateway to Yellowstone’s Northeast
Set at the foot of the Beartooth Mountains, Red Lodge is a charming mountain town and the launch point for the spectacular Beartooth Highway, often considered one of America’s most scenic drives.
👀 Major Sights
- Beartooth Highway 🏔️ – One of America’s most scenic drives
- Yellowstone National Park – Northeast Entrance 🐺 – Lamar Valley wildlife
- Carbon County Historical Society Museum – Exploring the past, present, and future of Carbon County
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Bogart’s Restaurant 🍽️ – Local favorite
- Red Lodge Ales Brewing Company 🍺 – Montana brewed with tap room and beer garden
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Red Lodge KOA Journey, Red Lodge, MT – Enjoy a pleasant stay near the beginning of “the most beautiful drive in America” in the heart of the 2024 named “most charming mountain town” in the US by Travel + Leisure.
📍 Stop 6: Billings, Montana – Big Sky City Meets Western Heritage
As Montana’s largest city, Billings offers a balance of urban comfort and Western history.
👀 Major Sights
- Western Heritage Center 🏛️ – Plains & frontier history
- Pictograph Cave State Park 🪨 – Ancient rock art
- Riverfront walks & local shops
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Walkers Grill 🍷 – Refined regional dining
- By All Means Brewery 🍺 – Exceptional flavored beers bringing people together, paired with a chef-driven restaurant designed to create meaningful experiences
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Hardin KOA Journey, Hardin, MT – a great campground for visiting the nearby battlefields of Pompeys Pillars.
📍 Stop 7: Spearfish, South Dakota – Canyon Views & Creative Energy
Entering South Dakota’s Black Hills, Spearfish is a hidden gem. Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway delivers waterfalls, limestone cliffs, and vibrant color.
👀 Major Sights
- Spearfish Canyon Scenic Byway – Waterfalls, cliffs, & colors
- Local galleries, shops & outdoor trails
- Visit nearby Deadwood – quirky western town with live reenactments of outlaw shootouts
- Visit nearby Sturgis – motorcycle haven
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- The Farmhouse Bistro & Bar – an American restaurant located on the former Meier Ranch property
- Redwater Kitchen – a new-generation gastro pub, crafting wholesome American meals
- Crow Peak Brewing Company 🍻 – Local craft beer
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Elkhorn Ridge RV Resort & Cabins, Spearfish, SD – top-notch place to stay with spacious sites that has everything you want or need on a camping trip.
📍 Stop 8: Mount Rushmore & Crazy Horse – Two Sides of the American Story
No Black Hills journey is complete without Mount Rushmore National Memorial, where the carved faces of four presidents symbolize the American experiment. Just a short drive away, Crazy Horse Memorial offers a powerful counterpoint, honoring Lakota leader Crazy Horse and Native American heritage. Together, these sites provide a meaningful America 250 moment — reflecting both national ideals and the diverse stories that shaped the country.
👀 Major Sights
- Mount Rushmore National Memorial 🗿- Carved figures of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln tell the story of the birth, growth, development and preservation of this country.
- Crazy Horse Memorial 🪶 – Sculpture & Native American Museum
- Ranger programs & evening lighting ceremonies
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Skogen Kitchen, Custer – Modern Plains cuisine
- Miner’s Cup, Custer – An array of breakfast and coffee options sure to please any aficionado.
- Mt. Rushmore Brewing, Custer – Wonderful outdoor dining, great selection of beers, restaurant name is a play on words
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Custer / Crazy Horse / Black Hills KOA Holiday, Custer, SD – centrally located to all major Black Hills attractions: Mt. Rushmore National Monument, Crazy Horse Memorial, Jewel Cave National Monument, Wind Cave National Park, and Custer State Park
📍 Stop 9: Custer State Park – Wildlife, Scenic Drives & the Buffalo Roundup
Custer State Park is one of the crown jewels of the Midwest. Scenic drives like Needles Highway and the Wildlife Loop Road showcase granite spires, alpine lakes, and abundant wildlife.
👀 Major Sights
- Wildlife Loop Road 🦬 – Bison, pronghorn & burros
- Needles Highway – Granite spires & tunnels
- Buffalo Roundup & Arts Festival – (late September)
- Jewel Cave National Monument – One of the longest caves in the world, with over 220 miles of mapped and surveyed passages
- Wind Cave National Park 🪨- Unique national park experience offering both above-ground prairie and below-ground cave adventures
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- State Game Lodge Restaurant – Casual yet elegant breakfast and lunch dining with a more formal ambiance for dinner
- Blue Bell Lodge Dining – Hearty ranch house dining serving up true Western flavor, with cattle-drive classics featuring bison, beef, chicken, and fish
- Sylvan Lake Lodge – Fresh, locally sourced ingredients grace the dinner table; al fresco dining on the stone veranda (dogs welcome) with fabulous vistas of the Black Hills
- Legion Lake Dockside Grill – Quality family-friendly entrees with full tableside service both inside and on the deck
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Custer State Park Legion Lake Campground – centrally located campground with spacious paved sites surrounded by grass and lots of trees, near the Wildlife Loop
- Custer State Park Blue Bell Campground – conveniently located at the beginning of the Wildlife Loop and Needles Highway, with a paved bike path that runs along Coolidge Creek
📍 Stop 10: Badlands National Park & Wall, South Dakota – A Classic Road Trip Finale
End your journey in the dramatic landscapes of Badlands National Park, where layered rock formations, fossil beds, and sweeping vistas tell a story millions of years in the making. Just outside the park, Wall Drug offers a playful, kitschy stop with shopping, dining, and classic road-trip nostalgia.
👀 Major Sights
- Badlands National Park 🌄 – Scenic drives & fossil beds
- Sunrise & sunset overlooks, trail hikes
- Wall Drug 🛍️ – Classic Americana road-trip stop
- Minuteman Missile National Historic Site – Tour where a vast arsenal of nuclear missiles was placed in the Great Plains and hidden in plain sight during the Cold War.
🍽️ Can’t-Miss Eats
- Wall Drug Cafe – Part of the iconic Wall Drug Store, known for its classic American comfort food, including their legendary hot beef sandwiches with mashed potatoes and gravy, buffalo burgers, and their famous homemade donuts and 5-cent coffee.
- Badlands Saloon & Grille – Locally owned restaurant featuring a range of comfort food, including hearty burgers, steaks and pizza. T
- Salty Steer – A modern and inviting ambiance with a menu that includes burgers, steaks, pasta and local craft beer.
- Red Rock Restaurant & Lounge – Specializing in locally raised meat and priding itself on farm-to-table freshness.
🏕️ Nearby Stays
- Badlands Interior Motel & Campground, Interior, SD – full-service campground located only 1 mile from the Badlands National Park
- Badlands / White River KOA Holiday, Interior, SD – Located 5 miles from the Badlands National Park in a quiet rural setting with hundreds of large shade trees beside the White River
An America 250 Journey to Remember
From prairie cities and ranch towns to mountain gateways and national monuments, this route captures the heart of the American West. It’s a road trip built for curiosity, connection, and celebration — honoring America 250 through landscapes, communities, and stories that continue to shape the nation.
✨ Ready to get started?
- View this route in AdventureGenie’s TripPlanner
- Customize stops, pacing, and lodging
- Discover campgrounds, RV parks, and attractions nearby
Leave a Reply