9 Most Breathtaking Towns In North Dakota
North Dakota, a state in the upper Midwest US, is known for many things, including being an agricultural production center and a hub for Native American cultural heritage. It is also noted for its breathtaking natural beauty, specifically its interesting geological erosion landscapes called the Badlands. The state is also said to have some of the country's best sunsets and night skies due to its rural prairies and general lack of massive city skylines. Many of North Dakota's small towns are surrounded by striking mountains, lakes, rivers, and canyons, making the state's beauty and outdoor recreational opportunities completely unmatched.
Valley City
Nicknamed the "City of Bridges" due to its many bridges that cross the Sheyenne River, Valley City is a small city of around six thousand residents in the central part of North Dakota. The city has a charming, historic downtown area with plenty of walkability to local artisan shops, restaurants, bakeries, and a library, and many of the buildings are quite old and very pretty. There are several well-maintained parks downtown, including the popular Medicine Wheel Park, which is home to a Native American solar calendar, hence the park's name, as well as burial mounds and an astronomy observation trail that offers stunning nighttime sky views.
More visual appeal can be found outside of town, though, in the form of natural attractions such as the Sheyenne River itself. A scenic byway travels alongside it, offering some of the most breathtaking views in the state, including the imposing Hi-Line Railroad Bridge, a rail bridge constructed in 1906 that is nearly four thousand feet long! Chautauqua Park, a riverfront multi-use park, offers very nice views of the Hi-Line Bridge and is a popular gathering spot for locals.
The Sheyenne River is dammed about ten miles north of Valley City, creating Lake Ashtabula, a scenic and calm lake in the middle of the river valley, surrounded by rolling hills and inhabited by tons of white pelicans and other wildlife. The lake is extremely popular with locals and tourists alike for fishing, boating, and hiking, and people from the area cite it as a must-see for visitors wanting to experience the area's true beauty. Back in town, have dinner at the local favorite Pizza Corner Restaurant to get the whole Valley City experience.
Washburn
A tiny city of just over a thousand residents sitting along the Missouri River, Washburn is the seat of McLean County. Despite being so small, the city does have a cute little downtown strip along Main Avenue with some local businesses, but the main attractions of Washburn involve the scenery that is offered just around its outskirts. The town has several amazing local trails which make for perfect hiking regardless of skill level, including the Washburn Discovery Trail which runs for almost four miles if you follow it out and back, starting at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in town at Harmony Park. The trail is paved in concrete and lined with adorable buffalo sculptures, making it both accessible and fun for the whole family.
Speaking of Lewis and Clark, the Fort Mandan State Historic Site is near Washburn and marks where the iconic explorers built their encampment during the winter of 1804. Today, a full-size replica has been built where the original fort stood, so visitors can get a feel for what it might have been like back then. Washburn has several state parks around it as well, including Cross Ranch State Park, an almost six-hundred-acre recreational outdoor space known for incredible river views, snow sports, boating, and fishing on the Missouri River, which is only ten minutes outside of Washburn. Another park 30 minutes north is Lake Sakakawea State Park, an even bigger area that covers almost eight hundred miles and includes its enormous namesake lake. This park is most well-known for its amazing fishing opportunities, and it is also a premier hiking destination with over twenty miles of trails.
Wahpeton
On the Minnesota border, the Bois de Sioux River and the Otter Tail River combine to form the Red River of the North, and near this junction lies the city of Wahpeton. Only 45 45-minute drive from the highly populated urban center of Fargo, Wahpeton offers big city convenience with a suburban feel. This city is unique in its artistic components, with its individualized, interactive Dakota Avenue Mural located within the main drag. Wahpeton is also home to the noteworthy Red Door Art Gallery, which features state and local art, including works from famous Native American artist Fritz Scholder.
Wahpeton's downtown is thriving and has both curated outdoor spaces and a downtown area with plenty of locally owned places to shop, eat and drink. Locals recommend having dinner at night at Wilkin Neighborhood Pub, which has been there for well over a century. Plus, Wahpeton's natural beauty extends beyond its artistic downtown. If you want to do something that will genuinely take your breath away, visit the Chahinkapa Zoo, which offers immersive hands-on experiences in addition to viewing exotic animals, making it an eye-opening and educational experience suitable for your whole family.
Bottineau
The location of Dakota College at Bottineau, this town is small and suburban, but also well-known for its natural beauty, due to being located in the valley of the Turtle Mountains. This mountain range is home to Turtle Mountain State Recreation Area, popular for its hiking and ATV trails, and the larger Turtle Mountain State Forest. The latter has over seven thousand acres of land for visitors to enjoy, including great spots for boating and other watersports, at Strawberry Lake or Hahn's Bay. The state forest is also a hotspot for horseback riding, with plenty of trails suited to the sport and its own dedicated area called Twisted Oaks Equestrian Campground.
The Turtle Mountains have something for everyone. Also located in the mountain range, only a ten-minute drive from town, is the Bottineau Winter Park, which is currently undergoing a massive remodel and is planning to open back up for the winter of 2026. If you like skiing, snowshoeing, ice fishing, or snowmobiling, this is the place for you, called the "Jewel Above the Prairie" for its truly breathtaking views you will witness from the ski lifts and the top of the slopes. This park draws in thousands of tourists each winter season and with its upgrade to a brand new snow machine, it is planning to be better than ever this coming winter.
Another significantly scenic area to visit in the Turtle Mountains is Lake Metigoshe State Park, which is only fourteen miles from Bottineau. It is a vast conservation area that is home to multiple small lakes, making it ideal for fishing, kayaking, and swimming. The hiking trails are plentiful in this park, and are wide enough for mountain biking as well. The wetland scenery there is unique to this area of North Dakota, and provides great opportunities for birdwatchers and people interested in plant life.
Williston
A larger city with almost thirty thousand residents, Williston is situated where the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers meet, which inherently makes it very beautiful with miles of waterfront scenery. If you love swimming, Williston is the perfect place for you to be. The town has several places to swim and take kids safely. These include Spring Lake Park, a charming park described as a "gem" in Williston for its multiple playgrounds, maze, and sandy lake beaches for swimming and fishing. They offer paddleboard and shelter rentals as well, and access to the park is totally free.
Also downtown is the Williston Area Recreation Center, which offers plenty of fun activities all year round, including youth sports, an indoor playground, and various classes for children. However, by all accounts, summer is the peak time to come here. This is because the center has its own water park with several water slides, a lazy river, a temperature-moderated kiddie pool, and a wave machine. It is also said to be affordable and noted to have attentive lifeguards.
If you are fine with driving just a few minutes outside of town for more scenic activities, Lake Sakakawea is a truly breathtaking sight. This lake covers almost two hundred miles of surface area and is the third largest manmade lake in the US, offering lots of gorgeous views and opportunities for recreation. It is popular among Williston locals and tourists alike for boating, fishing, swimming, and even sailing, since it gets great wind flow from the surrounding flat prairies and badlands. Many visitors utilize Little Egypt Park, a spot on the lake popular for its amazing water views and well-maintained campground.
Jamestown
Like Williston, the city of Jamestown sits at a confluence of rivers, but it is the James River and Pipestem River. This city is in a great central location and is a perfect stopping point between the North Dakota state capital of Bismarck and the large city of Fargo. Jamestown is known for its clean air and friendly residents, and it has a small but pretty downtown area with several local businesses you can visit. It is also located among the North Dakota prairies, so it has plenty of scenery unique to the Midwest US, like golden open plains and rolling hills covered in greenery beneath endless blue skies. The prairies are breathtaking, especially for visitors who have never seen them.
The main outdoor attractions around Jamestown include fishing and hiking. Jamestown has two reservoirs, the first of which is Pipestem Reservoir, an 800-acre body with almost fifteen miles of shoreline, perfect for boating, hunting, birdwatching, and the abovementioned activities. The trails here are immaculate, with one of the more popular ones being the North Ridge Trail around the reservoir. It is five miles long and known for being spectacularly beautiful, traveling through the prairie and woodlands, and boasting miles of lake views in any direction.
Another popular water source, the Jamestown Reservoir, has a sandy beach great for swimming, and is renowned for its hefty populations of freshwater fish like yellow perch, northern pike and walleye. Like Pipestem, Jamestown Reservoir has a few multi-use trails around it, including the Overlook Trail, which is five miles long and culminates in a wonderful lake view. Another popular trail is the Beaver Dam Trail, a shorter and less challenging trail which is said to be great for families with kids while still providing very nice views.
Devils Lake
The largest natural body of water in North Dakota, this town's namesake, Devils Lake, covers a whopping 160,000 acres of surface area. Needless to say, with its hundreds of miles of shoreline, this lake is both a hotspot for recreational activity and an absolutely breathtaking visual inspiration. The accompanying town of the same name is also a draw, for its quiet small-town charm and proximity to beautiful scenery. While it is quiet, the town does have a couple of popular spots of its own, including Black Paws Brewing Company.
Meanwhile, at the lake, there is endless fishing, birdwatching, and hiking to enjoy. Its namesake, Devils Lake State Park, offers all of this and more, and right on the lake shore is another state park, Graham's Island State Park. This one has been called a "hidden treasure" and offers year-round camping, massive shady oak trees, and incredible lake views. Also on the lake's north shore is the White Horse Hill National Game Preserve, a conservation area where you can see massive herds of bison and elk.
Medora
Near the state's unique badlands, with the massive Theodore Roosevelt National Park in its backyard, is the small city of Medora. Most of its surrounding area is unspoiled nature, which makes it one of the most breathtaking towns in the state. The badlands make the area worth seeing, described as harsh and majestic all at once, with their jagged slopes, layers of exposed colorful rock, and steep canyons. They can be hazardous, but absolutely worth exploring if you are careful.
The aforementioned Theodore Roosevelt National Park is simply huge, sprawling across so many acres that it had to be sectioned into three units. Medora is situated beside the South Unit, which offers plenty to explore, including a large section of a very popular trail, the Maah Daah Hey Trail. This hiking trail travels through all three units of the park and is over 140 miles long, winding through both the rugged hills of the badlands and the relaxing beauty of the grasslands. It can be used by hikers, bikers, and even horseback riders, and you can see herds of bison and elk or unique bird species while exploring it.
Back in town, experience a couple of attractions which help draw thousands of visitors to Medora every year, especially families with kids. Point to Point Amusement Park is great for children, providing hours of entertainment through a water park area, mini golf, ziplines and an illusion house, many of which are free. For some live entertainment, the unique Medora Musical cannot be matched, billed as the "greatest show in the west," and consisting of variety acts like music, rodeo, and firework displays.
Mandan
A mid-sized city of about twenty thousand residents, near the capital of Bismarck, Mandan sits along the Missouri River. It is also in close proximity to several other amazing landmarks, several of which celebrate the Indigenous People for whom the town is named. The Double Ditch Indian Village State Historic Site, an archeological site of a former earth lodge village of the Mandan People, was at this spot for an estimated 300 years before it was abandoned in the early 1780s. A similar educational site, the On-A-Slant Indian Village, is another former Mandan settlement that thrived for two hundred years. This one has been slightly more restored than the former, and you can actually go into a few of the structures and learn about the culture of the people who once resided there.
On-A-Slant Indian Village is located in Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, which, outside of being home to a learning experience, is also a stunning prairie landscape with lots of riverfront. It is the oldest state park in North Dakota, and is home to a combined twenty miles of hiking trails for plenty of exploration opportunities. If you would prefer to go fishing, swimming, or boating, Harmon Lake, only eight miles from Mandan, has been described as having picturesque views and clear water, with a very clean, sandy beach.
Whether you want to experience the famous North Dakota badlands near Medora or a record-breaking body of water like Devils Lake, the natural beauty of this state will not disappoint. It has something for you during every season, like ski resorts in Bottineau during winter or fun water parks for the whole family in Williston during the summer. Whether your outdoor sport is hunting, fishing, boating, or hiking, North Dakota is sure to have a perfect spot to do it, alongside a mountain, canyon, or waterfront view, any of which are sure to take your breath away.
