Driving Roads in North Dakota

Western North Dakota provides the state’s most dramatic driving terrain, where roads cross the broken ridges, buttes, grasslands, and deeply cut valleys of the Badlands. Theodore Roosevelt National Park has paved scenic roads in both its North and South units, with overlooks across the Little Missouri River country and frequent wildlife near the roadway. Farther east, the Killdeer Mountain Four Bears Scenic Byway follows Highway 22 and Highway 23 through the Killdeer Mountains, Little Missouri River breaks, and toward Lake Sakakawea. The Missouri River corridor is also explored by routes such as the Sakakawea Scenic Byway. In central and eastern North Dakota, driving becomes gentler but remains varied, with rolling farmland, wooded river valleys, wetlands, and lakes. The Turtle Mountain and Sheyenne River Valley areas offer greener, more enclosed scenery, while designated scenic backways introduce gravel or dirt surfaces that require more attention to weather and road conditions.