This Scenic 64-Mile Drive Just May Be The Most Underrated Adventure In North Dakota
By Leah|Published April 16, 2019
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Leah
Author
Leah moved to North Dakota when she was 12 years old and has traveled from the Red River Valley to the badlands and many places in between. She loves small-town life and currently enjoys living on a small farm in the ND prairie. She's always had a passion for writing and has participated in novel writing challenges such as NaNoWriMo multiple times. Her favorite part about this job is recognizing small businesses that deserve a boost and seeing the positive affect her articles can have on their traffic, especially in rural areas that might have otherwise gone overlooked.
Travel along this route in North Dakota that’ll take you on a wonderful 64-mile adventure. This scenic byway has plenty of interesting stops along the way and beautiful sights all throughout. It’s worth every mile of road you cover to see a little slice of the state that you’ll quite possibly fall in love with. Pack up a picnic, start your car, and head out to experience this:
The Killdeer Mountain Four Bears Scenic Byway is a great route to take to view a lovely part of North Dakota. Click here for driving directions.
The route begins in the tiny town of Manning, North Dakota. This little place has a population in the double digits and definitely has that ND small town flair. From here you'll head north on ND-22.
As you drive you'll be treated to views of rolling prairie hills alongside the gently winding road. This area has a variety of landscapes that are all stunning.
While you can take the drive straight through the 64 miles without stopping, it is best experienced if you visit some of the key places along the way. One of those is the Lake Ilo National Wildlife Refuge, which is the first you'll encounter.
There is a historic site, the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site, you can visit up on the mountain. Here you'll be treated to the fantastic view along with some history.
Not far off the road on the other side opposite the Killdeer Mountain Battlefield is the jaw-dropping Little Missouri State Park. The layered canyons of the badlands are amazing to see in person.
As you continue on you'll eventually hit ND-23 and change directions for eastbound and will cross Lake Sakakawea over the Four Bears Memorial Bridge. Before crossing it you can make a stop at Crow Flies High Butte, a recreational area that's perfect for a picnic. Here you can gaze across the water and see the bridge's lengthy span before you cross it.
The byway ends in New Town, North Dakota, where you can explore the local scene and finish your journey. It is an adventure worth having and the route takes just under an hour and a half to complete. You'll have plenty of time to spend at each stop and still be able to do it in a day.
Have you ever driven this scenic byway before? It’s definitely worth it. This is one of a handful of official byways and backways in North Dakota that give you the opportunity to explore various areas of the state. Here is an entire list of more you can check out for yourself.
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