North Dakota

North Dakota is not a twisties state, and riders who arrive expecting mountain switchbacks will be disappointed. What it delivers instead is something harder to find: genuine solitude, a horizon that actually moves, and a western third of the state where the prairie drops without warning into striated clay canyons that feel nothing like the rest of the Great Plains. The Badlands corridor around Medora is the gravitational center of motorcycle riding here — the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit loop, the Killdeer Mountain Four Bears Byway on ND-22, and the 32-mile Enchanted Highway sculpture corridor are within a comfortable day's ride of each other. East of the Missouri, the Sheyenne River Valley and the Standing Rock byway offer quieter, more contemplative riding through river valley country and reservation land with real historical weight. For ADV riders willing to accept the consequences of gumbo clay, the Little Missouri National Grassland forest roads are the only legitimate dirt experience in the state. For everyone else, this is a touring and cruising destination — big miles, open sky, and a handful of genuinely distinctive stops.

What Kind of Riding State Is North Dakota?

North Dakota is a long-haul, open-road state. The overwhelming majority of its roads are straight, flat, and lightly traveled — which is either a feature or a bug depending on what you're after. If you want to log miles with a clear head and almost no traffic, the central and eastern prairie delivers that reliably. If you want something with more visual or technical interest, you need to be in the western third of the state.

The Badlands corridor is where the riding concentrates. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit Scenic Loop — a 36-mile two-lane through buttes, bison range, and Little Missouri canyon country — is the closest thing North Dakota has to a canyon road. Note that portions of the loop can close in winter due to snow and ice; always verify road status before visiting in shoulder seasons. A few miles east on I-94, the Painted Canyon Overlook gives you a first look at the landscape without a park entrance fee. The Killdeer Mountain Four Bears Scenic Byway (ND-22) from Killdeer to New Town adds the steepest climbs in the state, including the Lost Bridge over the Little Missouri — North Dakota's nearest approximation of a mountain road.

Choosing Your Route

Think of the state in two zones:

• Western ND (Badlands corridor): The South Unit loop, ND-22, the Enchanted Highway, and the Sakakawea Scenic Byway make a natural multi-day loop anchored in Medora or Bismarck. Roughrider Harley-Davidson in Mandan is your service stop for this entire corridor.
• Eastern and central ND: The Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway and the Standing Rock National Native American Scenic Byway along ND-1806 suit riders who want history and river valley scenery over terrain. These roads are gentler but genuinely worthwhile.

Hazards to Know

Wildlife crossings are real — bison, deer, and prairie dogs appear on or near the road inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Keep your speed managed and give bison a wide berth; they do not yield. On the Enchanted Highway and gravel connectors near the Maah Daah Hey area, watch for loose surface material at pull-offs. Gumbo clay on the grassland forest roads turns to a tire-clogging, near-impassable mud after even modest rainfall — if skies look uncertain, stick to pavement. Severe thunderstorms can develop quickly across open prairie with little shelter available; watch the western sky and have a plan.

If You Want More Technical Roads

North Dakota is honest about what it is. The few genuinely twisty miles — short stretches of ND-22 and the park loop — are worth riding, but riders who prioritize sustained technical sections are better served crossing into South Dakota for routes like the Needles Highway. Many riders combine the two states into a single western loop, which works well geographically and logistically.