Going from East to West in July

Our family will be traveling by car from Grand Forks all the way across the state to get to a family reunion in Montana. We%26#39;re looking to do the route in one day. Since North Dakota seems pretty deserted, I%26#39;m looking for points of interest along the interstate. We are traveling with our 9 and 13 years olds and I%26#39;d like something besides the dvd player to entertain them. Are the rest areas interesting or do they have any historical info? Any thoughts?

Going from East to West in July

Hi

Well, this I 94 is not the most scenic, but it will get you to Theodore Roosevelt NP (south unit). Before you reach the park there is an overlook from the Interstate. Take the Medora (inters. 27 or 24) take off and visit this amazing NP. The kids will like Prairie Dog Towns and you may take the Scenic Loop Drive if times allows. Recommanded.

In Medora the short drive to the amphitheater is recommanded too and Medora makes a nice stopover for lunch!

Tet

Going from East to West in July

Where are you going in Montana? If you are on the ';high road'; (Hwy 2) it is a bit more scenic (or at least more variety in the scenery). I-94, like most interstates, does not have much. If you go through Jamestown you can see the ';Worlds Largest Buffalo'; and a live White Buffalo. Bismarck has a very nice Heritage Center if you have time to stop. Near Richardton are many large metal ';statues'; of things - it is called the Enchanted Highway. THat is kind of neat.

Along Hiway 2 you will see lots of farmland and water. Rugby has a little museum and a rock column representing the Geographical Center of North Dakota. Highway 2 does have quite a bit of road construction this summer.

Visit www.discovernd.com for more information.

Have fun. We really are proud of our state.

Thanks for the ideas. We%26#39;re headed to the Missoula area for the reunion. I have family in Grand Forks, but haven%26#39;t traveled too far west beyond town. We%26#39;ll spend the night in Miles City, Montana, and continue with another long day of driving to Missoula. What about the North Dakota badlands? Is it worth making a stop?

Visiting the Th. Roosevelt NP (south unit)definitely makes a worthy stopover. On the 36 miles loop there is a Badlands Overlook. But we were told( we did not visit) that the NP%26#39;s north unit has the best ';Badlands';but it%26#39;s 70 miles north of south unit.

We drove from Glacier NP to Glasgow along hw 2 and along Fort Peck Lake to Glendive and to ND. It%26#39;s a pretty long detour from Missoula but I can say, this hw 2 gives you the real ';Big Sky'; feeling. If you have an extra day.....

Tet

Jacele~

Just wondering where in MN you%26#39;re taking off from? If you plan on taking I94 stopping in the Badlands is really worth it. The scenery there is like no other place in the world. Seriously, the hills are very unique. I live in Medora in the summer and Duluth in the winter so I%26#39;ve made the drive several times. I guess it depends on what side of MN you live on to determine what ';halfway'; would be but it takes about 9 hours to get from Duluth to Medora, and then about 10 hours from Medora to Missoula. Medora would make an excellent stop especially if you%26#39;re going to be there after Memorial Day, the town really comes alive after then. If you%26#39;re going to be there before Memorial Day, it%26#39;s still worth stopping for the National Park or if you%26#39;re a golfer the ';Best New Affordable Course in America'; (according to Golf Digest) is just south of Medora.

Check out www.medora.com, there is alot more info there.

And finally, aside from the fact that you%26#39;ll be closer to your destination there is absolutely no incentive for staying in Miles City, unless all you wanted to do was sleep. There really isn%26#39;t anything to do there and the scenery is really quite lackluster.

Hope you have fun! I94 is a LONG 355 miles but it%26#39;s worth it when you get there!