The Open Range

Only 4 more states to go!

Here's a quick breakdown of what I hit this weekend! North Dakota surprised me most above all the locations visited on this trip. I should specify that the part of North Dakota I traveled to was the far southwestern corner. While in North Dakota, I stayed the most time at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. I was not expecting this type of topography in North Dakota. It was breathtaking, in fact I think it's beauty rivals or surpasses Badlands National Park in South Dakota.

I'm sure that is up for argument, but it's my personal preference.

The majority of this trip was spent in South Dakota. Driving through central and eastern South Dakota is similar to driving through most of the plains states. I'd say it's on par with driving through Kansas or Nebraska but it's far better than the desolate Texas drives that I have experienced, but most things are better than driving through Texas, so I don't know how good of a scale that is.

The Western portion of South Dakota has the Black Hills and Badlands National Park. Both of these are beautiful areas to explore and should not be missed. I'd recommend at least three days to see everything in western South Dakota and to travel at your leisure without feeling rushed.