These 7 Towns Are North Dakota's Best-Kept Secret

North Dakota is a massive open-world game that few have played. It spans more than 70,000 square miles of tantalizing terrain and yet has only around 800,000 residents. This means, of course, that North Dakota is full of unbegun quests, unopened treasure boxes, and unexplored bases that can be found in the state's many small towns. Hence, do not fly over these seven settlements. Drop in and discover the wild and wonderful world of rural North Dakota in these tiny towns.

Valley City

Sitting in the shadow of Fargo, itself a best-kept secret until the release of the namesake film, Valley City is a blue retreat from medium-city blues. Visitors can explore the Sheyenne River, drive the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway, swim in Lake Ashtabula, and take the Valley City Historic Bridges Tour, which covers eight scenic bridges ranging from the 3,860-foot-long Hi-Line Railroad Bridge to the 150-foot-long Valley City State University Footbridge. After viewing Valley City from below and above, hit the main drag for a bite at the Pizza Corner Restaurant. It is the best-kept pizzeria in arguably North Dakota's best-kept city.

Cavalier

Do not be cavalier about a trip to Cavalier. This city may be tiny and way out in North Dakota's northeastern corner, but it is also the closest community to Iceland in the state. We mean that culturally and almost geographically (a few towns are closer in distance, but not by much). Cavalier and the rest of Pembina County was settled in large part by Icelanders. As such, it has one of the highest concentrations of Icelandic residents in America. Old country attractions include Icelandic State Park with its Gunlogson State Nature Preserve and the former Icelandic Evangelical Lutheran Church in nearby Pembina. New country attractions include the 144-seat Cavalier Cinema and the yearly Cavalier Motorcycle Ride In. "Motorcycle" sounds even cooler in Icelandic.

Regent

After watching the decline of his once prosperous and populous town (technically a city despite its super-small size), Gary Greff decided to revive it in a remarkable way. He built a 32-mile art gallery. Dubbed the Enchanted Highway, Greff's gallery follows the road from the I-94 just above Gladstone to his hometown of Regent, 32 miles south. It comprises giant roadside sculptures, including a 75-foot depiction of a deer, a 60-foot depiction of a grasshopper, and a 70-foot depiction of a trout. Greff's magnum opus, Geese in Flight, is 110 feet tall, 154 feet wide, weighs 157,659 pounds, and earned a Guinness World Record as the largest scrap metal sculpture. Greff also opened a hotel in Regent for gallery guests called the Enchanted Castle. Naturally flanked with medieval-style sculptures, the castle also contains the Excalibur Steakhouse and Medieval Tavern.

Bottineau

You have likely heard of the Rocky Mountains, Appalachian Mountains, and Sierra Nevada Mountains, but you may be unaware of the Turtle Mountains of north-central North Dakota. To be fair, they are not true mountains, but they do stand hundreds of feet above their surroundings as a secret geographic anomaly. Paying tribute to the Turtle Mountains is the nearby city of Bottineau, which hosts a 26-foot statue called Tommy the Turtle. Tommy is riding a snowmobile, which is also fitting since the area is famous for winter recreation. Bottineau Winter Park sits in the Turtle Mountains and is aptly nicknamed the "Jewel Above the Prairie." For summer fun, check out the International Peace Garden at the Manitoba border. No passport is needed. A simple driver's license or birth certificate suffices.

New Salem

On a hill overlooking New Salem stands Salem Sue, AKA The World's Largest Holstein Cow. Sue is 38 feet tall, 50 feet long, weighs 12,000 pounds, and was built in 1974 to honor local cattle farming. Believe it or not, Sue's not the only big agricultural attraction in this 1,000ish-person city. The Morton County Fair is set to roll into town for the 65th time in July 2025. Scheduled activities include a rodeo, cornhole tournament, tractor pull, and, of course, livestock shows. Also set for July 2025 is the ND Country Fest, a multi-day country music and camping extravaganza. For a quieter time in New Salem, tour the New Salem Historical Society/Custer Trail Museum.

Rugby

If you have ever been curious to visit the "Geographical Center of North America," look no further than Rugby, North Dakota. That is in quotes because it adorns a 15-foot rock obelisk inside the town and is also a dubious distinction. Though close, Rugby is not the geographical center of North America. Still, such a notable title and imposing obelisk make Rugby unique for a middle-of-nowhere "city" (as you might have realized, all incorporated communities in North Dakota are cities regardless of size). In addition to those attractions, Rugby boasts the Prairie Village Museum, which comprises 20 historic buildings, and Rancho Grande, which is an underrated Mexican restaurant. Ironically, you can avoid a scrum in rural Rugby.

Devils Lake

Ignore the name and focus on the gorgeous scenery of Devils Lake. This northeastern North Dakota city shares its malevolent moniker with an adjacent body of water, which is the largest natural lake in the state. Plentiful perch, walleye, and pike bring anglers to the city, who stay at waterfront retreats like the Woodland Resort and charter guides like Perch Patrol, whose specialty is ice fishing. Naturally, Devils Lake is as much a winter wonderland as it is a summer wonderland. Beyond ice fishing, it offers excellent snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and fat-tire biking. It also has plenty of places for warming hands and bellies, namely the Ranch Steakhouse and the Old Main Street Cafe. With a population of just over 7,000, Devils Lake is even larger than Valley City and is thus the 11th most populous community in North Dakota. To put that in perspective, the 11th most populous community in California has roughly 300,000 people.

North Dakota is truly one giant secret. Some spots are more secretive than others, of course. As long as you avoid national park gateways like Medora and "big" cities like Fargo, you are in territory that few non-North Dakotans have entered. Whether you are hiking Icelandic State Park near Cavalier or admiring a rock obelisk in Rugby or fishing Devils Lake in Devils Lake, you can feel like you are blazing a new trail in a new frontier.