Take the Scenic Route Through North Dakota This Fall, from Colorful Valleys to Pumpkin Patches and Prairie Towns

BISMARCK, N.D., Sept. 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Fall invites travelers to take the scenic route through North Dakota. Color spreads across the Turtle Mountains and the Sheyenne River Valley, while prairie towns and farms welcome visitors to pumpkin patches, corn mazes, markets and seasonal celebrations. Along the way, roadside art, local breweries and wineries give travelers reasons to linger beyond the overlooks.

Fall foliage typically begins changing mid-September and reaches peak color by mid-October, depending on location and weather. Travelers can use North Dakota Tourism's fall foliage guide and its prediction map to help plan a trip.

Take the Scenic Route

A fall drive through North Dakota can lead from wooded hillsides and river valleys to open prairie and the North Dakota Badlands, with a different view around each bend. In the Turtle Mountains, Lake Metigoshe State Park is surrounded by some of the state's most colorful fall scenery. Farther south, the forested hillsides of Fort Ransom State Park brighten the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway.

Near Bismarck and Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, changing leaves frame the Missouri River. In western North Dakota, trees along the Little Missouri River add fall color to the rugged landscape of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The drive becomes an attraction in its own right along the Enchanted Highway. Giant metal sculptures line the route between Gladstone and Regent, including Grasshoppers in the Field, Fisherman's Dream, Pheasants on the Prairie and Teddy Roosevelt Rides Again. The road ends in Regent, where the Enchanted Castle occupies the town's former high school.

Celebrate the Season Across the State

A fall weekend might mean finding a way through a corn maze, choosing a pumpkin, browsing a local market or catching a live event. North Dakota Tourism's events calendar offers more ways to plan around what is happening during your visit.

Upcoming fall highlights include:

• Minot Y's Men's PBR (Sept. 25–26, Minot): Professional bull riding returns to the Minot Municipal Auditorium for two nights of PBR Challenger Series action. Professional bull riding returns to the Minot Municipal Auditorium for two nights of PBR Challenger Series action.
• 22nd Annual Giant Pumpkinfest (Sept. 26, Walhalla): Giant pumpkins take center stage at this annual community celebration.
• AlKEMist Gravel Fest (Oct. 3, Mandan): Cyclists can take on gravel roads, prairie views and climbs above the Missouri River Valley, starting at Graner Park.
• The Market @ West Acres (Through Oct. 17, Fargo): Browse a seasonal market at West Acres.
• Papa's Pumpkin Patch (Through Oct. 25, Bismarck): Choose a pumpkin (or two) and spend time outdoors with activities for the family.
• Berry Acres Pumpkin Patch (Through Oct. 31, Minot): Explore the corn maze, pick your favorite pumpkins, and enjoy other seasonal activities.
• Lost Sheep Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch (Through Nov. 1, Nome): Navigate the corn maze, visit the pumpkin patch and meet the property's fiber animals.
• The Great Maze (Through Nov. 2, Fargo): Find your way through more than 1,000 wooden panels in a new maze layout.

Sip Your Way Across the State

A fall drive is also an opportunity to slow down and sample what North Dakota has been brewing and bottling. The state's breweries and wineries range from small-batch breweries to vineyards making wines with locally grown fruit and honey.

In Fargo, Drekker Brewing Company occupies a restored 1883 railroad shop and serves adventurous small-batch beers. Laughing Sun Brewing Company in Bismarck pairs its in-house brews with live music and local art. In Minot, Atypical Brewery & Barrelworks serves experimental beers and barrel-aged sour ales in a former service station.

Wineries offer another taste of the season. At Pointe of View Winery in Burlington, visitors can sample fruit, grape and honey wines and take in views of the Souris Valley. Viking Vines Vineyard in Buffalo makes wine from hybrid grapes grown in the Red River Valley, while Fluffy Fields Vineyard and Winery in Dickinson uses produce grown on the property, including grapes, cherries, haskap berries, apples, plums, chokecherries and pumpkins.

For fall travel ideas, foliage viewing locations and the latest event listings, visit NDTourism.com.

Follow North Dakota Tourism on Facebook at facebook.com/TravelND, on Instagram at instagram.com/northdakotalegendary/ or on X at x.com/NorthDakota and get tips on what to see and do all year long.

SOURCE North Dakota Tourism Division