Bismarck – September 24, 2026 -- North Dakota Tourism is highlighting fall road trips as autumn color spreads across the Turtle Mountains and the Sheyenne River Valley, with foliage typically starting mid-September and peaking by mid-October. Travelers can use North Dakota Tourism's fall foliage guide and prediction map to time their visit.
Scenic byways wind from wooded hills to open prairie
Lake Metigoshe State Park sits amid some of the state's most colorful fall scenery in the Turtle Mountains, while Fort Ransom State Park brightens the Sheyenne River Valley National Scenic Byway farther south. Near Bismarck, changing leaves frame the Missouri River at Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, and trees along the Little Missouri River add color to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in western North Dakota.
The Enchanted Highway between Gladstone and Regent turns the drive itself into a stop, lined with giant metal sculptures including Grasshoppers in the Field, Fisherman's Dream, Pheasants on the Prairie and Teddy Roosevelt Rides Again. The route ends in Regent at the Enchanted Castle, housed in the town's former high school.
Events and pumpkin patches run through early November
Minot's Y's Men's PBR brings Professional Bull Riding Challenger Series action to the Minot Municipal Auditorium on Sept. 25–26. Walhalla hosts its 22nd Annual Giant Pumpkinfest on Sept. 26, and Mandan's AlKEMist Gravel Fest sends cyclists over gravel roads above the Missouri River Valley on Oct. 3, starting at Graner Park.
The Market @ West Acres in Fargo runs through Oct. 17. Papa's Pumpkin Patch in Bismarck continues through Oct. 25, Berry Acres Pumpkin Patch in Minot through Oct. 31, and Lost Sheep Corn Maze & Pumpkin Patch in Nome through Nov. 1. Fargo's The Great Maze, featuring more than 1,000 wooden panels in a new layout, runs through Nov. 2.
Breweries and wineries add local flavor to the route
Fargo's Drekker Brewing Company operates inside a restored 1883 railroad shop, while Laughing Sun Brewing Company in Bismarck pairs beer with live music and local art. Atypical Brewery & Barrelworks in Minot serves barrel-aged sour ales from a former service station.
Pointe of View Winery in Burlington offers fruit, grape and honey wines with views of the Souris Valley. Viking Vines Vineyard in Buffalo uses hybrid grapes from the Red River Valley, and Fluffy Fields Vineyard and Winery in Dickinson makes wine from property-grown grapes, cherries, haskap berries, apples, plums, chokecherries and pumpkins.