Across 44.5 million acres, which is why the gaps between services are long
What to carry in North Dakota
Start with the map. The Forest Service asks you to carry the current Motor Vehicle Use Map for the grassland you are on, because wheeled cross-country travel is prohibited and only mapped roads are open. Add offline navigation, since cell service may be unreliable and there is none at the Elkhorn Ranch.
Then water and mud kit: the park asks for about a liter of water per person per hour in summer. Carry a tire repair kit, basic tools and a first-aid kit, which is what the Forest Service asks of grassland visitors, plus a winter survival kit once the cold sets in.
An outfitter is the difference between reading reviews and opening the tent yourself. The good ones stock what works, install what they sell, and will tell you what they took off their own trucks.
What they carry
01Roof tents, awnings and shelter
02Fridges, kitchens and water systems
03Racks, drawers and storage
04Recovery gear and compressors
05Power stations, batteries and lighting
How to choose an outfitter
Look for people who use what they sell.
01Ask whether they install what they sell, and whether the installer is on staff.
02Ask what they run on their own vehicles, and what they stopped running.
03Compare weight as well as price. It all rides on your suspension.
04Ask about returns and exchanges on large items such as tents and fridges.
05Check that they know your vehicle. Fitment is where online orders go wrong.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
Dimensions prevent returns.
01Vehicle, and rack or bed dimensions if you know them
02How many people travel and sleep
03The kind of trips you take, and how long
04What you already own
05A budget range
Questions people ask
What gear should I buy first?
A way to sleep well, a way to keep food cold, water storage and basic recovery gear. Everything else can wait until a few trips show you what you miss.
Is it worth buying from a local outfitter instead of online?
For anything that has to fit your vehicle or be installed, yes. Fitment mistakes on racks, tents and fridges are expensive to ship back, and an installer who sold you the part will stand behind the install.
Can I try before I buy?
Some outfitters rent roof tents, fridges and even vehicles. Say so in the form if that is what you are after.
How high is North Dakota?
From Walhalla at 981 feet to White Butte at 3,506.
Altitude decides what your engine, your brakes and your lungs have to work with, and how late in the year the passes open.
02,0004,000
Feet above sea level
Towns
BowmanServices in the southwest where US 12 meets US 85. Much of the BLM’s North Dakota public land lies in this county and in Dunn.2,969 ft
BeachThe first town inside North Dakota on I-94 from Montana, at the west end of the badlands.2,769 ft
BelfieldWhere US 85 meets I-94. The North Unit entrance is 50 miles north up US 85, through grassland and oil country.2,582 ft
DickinsonFull services on I-94 and the home of the BLM’s North Dakota Field Office, which manages about 58,000 acres of public land and the mineral estate under the western third of the state.2,412 ft
KilldeerUnder the Killdeer Mountains, which the Geological Survey says stand about 700 feet above the plains around them. Little Missouri State Park and its horse trails are north of town.2,285 ft
MedoraThe gateway to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where the 36-mile paved scenic loop starts and ends. Rough Rider State Park and the Maah Daah Hey Trail are minutes away.2,268 ft
Watford CityServices for the North Unit, 14 miles south on US 85, and for the north end of the Maah Daah Hey Trail at the CCC Campground about 16 miles south.2,123 ft
GarrisonNorth of Lake Sakakawea and Garrison Dam, near the Army Corps of Engineers campgrounds at Wolf Creek and East Totten Trail.1,925 ft
New TownOn the north side of Lake Sakakawea, between the badlands and the Minot road.1,901 ft
WillistonThe main town of the northwest, with Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site out on Highway 1804 toward the Montana line.1,876 ft
BismarckState capital and home of the Dakota Prairie Grasslands Supervisor’s Office. Kimball Bottoms, the Corps of Engineers motorized play area, is eight miles south.1,694 ft
MandanAcross the Missouri from Bismarck. The 22-mile Roughrider OHV Trail runs south from Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park along Highway 1806.1,648 ft
BottineauServices for the Turtle Mountain State Recreation Area, about six miles northeast, which keeps motorized trail open to off-highway vehicles.1,637 ft
MinotThe largest city in the north, on US 2 and US 83, between the badlands and the Turtle Mountains. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge and its 10,500 acres lie northwest.1,614 ft
Valley CityOn I-94 where it crosses the Sheyenne River, in the country served by the Sheyenne River Valley Scenic Byway.1,221 ft
WalhallaThe town at the Pembina Gorge, where the state park keeps the only off-highway vehicle campground in the North Dakota park system.981 ft
Passes, high roads and summits
White ButteThe highest point in North Dakota, in Slope County. The USGS publishes 3,506 feet; our own reading of the elevation surface at its map point gives 3,5073,506 ft
Black ButteA badlands summit in Slope County, west of White Butte3,461 ft
Sentinel ButteIn Golden Valley County, west of Medora and south of I-943,426 ft
Bullion ButteA flat-topped butte in Billings County, south of Medora3,339 ft
Killdeer MountainsThe high point of the Killdeer Mountains, which the Geological Survey says stand as much as 1,000 feet above the Little Missouri floodplain3,314 ft
Pretty ButteIn western Slope County, near the Montana line3,171 ft
Pass, road and summit elevations are the figures published by the agency that manages them. Town elevations are the town’s or county’s own
figure where it publishes an exact one; the rest are from the U.S. Geological Survey (3D Elevation Program at the place’s official coordinates),
retrieved September 18, 2026. Every source is listed at the foot of the page.
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