Across 44.5 million acres, which is why the gaps between services are long
Tires for clay, gravel and snow
Wet bentonite is the tire test here. The Geological Survey says the badlands clays absorb several times their weight in water and turn extremely slick and mobile, and a tread that packs full will simply glaze over. Open tread that clears itself is worth more than an aggressive one that does not.
The other half of the year is snow and ice. NDDOT publishes winter driving advice rather than a chain law, so the choice is yours: pick a compound that stays soft in the cold, check the spare before you leave pavement, and make it a full-size one given how far apart the towns are.
Tires are the only part of the vehicle that touches the ground, and on a loaded rig they work close to their limits. A good tire shop starts with load rating and size, then tread. It will also tell you when the tire you want will rub, need different wheels or throw off your gearing.
Expect help with
01Choosing a tire by load, terrain and season
02Wheels with the right offset and load rating
03Mounting, balancing and tire pressure sensors
04A matching full-size spare
05Alignment, rotation and repairs
How to choose tires for overland travel
Tread pattern is the last decision, not the first.
01Match the load rating to your real axle weights, not to the badge on the fender.
02All-terrain tires suit most overland travel. Mud-terrains are louder, heavier and wear faster, and earn it only in real mud and rock.
03Buy five. A matching full-size spare that you rotate in is worth the money when the nearest tire shop is a day away.
04Check the wheels too. Wheels have load ratings, and the wrong offset stresses bearings and rubs.
05Ask whether the shop can move or reprogram your tire pressure sensors.
What to have ready before you ask for a quote
A tire quote is quick when the shop knows what the tire has to carry.
01Vehicle, current tire size and wheel size
02Lift height, if any
03Loaded weight, or a list of what is on the vehicle
04Where you drive most: pavement, gravel, rock, sand, snow
05A budget range for five tires
Questions people ask
What does load range mean?
It describes how much weight a tire can carry at a given pressure. Heavier builds, vans and truck campers usually need a higher load range than the vehicle came with. The tire's sidewall and the placard in the door jamb are the places to start, and a tire shop can work through the numbers with you.
How big can I go?
Every platform has a size that fits at stock height, a size that fits with a modest lift, and a size that needs trimming and gears. Tell the shop your lift and wheels and ask what fits without rubbing at full steering lock and full compression.
Should I air down?
On washboard, sand and rock, lower pressure gives a better ride and more traction and is easier on the vehicle. It also means you need a way to air back up before pavement. How low depends on your tire, your weight and your speed, so ask your tire shop and start conservatively.
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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