This article and many more are featured in the Northern Sentry’s 2025 Summer Adventure Guide, which can be found at various location on base.
What comes to mind when you’re asked to name the most beautiful state in the U.S.? Do you picture Maine’s vibrant fall foliage, Colorado’s snow-covered Rockies, or perhaps the sparkling, endless beaches of Hawaii? These destinations are well known for their breathtaking natural landscapes. But let’s take a wild guess, North Dakota probably didn’t crack your top 10, did it?
Most people don’t think of North Dakota as particularly majestic. The common image is one of flat, empty plains dotted with cows and blasted by bone-chilling wind in the winter. Honestly, that’s not entirely wrong. But this quiet, fourth-least-populated state holds a hidden kind of beauty that you don’t truly discover until you’re living in it. And that’s the magic. It’s exactly the quiet, untouched openness that makes North Dakota so unique.
The beauty here looks different. It feels different. But if you take a moment to slow down and really see it, beyond the surface, you just might fall in love with it too.
The Most Beautiful Things About North Dakota:
The Vast Sky.
With few buildings and little urban sprawl, the land feels almost untouched by time. On a summer day, the wind rolls softly across endless prairies, and the sky stretches wide in every direction. The daylight lingers late into the evening, almost until 11 p.m., and the air is so crisp and clean, it makes you feel fully alive.
The People.
There may not be a large population here, but the people who are here genuinely want to be. They’re warm, happy, and curious about you. Unlike some tourist destinations where locals grow weary of visitors or newcomers, North Dakotans welcome others with open arms. The culture is a perfect blend of Southern hospitality and Midwestern kindness, wrapped up in a strong sense of community.
The Attitude.
Yes, the winters are rough. But the summers? Absolutely dreamy. From May through September, people take full advantage of every warm, sunny day. They go camping, take fishing trips, plan lakeside getaways, or simply enjoy their backyard. Life slows down. The pace softens. There’s a shared sense of “just enjoy it” that you don’t find everywhere. It feels like a collective exhale after a long, cold season—and the joy is contagious.
The Land.
Despite the old “flat and boring” stereotype, North Dakota offers a surprisingly varied landscape. A century ago, homesteaders rushed west to farm this land. Though many have moved on, their abandoned barns and buildings still stand, weathered and hauntingly beautiful. Before them, the Dakota (Sioux) and Chippewa tribes called this region home, living off the prairie, buffalo, and rivers that defined it. Today, North Dakota includes a corner of Badlands National Park, the rolling buttes of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and even the lush Turtle Mountains in the north.
North Dakota may not be what most would call “classically beautiful,” but that’s what makes it so special. Its beauty is raw, quiet, and deeply rooted in simplicity, and it’s something only those who live here and choose to look for it will ever truly understand.
*The images attached to this story are watercolor prints done by mil spouse artist, Krystal Kennedy. Her artwork can be viewed and purchased at krystalkennedyart.com
