Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway
Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway is a State Scenic Byway in North Dakota. Within North Dakota it covers roughly 45 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
North Dakota's Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway runs 53 miles through the Turtle Mountains near the Canadian border, from north of Rolla through St. John. It follows County Highway 43, State Highway 281, and State Highway 14. The terrain here is a distinctive mix of dead-ice moraine, glacial till, and boreal forest, dotted with deep glacial lakes and potholes before the byway descends into foothills overlooking open prairie. The region served as a fur-trading and trapping outpost for early settlers, and the Turtle Mountain Chippewa Heritage Center now documents the Chippewa, Cree, and Metis cultures still rooted in the area. Stops along the drive include the Mystical Horizons astronomical overlook, Lake Metigoshe State Park, the International Peace Garden straddling the US-Canada border, the Martineau House information center, and the eccentric Coghlan Castle. Clear lakes, forested hills, and a genuinely different glacial landscape set the Turtle Mountains apart from the flat wheat country that surrounds them on every side.
- Turtle Mountains
- International Peace Garden
- Lake Metigoshe State Park
- 53 miles
- Turtle Mountain Chippewa Heritage Center
- Mystical Horizons
- glacial moraine landscape
Plan a drive on Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Turtle Mountain Scenic Byway.
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