Stretching across the open prairie of southwestern North Dakota, the Enchanted Highway is one of America’s most whimsical and unexpected road trips. The quiet, two-lane highway runs about 32 miles from Interstate 94 near the small town of Gladstone and south to Regent. It has been transformed into an outdoor gallery showcasing eight massive sculptures created mostly out of metal recycled from oil well tanks and piping.
I had heard about this unique roadway from a friend and decided to drive it during a cross-country road trip from the Pacific Northwest back to the east coast. A bonus was being able to check off North Dakota as my 50th state visited.
The Enchanted Highway was conceived and created by a local artist, Gary Greff, as a way to draw travelers off the interstate, and revive his hometown of Regent, which had faced decades of decline. The folk art reflects aspects of the regional culture and wildlife. He began building his first sculpture, “The Tin Family,” in 1989, and has since created seven more, attracting thousands of visitors a year.
We left our hotel in Dickinson in the early morning, making our way to the highway (County Highway 21) which begins at exit 72 off Interstate 94, and continues south to Regent. We were welcomed to the first sculpture, “Geese in Flight,” just north of the interstate. The sculpture resembles Canadian geese flying against a backdrop of sky and prairie. At 110 feet tall and 154 feet wide, and weighing more than 70 tons, the sculpture has been recognized by the Guiness Book of World Records as the world’s largest metal sculpture.
As we continued south, we were presented a magnificent and surreal landscape. The never-ending, sweeping North Dakota prairie opened up wide before us, beneath an expansive, heavy sky. Soon, the sun majestically rose above the prairie, before we paid visits to most of the other sculptures. The roadway became meditative, with the surrounding landscape as beautiful as the sculptures themselves. The installations appeared unexpectedly along the roadside, each uniquely different from the next, some whimsical, and others elegant. In some cases, the light of the sunrise cast dramatic shadows across the metal forms.
Pull-offs at each sculpture allow visitors to stop, walk around, take in the details, and learn about the sculpture from a kiosk, making the journey as interactive as it is scenic. The other sculptures included:
Deer Crossing (Mile 3) – Features a 75-foot-tall buck and 50-foot-tall doe.
Grasshoppers in the Field (Mile 15) – Features a 60-foot-long grasshopper accompanied by smaller grasshoppers.
Fisherman’s Dream (Mile 19) – Features a 70-foot-tall trout and other colorful fish jumping out of water reaching for a dragonfly, and nearby fisherman.
Pheasants on the Prairie (Mile 24) – Features a 40-foot-tall rooster a 35-foot-tall hen and two 15-foot-tall chicks.
Theodore Roosevelt Rides Again (Mile 26) – Features a giant Theodore Roosevelt on horseback, and nearby stage coach.
Tin Family (Mile 30) – The first sculpture created, features a tin family including the 45-foot-tall father holding a pitchfork, 44-foot-tall mother holding a flower basket, and 23-foot-tall son holding a lollipop.
At the end of the route is the tiny community of Regent where Greff operates both a small gift shop and medieval themed hotel, Enchanted Castle Hotel, transformed from a former school building. The most recent sculpture, “Sir Albert and the Dragon,” stands outside the hotel. It features a 41-foot-tall Sir Albert defending the castle from the100-foot-long fire breathing dragon.
The Enchanted Highway is a testament to the power of imagination and community pride—transforming a quiet stretch of prairie into one of the most unique road trips in the American Midwest. Greff performs most of the maintenance of the sculptures, and funding comes in the form of contributions from visitors, either by cash donations or revenue generated at the gift shop. In 2019, the North Dakota Legislature voted to allocate funds to assist Greff in the maintenance of the sculptures along the Enchanted Highway, allowing the sculptures to become a legacy for the state and town of Regent.
Getting There
Reaching the Enchanted Highway is straightforward and makes for an easy addition to a North Dakota road trip, including a visit to nearby Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The highway begins just off Interstate 94 at Exit 72 near Gladstone, about 20 miles east of Dickinson, the nearest regional hub with services, lodging, and a small airport.
When to Visit
The best time to visit the Enchanted Highway is from late spring through early fall, when the weather is mild and the prairie landscape is at its most inviting. From May to September, daytime temperatures typically range from the 60s to 80s °F (15–27°C). Summer brings long daylight hours and vivid green fields and sunflowers stretching to the horizon, while early fall adds golden hues and fewer crowds.
Timing your visit within the day can also enhance the experience. Early morning and late afternoon are especially rewarding, as the low-angle sunlight casts dramatic shadows across the massive metal sculptures, highlighting their scale and intricate details. Sunset, in particular, can be stunning, with wide-open skies painted in vibrant colors behind the installations. During winter, snow, wind, and icy roads can make travel more challenging, and some of the charm of the prairie setting is less accessible.
