Today, we headed for the southwestern corner of North Dakota to see the Enchanted Highway. Even if it’s just a state road running through a rural area, the name “Enchanted Highway” creates a sense of anticipation, doesn’t it? This kitschy treasure extends from Gladstone to Regent and showcases seven large metal sculptures placed beside the road. The sculptures are placed at irregular distances miles apart and on both sides of the highway. The placement of the sculptures and the distances between them contribute to the anticipation of discovering them one at a time while driving. The excitement builds! Miniatures of each sculpture are available at the gift shop in Regent.
Note: There is apparently a lot of scrap metal in the Dakotas. (See Porter Sculpture Park and the W’eel Turtle.)
Before arriving in Gladstone, we saw an enchanting (?) sculpture along I-94.
We’ve seen a lot of wheat and sunflowers, but not many dairy cattle. This sculpture might have a deeper meaning.
Now, prepare to be enchanted. Here we go:
The adventure begins with “Geese in Flight” near Gladstone.
“Deer Crossing.” You’ll notice that each sculpture is very logically named. There’s nothing mystical about these, and probably no deeper meaning to any of them. The premise seems to be “Enjoy them as they are!”
“Grasshoppers”
“Fisherman’s Dream.” To see the scale of these sculptures, notice the man in the red shirt standing on the right of the boat on the left side of the picture.
“Pheasants on the Prairie.” Several families were keeping pace with us on the highway. The kids all loved climbing on the sculptures.
“Tin Family”
Thus ends the Enchanted Highway. Ted and I were both smiling as we continued on to our next destination: the North Dakota attraction of Medora.