There are perhaps a dozen interesting places to visit and explore near New England North Dakota. Here are a few of them. Remember to fill your vehicle with fuel before you leave New England, because these areas are remote.

White Butte. White Butte is the highest peak in North Dakota, at 3,506 feet. There is a 1-1/2 mile hiking trail to reach the summit. The entrance road to White Butte is near Amidon on Highway 85, about 22 miles west of New England.

Cedar Dam Reservoir. Cedar Dam Reservoir is a North Dakota Game & Fish Wildlife Management Area. The lake is suitable for fishing, and launching small boats. There are several picnic-shelters/camp-sites. Camping is allowed Thursday-Monday. The entrance road to Cedar Dam Reservoir is about 18 miles south of New England on Highway 22.

Enchanted Highway Metal Sculptures. The Enchanted Highway Metal Sculptures are a popular tourist attraction, noted for being the largest metal sculptures in the World, and for their entertainment value. There are about six of these gigantic sculptures located along County Road 102 Ave SW as it travels northward between Regent and Gladstone. From New England take Highway 22 about 4-5 miles south, then turn left onto Highway 21 and drive east for about 20 miles until your reach Regent.

Lefor. The town of Lefor only has about forty residents now. There is a large, impressive Cathedral in Lefor that was built in about 1910. Lefor is midway between Regent and Gladstone on County Road 102 Ave SW.

Hettinger. Hettinger is a nice-looking small town of about 1,000 residents, that is a good place to walk or slowly drive around town. Hettinger has a Runnings Farm & Fleet store, which is like a Walmart for rural farmers. Hettinger has one of the nicest small grocery stores in all of western North Dakota, “Kennedy’s”. Kennedy’s has a good selection of fresh fruits & vegetables, a Deli with sandwiches, fried chicken, fried onion rings, salads, etcetera. Kennedy’s has the best-quality, least-expensive fresh beef that I have seen anywhere in North Dakota. Hettinger also has about three restaurants, these include a bar-steakhouse, two diners, and a bowling alley that serves pizza. Downtown Mirror Lake city-park is very nice. From New England, it is a 45-minute drive south on Highway 22 then east on Highway 12 to reach Hettinger.

Davis Dam Reservoir. Davis Dam Reservoir is located in the very remote Badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park west of New England. Davis Dam Reservoir is also a North Dakota Game & Fish Wildlife Management Area. This is a small lake, suitable for fishing, swimming, or launching a very small boat. From New England, it is about a thirty-minute drive to get to the southwest side of Amidon on Highway 85. About 4 miles southwest of Amidon there is a turn-off on the west side of Highway 85 that has a sign reading “Davis Dam, Burning Coal Vein, Logging Camp Cabins”. This dirt road turn-off has some direction signs, you will be driving west for approximately 6-10 miles before you reach a “T” in the road, you will make a right turn and travel north for about another 6-10 miles, then there will be a sign beside a narrow one-lane trail on the west side of the road that leads another 1 mile to Davis Dam.

Pine Forest Of The Badlands. This is one of only two Pine Forests in North Dakota, which give the appearance of the high mountain forests of Northern Arizona or Montana. About 4 miles southwest of Amidon on Highway 85, on the west side of Highway 85 there will be a dirt-road turn-off with a sign that reads, “Davis Dam, Burning Coal Vein, Logging Camp Cabins”, take this dirt-road turn-off driving west about 1 mile. Next there will be another sign on the north side of this road reading “Logging Camp Cabins, Burning Coal Vein”, take this turn-off to the right and head north for another 5-8 miles.

There are numerous deserted small towns outside of New England to explore such as DeSart, Daglum, Whetstone Butte, Havelock, Pierce, Schefield which can often be located by using a map, and looking for abandoned cemeteries, churches, and school houses.