Come along with me on a photo story of an enchanted place in North Dakota.
August 17, 2023 – Traveling With Rich & Julie
Did you know there is an enchanted highway in North Dakota full of some of the world’s largest scrap metal sculptures in the world? It starts at exit 72 on I-94 for Gladstone and continues for 32 miles south to the town of Regent. The road has no actual highway number. It is just called the Enchanted Highway. You can’t miss the exit off of I-94 because there is a huge scrap metal sculpture marking the way.
Geese in Flight
The first sculpture at the exit is titled “Geese in Flight.” This sculpture is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world’s largest scrap metal sculpture. It stands 110 feet tall and 154 feet wide. It was completed in 2001. Just look at how small Rich looks standing in front of it in the photo below. Can you even see him?
Each area has a nice parking area for vehicles to stop so you can get out and take photos. Some have picnic tables and a kiosk, but there are no restroom facilities or porta-potties available anywhere.
Deer Crossing
The second sculpture along the road is about twelve miles further down the highway and is titled “Deer Crossing.” You can’t miss it as it appears over the small hill. This sculpture includes a 75-foot tall leaping buck and a 50-foot tall doe standing on the ground. The sculptures were all the vision of local Regent artist Gary Greff to increase tourism traffic to the dying town of Regent. “Deer Crossing” was completed in 2002, one year after the “Geese in Flight.”
In addition to the famous sculptures, driving this road is a great way to see tons of sunflower fields. North Dakota is one of the largest producers of sunflowers and they are all blooming and reaching their peak in August.
Grasshoppers in the Field
The next sculpture along the road is titled “Grasshoppers in the Field,” which was completed in 1999.
This display includes one 60-foot-long huge grasshopper with smaller grasshoppers surrounding it. This display is located near the small town of Lefor about halfway between Gladstone and Regent. In Lefor you can see the remnants of the Lefor State Bank that was in use from 1913 to 1934.
Fisherman’s Dream
Continuing on down the Enchanted Highway you will see the “Fisherman’s Dream” sculpture next that was completed in 2006. The rest of the sculptures are each only about 4 or 5 miles apart from here to the town of Regent.
Closer to the town of Regent, this sculpture is magnificent to see in person. It is so much bigger than it looks in the photo above. The 70-foot tall trout is jumping out of the water and there are several other fish to see swimming around and jumping. I’d say the small fisherman in the tiny boat on top has his hands full.
Pheasants on the Prairie
The fifth sculpture in the series is the “Pheasants on the Prairie.” The male pheasant is 40 feet tall. He is best viewed from the side to get a true sense of his magnificent tail. The hen stands 35 feet tall and the family is complete with two chicks to the side. This sculpture was completed in 1996.
Theodore Roosevelt Rides Again
Just a few miles down the road is the sixth sculpture titled, “Theodore Roosevelt Rides Again.” This is a fun one for the kids because the stage coach is able to be entered and used as a photo opportunity.
Theodore Roosevelt himself rides a bucking horse and waves his arm.
This enchanted highway passes through some beautiful scenic countryside dotted with buttes like the Black Butte with an elevation of 3,112 feet according to the posted sign. A butte is simply a large mesa. There are several hiking trails to the top.
They say when viewed at sunset the butte appears to be completely black.
Tin Family
Reaching the seventh sculpture along the highway brings you to the first sculpture Greff completed. The World’s Largest Tin Family is just two miles away from the town of Regent.
The dad stands 45 feet tall while the mom is 44 feet tall. The young boy stands a mere 23 feet tall. Greff began this sculpture in 1989 and completed it in 1990.
Reaching the town of Regent you will first see the Enchanted Highway Gift Shop with a sculpture of whirlygigs beside it.
Enchanted Castle, Knight, and Dragon
And clear down at the end of the road is an enchanted castle complete with a knight fighting off a huge dragon with his sword. Greff turned the abandoned school into a fancy hotel and restaurant where weary travelers could eat and possibly stay in town for a night or two.
The restaurant was not open when we arrived early in the day so instead we grabbed a sandwich across the street from the gift shop.
I hear the artist is working on some more sculptures, one of them being spider webs and spiders. It will be interesting to see what they are.
I highly recommend driving this road from beginning to end if you are ever in the area. It is places and scenic drives like this that make traveling across America fun. I will always stop and see anything that holds the title of “World’s Largest.”
I hope you enjoyed this drive down the Enchanted Highway in North Dakota. Thanks for reading.
