Why Williston:
I was looking for somewhere fun to go for a weekend in early September and saw a deal out of Burbank to Williston, North Dakota via Denver. I knew nothing about the city except that it was close to Theodore Roosevelt National Park and a relatively unknown national historic site. Upon further research, I learned that this was the epicenter of a major oil boom back in the late 2000’s and early 2010’s.
September 5, 2025: Quite the Recovery
After flying from Burbank to Denver, I boarded the 90-minute flight to Williston. I sat next to an older couple whose daughter is a city planner. The daughter is married to an oilman.
The lady told me that the first oil boom completely overwhelmed the infrastructure. There was no housing, and every hotel room was being rented at absurd rates. There were basically no restaurants or things to do outside of work. People survived here and tolerated it because you could make six-figures with a high school diploma and a pulse, but it was not a great place to raise a family or live. The town was also a sausage-fest because oil workers are overwhelmingly younger, single men.
There is currently a new oil boom due to Trump increasing domestic oil production. However this time, the city is prepared. There is a new airport, tons of housing, community centers including indoor pools, upgraded utility infrastructure and the creation of a new school district. Government officials are trying to make the area palatable for families instead of exclusively men who are here for a few weeks at a time (there’s still a lot of that too). There are few places in the US growing so fast, so I am sure being a city planner in Williston is a cool job!
Upon arrival, I could confirm that this is one of the most beautiful airports in the country.
The drive into town took twenty minutes and I reached my hotel at 23:00 (aka 11pm). Upon entering, I noticed a sign saying that the reception was closed until 8:00 the next morning. I had already confirmed days before that I would be arriving at 11. Not good!
I called the hotel and the phone behind the unmanned desk began to ring.
I then called the corporate number only to learn that the hotel cancelled my reservation with my knowledge. At this point, there was nothing I could do. An old oilman in the hotel lobby prayed for me.
I then called another local hotel and asked if there were rooms. The Indian man on the other end of the line said there were. After hearing a room price of $75, I asked if I could get a cheaper price, as I saw a cheaper rate advertised online. If I booked online, the online travel agency (OTA) would take 1/3 of the price as their revenue, so the hotel would lose big-time. If they could at beat or even match the OTA, we could all win. Also, hotel rooms are a perishable good and its already late, so any money should be better than nothing.
The man agreed and gave me $15 off (which I partially attribute to his being Indian since the only other place I have been able to negotiate hotel room rates was in India). I then drove over and got the room. The room was a bit more expensive than the original plan, but hey, it’s a roof and $60/night is still decent!
Obviously, I had to celebrate, so I went to a dive bar in downtown. There was a rock band consisting of two lesbian women playing cover of Crazy Train. Beers were $2.50. The lady at the barstool next me was from Las Vegas. She divorced her oilman husband and finally kicked him out of the house four years later… so I guess we are all here to celebrate! She and her friends were SHOCKED that I came to Williston as a tourist. Truly flabbergasted.
It turns out the dive bar is attached to Williston’s only true nightclub. Obviously I had to see. The DJ was playing booty-shaking music of the 2000’s playing: think Yeah!, Miss New Booty, U and Dat. My kind of music. The crowd was 80% men who clearly work in oil but there were some women and even a trans woman. I was surprised by the diversity since North Dakota is 83% White. But I think this speaks to the merit-based nature of the oil industry. If you can do the hard work, you belong here. I love small town bars since they bring everyone together.
The feeling I get is that the oilmen make tons of money and have nothing to spend it on in Williston. The women I saw were among the least attractive I have seen in the entire country, but they don’t need to be since they are so rare.
Back at the hotel, I fell asleep at 1:00. North Dakota’s tourism tagline is Legendary and I can say with certainty that this was going to be a legendary trip.
September 6, 2025: A Legendary Day
I woke up at 8:00 and drove an hour south to reach the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota’s sole national park.
The park honors the US’s 26th president Theodore Roosevelt who worked as a rancher in this region in his pre-politics day. The park has two unconnected sections: the North Unit and South Unit. Technically there is a tiny third unit that contains the remains of Roosevelt’s cabin but the cabin burned down many decades ago.
The North Unit is best known for its badlands. The entry fee was a steep $30 but covers both units of the park. Almost immediately I was greeted by a canyon of badlands along a river. The scenery sharpy contrasts with the nearby open plains.
Per the park ranger’s suggestion, I hiked the 5-mile Caprock Coulee trail which led up atop the badlands to some sweeping views.
I then drove further into the park to the very end of the 11-mile scenic road. From there, I walked one mile to best viewpoint in the park: Sperati Point It reminded me of the Serengeti in Tanzania. I laid down on the hillside and took it all in. Ahh, perfection!
Along the way, I encountered a wild bison just 50 meters away. They are known to charge at people so this was very scary!
Having seen all there is to see here, I drove 90 minutes northwest to Fairview Lift near the border with Montana. Funnily enough there is an identical bridge ten miles away, but that bridge is in Montana so it doesn’t get any press or tourists.
After parking the car, I first crossed the bridge which spanned the Yellowstone River. Somehow, the bridge carried both car and rail traffic for decades.
Once on the other side, I could see the all-wood quarter-mile tunnel. Built in the 1910’s it’s a true artifact of the old west. As I entered the tunnel, a dozen bats flew out. Then, the air was dead silent save for my breath and footsteps.
1/3 of the way in, the tunnel became pitch black. Due of the tunnel’s massive size my phone’s flashlight was ineffective and could barely light up one wall.
I was spooked but managed to make it through and then back
Continuing west, I crossed the Montana state line and was transported an hour back in time from Central to Mountain time. The border town is known for a pizzeria called the Powder Keg. Many people said it’s the best restaurant in western North Dakota and its not even in the state! I was eating at 4pm local time and the restaurant was mostly full.
The pizza here takes an exceedingly long time to make and has unusual toppings. My pizza was half General Tso’s chicken and half Brazilian taco (whatever that means). As a side, I was given three tubes of sour cream. Their most famous pizza is topped with biscuit and gravy. It’s basically slop food on pizza.
Even though it was weird, I loved it and downed the two-person pizza. The hype is real.
After my early dinner, it was another hour drive east to reach Watford City. I saw online that there was a Junior League (minor league) hockey match between the Minot Minotauros and the Bismarck Bobcats. The match was hosted in their surprisingly nice indoor sports complex attached to the high school. There were two ice hockey rinks, each with stands that could seat about 500.
Watford does have a local hockey team called the Oilers which plays its matches in this arena. Its logo is a smiling drop of oil. Everything in the arena was sponsored by an oil company.
This special pre-season match dubbed the War in Watford appeared to be a big-time event for this small town: the arena was full. The Parks and Rec department was running the drinks stand. Red Bull was somehow cheaper than water and you could buy two Jello shots for just $3. I bought four.
The hockey itself was not as good and fast as NHL, but they were still fun to watch. Surprisingly many of the players were from Europe. I can’t imagine the culture shock moving from Sweden or Czechia to North Dakota.
It was then another hour drive back to Williston. Since I had so much fun last night, I decided to have another night out on the town. This time I went to a different bar where the crowd was mainly in their 30’s and 40’s. The people here were equally as friendly; I immediately made friends with the bar manager who yelled out “We have a tourist in the house!”. One lady cheers-ed to “condoms and rattlesnakes, things we don’t fuck with”. I also met a cool guy who travels to Brazil during his off weeks. He said that the STD rates in Williston are sky high…which tracks given the toast. Anyways, I really enjoyed meeting people and hearing everyone’s stories – you have a good story if you are here in Williston.
September 7, 2025: The Final Site
Final day went to Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site at the confluence of Yellowstone and Missouri rivers. Major confluence and honestly surprising there is not a city here. But it was claimed early on by the US Army.
Fort Union was a fur trading post set up by John Jacob Astor (famous NYC figure) and Pierre Choteau Jr. (family that founded St. Louis, MO). This was the most successful trading post – it was open for 30 years. Crazy since most were only open for a couple years.
Furs would be sent downriver to St. Louis.
When Fort Union closed in 1867, the military opened a fort called Fort Buford to maintain control over the confluence. The fort is best known for being the location of the surrender of Sitting Bull, a famous Lakota chieftan.
The building which contained the room where the surrender occurred is still standing.
There is also a nearby museum which covers Lakota and tribal history.
With that it was time to get lunch and head home!
Final Thoughts:
Williston is an offbeat destination but there is actually stuff to see. The national park is stunning, and the historic sites can take up a half day. Beyond that, it takes a bit of imagination to find things to do. The region is spread out so be prepared for multiple hours of driving through the plains.
Because Williston gets so few tourists, the people are remarkably friendly and interested in talking to you. Meeting the locals and oilmen was the highlight of the trip for me.
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