The wetlands south of the eponymous town of Devil’s Lake (pop. 7,222), 60 miles east of Rugby and 85 miles west of Grand Forks, are one of the biggest natural draws in the state, with bird-watching, hunting, and fishing opportunities aplenty. However, the waters of what is the largest body of water in North Dakota have no natural outlet, and, true to its name, in recent years Devil’s Lake has been wreaking havoc: flooding farmland, threatening towns, and forcing the raising and rebuilding of US-2 into a sort of causeway. Despite the threat, the town still takes good care of its blocks of tidy brick buildings (including a truly beautiful circa-1909 Carnegie Library), and the whole community, cheery to a fault, seems done up in Sunday best, especially during the annual summer-long North Dakota Chautauqua, a reminder of the days when Devil’s Lake was a major stop on the educational, recreational, and religious chautauquas that traveled across the country until the 1920s.
The local visitors center (701/662-4903), on US-2 at the south edge of town, can provide information on the area’s recreation, pioneer history, and uncertain future. Downtown Devil’s Lake also holds a number of places worth a stop, like the cutesy Liquid Bean café at 316 4th Avenue.
Historic Fort Totten (daily; free), 14 miles south of town on Hwy-57, is one of the country’s best-preserved 19th-century military forts, with numerous restored buildings set around a spacious central square, as well as a museum and a theater (productions Thurs., Sat., and Sun. in July and Aug.). A rodeo and powwow, featuring highly competitive Native American dances, are held during Fort Totten Days the last weekend in July. Next to the fort is Sully’s Hill National Game Preserve, a 1,600-acre refuge for bison, elk, deer, and other wildlife, which you may spot while hiking the nature trail.
Both the fort and the nature preserve are located on the 137,000-acre Fort Totten Sioux Indian Reservation, centering around the mission village of St. Michael’s, four miles east of the fort. The main attraction is the Dakotah Sioux Casino, “North Dakota’s First and Finest,” standing 18 miles southeast of downtown Devil’s Lake.
