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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Devils Lake
Give Devils Lake one full day plus a night: fish or drive the lake loop, then White Horse Hill and Fort Totten. Skip it as a base without a car.
Devils Lake is a town of about 7,100 people in North Dakota's Lakes and Gardens region, built around the state's largest natural lake — roughly 120,000 acres of water and 375 miles of shoreline. It is a fishing, birding and ice-fishing stop on US Highway 2 and the Amtrak Empire Builder, not a sightseeing city. One night covers the lake, White Horse Hill and Fort Totten; anglers and hunters stay longer.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep for water and driving; Jan–Feb for ice fishing
- Avoid
- Nov–Mar for lake activities unless you are ice fishing; spring and summer thunderstorms
- Stay
- 1–2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Devils Lake Police (non-emergency) 701-662-5323 · North Dakota road conditions 511
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $2–4 |
| Diner breakfast | $8–14 |
| Burger or steak dinner | $14–30 |
| Beer in a bar | $4–7 |
| Gallon of fuel | $3–4 (check) |
| Lake Region Heritage Center admission | $3, seniors $2 |
| White Horse Hill entry, per car | $2, or $12 annual pass |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DVL · Devils Lake Regional Airport
- About 2 miles west of town on Highway 19; United Express service to Denver via Jamestown — check current schedules and days.
Typical fares
- Amtrak Empire Builder, Devils Lake → Minot
- check current fares and times; one daily train each way
- Taxi or rideshare in town
- short hops, about $8–15 (check availability)
- Fuel, Devils Lake → Grand Forks and back
- about 150 miles round trip
Get around
A car is close to essential: the lake, state parks and Fort Totten are 7–17 miles out of town and there is no useful public transport. US Highway 2 runs through the south of the city — Minot about 2 hours west, Grand Forks about 1.5 hours east. Amtrak's Empire Builder stops at 350 Railroad Avenue, but the station is unstaffed. Scenic drives east and west of town follow Highway 2.
See and do
Known for
- Devils Lake (North Dakota's largest natural lake)
- Walleye, pike and perch fishing
- White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
- Fort Totten State Historic Site
- Ice fishing and snowmobiling
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| White Horse Hill National Game Preserve | Drive Highway 20 south about 11 miles toward Fort Totten | About 20 min |
| Fort Totten State Historic Site | Drive Highway 20 south past White Horse Hill | About 25 min |
| Grahams Island State Park | Highway 19 west about 10 miles, then 6 miles south | About 30 min |
| Black Tiger Bay State Recreation Area | About 7 miles east of town, 5 miles south, then 3 miles west | About 30 min |
| Rugby | US Highway 2 west, about 60 miles | About 1 h |
Sleep
- US Highway 2 strip
- Motels and the Holiday Inn Express on the east side of town; easiest with a car and closest to the highway.
- Downtown / 4th Street
- Walkable to the Lake Region Heritage Center, cafés and bars; a short drive from the lake.
- Highway 19 west (lake side)
- Woodland Resort and Lakeview Lodge; pick this if you are here to fish or launch a boat.
- Spirit Lake Casino & Resort
- About 7 miles south on Highway 57; rooms, marina and 24-hour casino, so no drive back into town at night.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the boat launch? | Where is the boat launch? |
| Do you have a room for tonight? | Do you have a room for tonight? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| How far is the lake from here? | How far is the lake from here? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Distances are long and winter driving is the real risk: snow, ice and whiteouts close roads; check the state road report before setting out.
- White Horse Hill closes at sunset and shuts when thunderstorms or snow are forecast within about 48 hours — hours are conservative, so call ahead.
- Cell coverage is patchy around the lake and on back roads; download offline maps.
- Summer storms arrive fast on the water; watch the forecast before going out in a small boat.
- The Amtrak station has no ticket agent; buy online or board with a reservation.
A small, quiet town and generally safe for visitors. The genuine risks are weather and distance: winter storms, fast summer thunderstorms on the lake, and long drives with patchy phone signal. Lock your car and keep valuables out of sight as anywhere.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Devils Lake yet. Suggested stay: 1–2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Devils Lake (North Dakota's largest natural lake)
- Walleye, pike and perch fishing
- White Horse Hill National Game Preserve
- Fort Totten State Historic Site
- Ice fishing and snowmobiling
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- North Dakota Parks and Recreation — Grahams Island State Park: www.parkrec.nd.gov/grahams-island-state-park
- US Fish and Wildlife Service — White Horse Hill National Game Preserve: www.fws.gov/refuge/white-horse-hill-national-game-preserve
- Amtrak — Devils Lake station: www.amtrak.com/stations/dvl
- Wikivoyage: Devils Lake, revision 4999286 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=4999286
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Devils Lake
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Devils Lake Police (non-emergency)701-662-5323
- North Dakota road conditions511
No embassies here; they are in Washington, DC. For passport help, your country's nearest consulate is likely in Minneapolis or Chicago — check before you travel.
Tipping is expected: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% for taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/devils-lake). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.