Camping in North Dakota: Best Months, Booking and Fire Rules
Across North Dakota's 3 NOAA reference stations, camping weather is mild from May to September, with average highs of 68 to 84 F and lows of 42 to 58 F. Nights at or below freezing show up from September to May, most often in December, when they average 30.9 a month. State park sites are booked through Reserve ND Parks, up to 95 days ahead.
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The best months for camping in North Dakota
By NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, camping weather in North Dakota is mild May to September. Pick the station nearest your campground below; high ground runs colder than any station.
- Jan21° / 1°Freezing nights
- Feb26° / 6°Freezing nights
- Mar39° / 18°Freezing nights
- Apr55° / 30°Freezing nights
- May68° / 42°Freezing nights
- Jun78° / 53°Mild
- Jul84° / 58°Mild
- Aug83° / 56°Mild
- Sep73° / 46°Freezing nights
- Oct56° / 33°Freezing nights
- Nov39° / 19°Freezing nights
- Dec26° / 7°Freezing nights
Each month shows the average high and low across the state’s reference stations, in F. Mild means an average high of 60 to 85 F with lows of 40 F or more. Freezing nights means the stations average one or more nights a month at or below 32 F.
Bismarckelevation 1,658 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 23 F | 2 F | 30.9 |
| February | 28 F | 7 F | 27.6 |
| March | 41 F | 19 F | 28.3 |
| April | 56 F | 30 F | 17.5 |
| May (mild) | 68 F | 42 F | 4.4 |
| June (mild) | 78 F | 53 F | 0.1 |
| July (mild) | 85 F | 58 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 84 F | 56 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 73 F | 46 F | 1.6 |
| October | 57 F | 33 F | 15.3 |
| November | 41 F | 19 F | 27.7 |
| December | 28 F | 8 F | 30.9 |
Fargoelevation 900 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 18 F | 0 F | 30.8 |
| February | 23 F | 4 F | 27.3 |
| March | 36 F | 18 F | 26.7 |
| April | 54 F | 32 F | 15.6 |
| May (mild) | 69 F | 44 F | 2.8 |
| June (mild) | 78 F | 56 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 82 F | 59 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 81 F | 57 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 72 F | 48 F | 0.9 |
| October | 56 F | 35 F | 12 |
| November | 38 F | 21 F | 25.5 |
| December | 24 F | 8 F | 30.8 |
Willistonelevation 1,902 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 22 F | 1 F | 30.8 |
| February | 27 F | 6 F | 27.7 |
| March | 40 F | 18 F | 28.6 |
| April | 56 F | 29 F | 18.7 |
| May (mild) | 67 F | 40 F | 6.1 |
| June (mild) | 77 F | 50 F | 0.3 |
| July (mild) | 85 F | 56 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 84 F | 54 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 73 F | 44 F | 2.7 |
| October | 56 F | 30 F | 17 |
| November | 38 F | 17 F | 28.4 |
| December | 26 F | 6 F | 30.9 |
How to book a state park campsite in North Dakota
North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department takes reservations through Reserve ND Parks. The longest advance booking its page states is 95 days.
How far ahead you can book
Campsites can be booked 95 days in advance from the date you wish to stay.ND Parks and Recreation, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Cancellations
The reservation fee ($9 by phone or $5.80 online) is charged per campsite and is non-refundable. If the reservation is canceled more than 7 days prior to the date of arrival, you will be charged a $10 cancellation fee.ND Parks and Recreation, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Quoted from North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department pages read October 18, 2026. Windows and fees change, so confirm on the booking site.
Camping outside a campground in North Dakota
Dispersed camping in the Dakota Prairie Grasslands (DPG) is free and allowed outside developed campgrounds.Dakota Prairie Grasslands, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Campfires when you camp in North Dakota
Campfires in state parks and forests
No person may build a fire outside of stoves, grills, fire rings, or other places provided for building a fire. Any person who violates this subsection is guilty of a class 2 noncriminal offense.N.D. Admin. Code ch. 58-02-08 Park Use Rules, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Campfires on national forest and BLM land
Always check for fire restrictions or burn bans before starting a campfire (see the Alerts page).Dakota Prairie Grasslands, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Where fire restrictions are posted
To view current fire restrictions by county, travelers can visit ndresponse.gov or contact their local emergency management office. Burn ban restrictions for state parks are derived from the county in which the park is located.ND Parks and Recreation news, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Current restrictions: North Dakota Department of Emergency Services (ND Response).
North Dakota camping questions
Camping in other states
Where this page’s facts come from
- State park, forestry and federal land pages (read October 18, 2026). Booking windows, reservation systems, campfire rules, fire restriction sources and rules for camping outside a campground, each quoted word for word with a link to the page it came from.
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 (read October 18, 2026). Average monthly high, low and nights at or below 32 F at 150 reference stations, the same stations the heat season and heating season pages use.
- National Weather Service alerts (live, read in your browser when the page loads). Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, Fire Warnings, Freeze Warnings and High Wind Warnings, read live from api.weather.gov.
- National Weather Service 7 day forecast (live, read in your browser when the page loads). The weekend forecast for the ZIP code a visitor enters, read live from api.weather.gov.
Climate figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals at 3 reference stations in North Dakota. Rules are quoted from agency pages and can change.