New Frontiers: Getaway in North Dakota's Badlands

Down the street, the scent of cedar wafts through the new Cedar Canyon Spa, where facials and massages in dimly lit rooms honor the region with treatment names like the Little Missouri Mud Wrap. A stagecoach ride re-creates the jostling and lore that prairie travelers endured, and the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame displays a beaded leather vest believed to have belonged to Chief Sitting Bull. (A bonus: The gift shop has fringed cowboy vests and butter-soft leather chaps that will fit my 4-year-old son perfectly.)

Just outside town, the Bully Pulpit Golf Course nestles its rivers of fairways among towering rocks. The old Rough Riders Hotel, originally opened in 1884, unveiled its stunning renovation in 2010. Sumptuous beds with crisp, white linens complement the badlands' palette, rich with chocolate browns and soothing greens. The hotel lobby's library invites guests to curl up in leather chairs and read up on Roosevelt history.

Pictured: Cowboy guides share stories of the past during 30-minute rides.