Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park protects a stunning stretch of the North Dakota badlands — a wild landscape of colorful, eroded buttes, canyons, prairie and the winding Little Missouri River, where a young Theodore Roosevelt ranched and hunted in the 1880s, an experience that profoundly shaped his conservation ethic and his presidency. It is the only national park named for a single person.

Spread across three units in the western North Dakota badlands, the park is famous for its abundant wildlife — free-roaming bison, wild horses, elk, pronghorn and prairie dogs — and for its colorful, ever-changing badlands scenery, scenic drives and quiet wilderness. Visitors drive the loop roads, hike the badlands and prairie, watch wildlife, and take in the vast solitude that drew and changed Roosevelt. A wild badlands sanctuary, the park is a treasured natural icon of North Dakota.

The park offers scenic drives (the South Unit’s loop road and the North Unit’s scenic drive) past badlands overlooks and wildlife, hiking on badlands and prairie trails (and the long Maah Daah Hey Trail nearby), wildlife watching (bison, wild horses, elk, prairie dogs), horseback riding, camping, and superb stargazing under dark skies. Driving the loops to watch wildlife and hiking the colorful badlands are the signature draws. The combination of dramatic badlands, abundant free-roaming wildlife and Roosevelt’s legacy makes the park a distinctive and rewarding destination.

Late spring through early fall is the prime season, with summer bringing warm weather, active wildlife and full services (and afternoon storms), and fall bringing crisp air, golden cottonwoods along the river and the elk rut. Winter is cold and quiet, with some roads closed. The badlands glow at sunrise and sunset. Spring and fall for comfortable weather and wildlife, and summer for full access, are the highlights — come in the milder seasons, drive the loops early or late for wildlife and the best light, and stay for the stargazing.

The badlands are part of the homeland of the Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara and other Native peoples. A young Theodore Roosevelt came here in 1883 to hunt bison and, grieving personal loss, took up ranching in the badlands — an experience that deepened his love of the wild and shaped the conservation legacy of his presidency (he protected vast lands as national forests, parks, monuments and refuges). The park honoring him was established in 1947. Theodore Roosevelt National Park preserves these formative badlands and their wildlife, a treasured icon of North Dakota.

The North Dakota badlands were carved by the Little Missouri River and its tributaries cutting down through layers of soft sedimentary rock — clays, sands, lignite coal and volcanic ash deposited over millions of years — eroding the colorful, banded buttes, gullies and tablelands. The layers’ different colors (and burning lignite beds that bake red ‘scoria’) give the badlands their stripes. Erosion continually reshapes the soft rock. The layered sediments, the down-cutting river and the rapid erosion created these colorful badlands.

The park protects abundant wildlife — free-roaming bison, wild horses (a famous feral herd in the South Unit), elk, pronghorn, mule and white-tailed deer, coyotes, and large prairie-dog towns, along with bighorn sheep (in the North Unit), golden eagles, wild turkeys and prairie birds. The mix of badlands and prairie supports a rich community. The park is one of the best wildlife-watching destinations on the northern plains, with bison, wild horses, elk and prairie-dog towns among the highlights, especially from the scenic loop roads at dawn and dusk.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park protects a mix of badlands and northern mixed-grass prairie ecosystems along the Little Missouri River, with the eroded buttes, the river’s cottonwood floodplain, juniper draws and open grassland supporting bison, prairie dogs (a keystone species), and diverse wildlife. The intact prairie and badlands are increasingly rare. Fire and grazing shape the grassland. Protecting the prairie, the badlands, the river corridor and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the wild scenery of this badlands park.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park holds a treasured place among the icons of North Dakota and the conservation movement — the rugged badlands that shaped a president and his enduring conservation legacy, the only national park named for one person, roamed by bison and wild horses. On the homeland of the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara peoples, the badlands embody the wild northern plains. The park is a cherished natural and historic icon of North Dakota.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is in the badlands of western North Dakota, in three units: the popular South Unit at the town of Medora off Interstate 94 (about an hour east of the Montana border), the North Unit off U.S. 85 (about an hour and a half north), and the remote Elkhorn Ranch unit between them. An entrance fee applies. Each developed unit has a visitor center, scenic drive, trails and camping. Medora is the main gateway. Check the National Park Service for fees, road status, and conditions before visiting.

The National Park Service protects the park’s badlands, prairie and wildlife. Visitors help by keeping a safe distance from bison and all wildlife (bison are dangerous), not approaching the wild horses or prairie dogs, staying on roads and trails to protect the fragile badlands and prairie, packing out everything, and following all rules. The prairie, the badlands soils and the wildlife are sensitive. Protecting the prairie, the badlands, the river and the wildlife sustains both the ecology and the wild scenery that shaped Roosevelt’s conservation legacy.

Keep a safe distance from bison (large, fast and dangerous — stay in your vehicle when they’re close on the roads) and other wildlife, and watch for rattlesnakes in the badlands. Summers are hot with little shade and sudden thunderstorms; carry water and sun protection. The badlands terrain is rugged, with steep, crumbly slopes — stay on trails and watch footing. Trails can be confusing; carry a map. Winter brings cold and ice. Respect the bison and wildlife, the heat and storms, the rugged crumbly terrain and the rattlesnakes.

An entrance fee applies. Keep at least the required distance from bison and wildlife (do not approach or feed them, including the wild horses and prairie dogs). Stay on roads and trails; protect the fragile badlands. Camp only in designated campgrounds or with a backcountry permit. Pets are restricted to developed areas/roads. Drones are prohibited. Collecting (fossils, rocks, antlers) is prohibited. Pack out all trash. Check the National Park Service for fees, rules and conditions before visiting.

The historic Western town of Medora (the South Unit gateway, with the Medora Musical and Roosevelt history) and the badlands country, the Maah Daah Hey Trail through the badlands, the Little Missouri National Grassland, and the city of Dickinson lie near the park. The North Dakota badlands define the region. Theodore Roosevelt National Park anchors the badlands of western North Dakota, a centerpiece of a northern plains adventure, easily combined with Medora, the Maah Daah Hey Trail and the Little Missouri National Grassland.

Base in the historic town of Medora and drive the South Unit’s scenic loop road early or late in the day to watch bison, wild horses, elk and prairie-dog towns against the colorful badlands (keep a safe distance — bison are dangerous), then hike a badlands trail. For solitude and bighorn sheep, visit the quieter North Unit. Carry water and sun protection (summers are hot with little shade), come in spring or fall for the best weather and wildlife, stay for the dark-sky stargazing, and explore the Maah Daah Hey Trail.