Photo:
James St. John / CC BY 2.0
Theodore Roosevelt National Park preserves the rugged badlands of western North Dakota that shaped the conservation ethic of the president it honors, who ranched here in the 1880s. A striking landscape of banded buttes and coulees carved by the Little Missouri River, roamed by bison, wild horses and prairie dogs, it is the wild heart of the northern Great Plains.
The Little Missouri River has carved the plains into colorful badlands, layered buttes, canyons and coulees streaked with bentonite clay and lignite coal, sometimes smoldering underground. Mixed-grass prairie spreads between the formations, supporting free-roaming bison and one of the park’s signature draws, its wild horses, along with elk, prairie dogs and bighorn sheep.
Late spring through early fall is the prime season, with green prairie and active wildlife; fall adds golden cottonwoods along the river. Summer is hot with afternoon thunderstorms, so hike early. Winter is cold, snowy and quiet, with the scenic drives sometimes closed but the badlands starkly beautiful under snow.
The park’s two main units lie about 70 miles apart in western North Dakota, the South Unit at Medora just off I-94, and the quieter North Unit off US-85. Each has a scenic drive, so a vehicle is essential; the remote Elkhorn Ranch site requires a longer, unpaved drive.
Drive the scenic loops for badlands overlooks and wildlife, bison, wild horses and prairie-dog towns are easily seen, and hike trails from short overlook walks to longer badlands routes. Watch the Little Missouri wind through the canyons, camp under dark prairie skies, and visit Medora for the park’s history and Roosevelt’s story.
Give bison a very wide berth (they are fast and dangerous), and watch for rattlesnakes in the grass and rocks. Summer heat and lightning demand early starts and plenty of water (there is none on the trails), and the bentonite clay turns dangerously slick when wet, so avoid it in rain.
A park pass is required, and backcountry camping needs a free permit. Check whether the scenic drives are fully open, as sections can close. This page is a general overview, not a live conditions report; always confirm current conditions and closures with the National Park Service before your trip.
Set this declination on your compass, then align it to the map's north lines; it is the angle between true north and magnetic north, refreshed each year.
