Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Medora North Dakota

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Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Medora North Dakota Badlands

In the midst of the colorful North Dakota badlands stands the Theodore Roosevelt National Park - 70, 447 acres named after the twenty-sixth president of the United States. The park, which is broken into three separate units, includes facilities for camping, horseback riding, hiking, and fishing among other things.

Theodore Roosevelt came to North Dakota the first time looking for a little adventure. It was 1883, and he was looking for his adventure in Little Missouri, and seeking to fulfill his dream of shooting a bison. It took him ten days to fulfill that dream, but he did it. He was only in the area for two weeks but before he left he entered into a partnership with the Maltese Cross Ranch raising cattle. He made return trips to the area to check on the cattle business, and to renew what he had originally felt for the Badlands the first time he arrived.

After Roosevelt died in 1919, there were efforts by many to find the best way to memorialize this great man. It was Sylvane Ferris who knew Roosevelt from his days as a cattle rancher in North Dakota that organized a committee whose goal was to find an appropriate site for a fitting memorial. Medora was chosen, and the Little Missouri Badlands were then combed over by “cowboys and Congressman” looking for the most appropriate land. No appropriate land could be found, and the project was held up, mostly by politics.

Finally, in 1947, nearly thirty years after Roosevelt’s death, President Truman signed a bill that dedicated a portion of land in what is now the South Unit and Elkhorn Ranch, and it became the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park. One year later the North Unit was added on. Under President Carter thirty years later, the park was given national park status, and became Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Just before reaching The South Unit of the park, seven miles east of Medora, visitors will come across the Painted Canyon Overlook. Although many have chanced upon the Painted Canyon, from Native Americans to fur traders to cavalry generals to Roosevelt himself, none have been able to adequately paint the picture, with either art supplies or words, of the natural wonder and beauty of what lays before them. The colors change with the weather, from the bright colors after a rain, to the muted colors on cloudy days, to the golden hues on sunny days.

Thirty-five miles north of the Medora Visitor Center, lies the Elkhorn Ranch Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, representing the area where Roosevelt lived when in town. Although the ranch buildings will no longer be found here, the interpretive signs will guide you to where they once stood. To access the area, you will need to ask at the Visitor Center prior to entering.

Three campgrounds are available should visitors want to spend a night or two, or even more, with a maximum of fourteen. Juniper, located in the North Unit, and Cottonwood, located in the South Unit, accept tents, trailers, and recreational vehicles, although there are no hook-ups. Camping fees are $10 per night per site, and are non-refundable. Golden Access and Golden Age cardholders only pay $5 per night per site. A group campsite is also available at both locations. Roundup is located in the South Unit, and can only accept one group at a time, with the maximum being twenty people and twenty horses or thirty people with no horses, and the minimum being six people. The maximum number of nights allowed for a stay is five for each group.

Various activities are available in the park as well. Fishing is allowed in the Little Missouri River, with channel catfish, goldeyes, and sauger available for sport fishing. Canoeing and kayaking is allowed here as well. Bird watching was something Roosevelt enjoyed, making the park a choice spot for it since 186 different species of birds have already been found here. The thirty inches of snow the Badlands gets yearly makes this a fitting spot to do cross-country skiing and snow shoeing, with snow arriving as early as October, and staying around as late as April.

The park entrance fee, good for seven days, is $10 per vehicle or $5 per person. Annual passes are $20, with Golden Age, Golden Access, Golden Eagle, and National Park Passes being honored. Commercial tour fees have buses being charged $150, small buses $60, vans $50, and sedans $25, plus an additional $5 per person.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Box 7
Medora, ND 00007

South Unit Information:
(701) 623-4466

North Unit Information:
(701) 842-2333