Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The park was home to the Sioux people, nomadic horsemen of the plains who were skilled at the art (and survival skill) of hunting buffalo. They were excellent horsemen and warriors, producing some well known figures of the American Indian Wars, such as the brilliant strategist and warrior Red Cloud, the only Native American to ever win a war against the United States, and the brave, death-seeking Crazy Horse, whom is famous for his bravery in battle and skill in mounted combat, and who once declared before his ultimate fall that "Today is a good day to die, men!"

As Euro-Americans began to encroach on the Great Plains, the area was home to buffalo hunters who nearly drove the buffalo into extinction in order to make way for the railroads, often shooting them from the comfort of the train itself. Many people came to the area in search of gold and to make a living, and many flocked to the region under the Homestead Act of 1862, which gave free land to anyone willing to develop it. This proved to be one of the main catalysts for the Sioux Wars, which resulted in competition for resources between the Sioux and the Homesteaders. The Sioux were finally driven out of the area in the 1870s, forced to move to reservations such as Pine Ridge and Crow Creek.

Homesteaders came from many places, as far away as areas like Scandinavia and Germany, and as close as the Midwest and the Eastern Seaboard. Life here was very difficult. The area granted to the Homesteaders was designed for a family farm in more eastern climates, and wasn't nearly large enough to make a living in the semi-arid conditions and the poor soil.

Many fossil hunters such as the famed paleontologist Edward Drinker Cope and the famed rockhound Barnum Brown "hounded" the region for fossils, discovering marvelous specimens such as Tyrannosaurus and Ornitholestes, as well as many mammals such as Hyaenodon horridus and many, many oreodont fossils, the sheep of the Oligocene.

The park is named for US President Theodore Roosevelt who lived in North Dakota (then the Dakota Territory) during the 1880s, owning and operating two ranches. It was here he fell in love with outdoors and the West, which made him a strong advocate of conservation during his time as President. After Roosevelt's death in 1919, the badlands were scoured for potential national park sites to memorialize him, and park was put together with areas that included his Elkhorn Ranch.

The landscape was formed five million years ago when due to uplift the region that would become the Badlands became exposed and gradually eroded over the millennia to the state it is in today. Many spirals, summits, and valleys can be found, with numerous fossil bearing rocks found, ranging from the Cretaceous to the Oligocene.

An abundance of native grasses provide sustenance for larger grazing animals: bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, white-tailed and mule deer, bighorn sheep and feral horses.

Once land is grazed or disturbed, it becomes prime habitat for prairie dogs to build their towns. The park's prairie dog towns are a great place to find birds feeding on seeds, burrowing owls making their dens, and prairie rattlesnakes or bull snakes living in abandoned burrows. It is not uncommon to see a golden eagle flying overhead, or a porcupine ambling up a tree to snack on the tree bark.

Summers are warm with temperatures in the 80s and 90s (°Fahrenheit). Evenings are often cool. Annual precipitation is 15 inches. Winters are cold with brief warming periods.

• Park website
• 🌍 North Unit Visitor Contact Station (on U.S. Highway 85, approximately 14 miles south of Watford City, ND and 50 miles north of Belfield, ND). Park information, informal presentations, restroom and gift shop are all available at this location. The trailers at the park entrance serve as a temporary contact station for visitors to the North Unit. (updated Jun 2020)

• 🌍 Painted Canyon Visitor Center (Take exit 32 from Interstate 94. The rest stop off of the highway includes two buildings. One is a visitor center and one includes restrooms, as well as a scenic overlook.). Features: Panoramic views, wildlife viewing, hiking trails, staffed information desk, exhibits and displays, gift shop, picnic shelters, drinking fountain, vending machines, public telephone, and restrooms are wheelchair accessible. (updated Jun 2020)

• 🌍 South Unit Visitor Center (at the entrance to the park's scenic loop drive in the town of Medora). Rangers staff the desk, assist visitors with trip planning, and issue backcountry permits. Theodore Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin, located just outside, is open for self-guided tours year-round. Ranger-led cabin tours are offered in the summer. The park film, Refuge of the American Spirit, shows in the theater. A bookstore sells books, postcards, and more. A museum houses artifacts from Theodore Roosevelt's presidency and time in the badlands. (updated Jun 2020)

The South Unit entrance and South Unit (Medora) Visitor Center are located in Medora, just off Interstate 94 (exits 23 & 27) and is 135 miles west of Bismarck, North Dakota.

The Painted Canyon Visitor Center is located 7 miles east of Medora just off I-94 at exit 32. It is open seasonally, from May 1st to mid-November.

The North Unit entrance is 16 miles south of Watford City along U.S. Highway 85. The distance between Medora at the South Unit and the North Unit is 70 miles via I-94 and U.S. Highway 85.

The Elkhorn Ranch Unit is only accessible via gravel roads and, from the east, a river ford. Check with a ranger at the North or South Unit for current conditions and specific directions.

There is no public bus transportation along Highway 85 and to the North Unit.

Air service is available into the western North Dakota towns of Bismarck, Dickinson and Williston.

Train service via Amtrak is available into Williston, North Dakota.

The park has no lodging of its own. Camp, or sleep in a nearby town.

• 🌍 Cottonwood Campground (Enter the South Unit in Medora. Travel 5.5 miles on the scenic drive (East River Road). Cottonwood Campground is on the left.), ☏ +1 701-623-4466. Year-round. 72 sites, 1 group site. 37 sites can be reserved in advance via recreation.gov, 36 sites are first-come, first-served. Cottonwood Campground is the South Unit's only campground. Pull-through sites are available. A group site is available and reservations are accepted beginning March 1. No hook-ups for water, sewer or electrical. No showers. A picnic table and grill are at each site. Flush toilets with running cold water and water faucets spaced throughout the campground are available from May through September. Each site, except the group site, is limited to a maximum of 6 people. The group site is for 7 to 20 people. $14 Standard Campsite - Summer Rate, $7 Standard Campsite - Winter Rate, $30 Group Site Rate (2020 rates). (updated Jun 2020)

• 🌍 Juniper Campground (Enter the North Unit from Highway 85. Travel 5.5 miles on the scenic drive. Juniper Campground is on the left.), ☏ +1 701-842-2333. Year-round. 48 sites, 1 group site. All sites except for the group site are first-come, first-served. Juniper Campground is the only campground in the park's North Unit. No showers or hook-ups for water, sewer or electrical. A dump station is available from May - September. There is no water available from October through April. Flush toilets with running cold water and water faucets spaced throughout the campground are available. A picnic table and grill are at each site. Pull-through sites are available. Each site is limited to a maximum of 6 people, except the group site. The group site is for groups of 7 to 60 people. $14 Standard Campsite - Summer Rate, $7 Standard Campsite - Winter Rate, $30 Camping - Group Site (2020 rates). (updated Jun 2020)

• 🌍 Roundup Group Horse Camp (Enter the South Unit in Medora. Roundup is about 12 miles north on East River Road. The last 1.5 miles of the route is gravel. Follow signs to the camp.), ☏ +1 701-623-4466. Open May 1 to October 31. 1 group site. Roundup is the park's only camping facility in which horses are permitted. This private campsite is located in the park's South Unit. It is reserved by one group at a time; space is not be shared among different parties. Reservations for Roundup begin each season on the first business day in March at 8AM MST. Roundup can accommodate up to 20 people and 20 horses or 30 people if camping without horses. Maximum stay: 5 days. The campground is gated; the lock combination is given to registered campers when they arrive at the park entrance. $40 Roundup Group Campsite - Nightly Rate (2020 rates). (updated Jun 2020)

More than 40% of the park - close to 30,000 acres - is backcountry wilderness. Hikers and horseback parties who wish to camp overnight in the backcountry must register at either the South or North Unit visitor centers and obtain a free backcountry use permit. A free backcountry guide is also available. In addition to the established trail system, visitors have the opportunity to travel crosscountry in the park.