Painted Canyon Rim View
Painted Canyon Nature Trail, Fryburg, ND
Medora, ND
One of the great first looks in the West, where the land drops away into a wide, banded amphitheater of North Dakota badlands.
The Painted Canyon overlook is many travelers' first encounter with the North Dakota badlands, and it is hard to beat. Just off the interstate east of Medora, the flat prairie gives way without warning to a vast, banded amphitheater of eroded buttes, spires, and coulees, colored in tans, grays, reds, and blacks and stretching to the horizon. It is part of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the badlands preserve named for the president whose love of this country began here.
The overlook offers the sweeping view, but the badlands invite a closer look, and a nature trail drops from the rim down into the canyon itself. This is the country that shaped a young Theodore Roosevelt when he came to ranch here in the 1880s, and that he later credited with making him the conservationist he became. Standing on the rim, it is easy to see why it left such a mark.
What Guests Love
- The sudden, sweeping view as the plains drop away into the badlands
- The banded colors of the buttes, richest in the low light of morning and evening
- Short rim trails and a longer trail that drops down into the canyon
- An easy roadside stop that delivers one of the park's best views
Worth Knowing
- This is exposed rim country, so bring water and sun protection, and mind footing near the edge
- The overlook is a quick stop, but the nature trail below rewards a little more time
- Colors are most vivid in early morning and late afternoon light
- Bison and other wildlife range the park, so keep a safe distance if you meet them on the trails
Details
Medora, ND
Learn about Painted Canyon Rim View
How the badlands were made
The badlands are the work of water and time. Over long ages the Little Missouri River and its tributaries have cut down through soft layers of clay, sandstone, and lignite coal that were laid down when this region was a warmer, wetter lowland. As the land eroded, it left behind the buttes, ridges, and pinnacles that give the badlands their broken, sculpted look.
The bands of color are the different ancient layers exposed by that erosion, each a chapter of deep time. In places the black seams of lignite coal have caught fire underground and burned slowly for years, baking the surrounding clay into the hard red rock called scoria that streaks the hills. The whole landscape is a record of ancient worlds laid open to the sky.
The country that made a president
In 1883 a young Theodore Roosevelt came to this badlands country to hunt bison and stayed to ranch, building the Elkhorn Ranch downriver. The hard, open life here, and the beauty and wildness of the land, worked a deep change in him, and he later said that he would never have become president had it not been for his time in North Dakota.
The devastation of the great bison herds and the fragility of the land he loved helped turn Roosevelt into the most consequential conservation president in American history. The national park that bears his name preserves this badlands country in his honor, and the Painted Canyon overlook offers one of its finest views.
The people of the badlands
Long before the ranchers and the park, this was country known and used by the peoples of the Northern Plains, among them the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara, today the MHA Nation, and the Dakota and Lakota. The badlands and the Little Missouri valley offered shelter, game, and passage through the plains, and they remain places of significance to the tribes of the region.
The land here still feels close to that older, wilder world. Away from the overlook rail, on the trails below the rim, the badlands are quiet and empty, and it takes little imagination to picture the country as it was before the ranches and roads came through.
Wildlife and the seasons
The park is famous for its wildlife, and the badlands around the overlook support bison, wild horses, elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and prairie dogs, along with golden eagles and hawks riding the updrafts over the buttes. Rattlesnakes live in the warm months, so watching where you step on the trails is wise.
Spring and fall are the finest times to visit, with mild temperatures and the badlands at their most colorful in the slanting light. Summer can be very hot on the exposed rim, so early or late in the day is best. Winter dusts the buttes with snow and empties the overlook of crowds, a stark and beautiful time to take in the view.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Medora
Medora
About 7 miles west
A historic little frontier town at the gateway to the park's South Unit, home to the summer Medora Musical and a walkable main street.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit
About 7 miles west
The main badlands park with a scenic loop drive, bison, wild horses, and the ranch country that shaped Roosevelt.
Maah Daah Hey Trail
Nearby
A long-distance trail winding through the badlands, prized by hikers and mountain bikers for its rugged scenery.