Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit

Theodore Roosevelt first came to the Dakota badlands in 1883 as a young Easterner drawn west to hunt bison, and he was quickly captivated by the country. He invested in cattle ranching and established the Maltese Cross and later the Elkhorn ranches along the Little Missouri River. When his wife and his mother died on the same day in early 1884, a grieving Roosevelt returned to the badlands, and the strenuous ranch life became his refuge.

The years he spent riding, ranching, and hunting in this broken country left a deep mark. He watched the great bison herds vanish and saw the northern plains overgrazed and changed, and the experience helped forge his lifelong commitment to conservation. As president he would protect an extraordinary amount of American land as national forests, parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges. He later said he would not have become president without his time in North Dakota, and the park bears his name in tribute.

The badlands are the work of water and time. Over millions of years, rivers and streams laid down layers of sand, silt, clay, and volcanic ash, along with beds of lignite coal, across an ancient floodplain. The Little Missouri River and its runoff then cut down through those soft layers, carving the maze of buttes, gullies, and pinnacles that gives the badlands their name.

The banded colors in the hillsides record that layered history, and the reddish streaks come from beds where lignite coal caught fire and baked the surrounding clay into a hard brick-red rock called clinker, or scoria. Petrified wood, the stone remains of ancient forests, turns up in the badlands as well. The landscape is still eroding and changing, a place where the deep past is written plainly in the ground.

The park is one of the best places in the state to see wildlife roaming free. Herds of bison graze the grasslands and often wander along the loop road, a living reminder of the great herds Roosevelt watched disappear. Prairie dog towns dot the flats, their sentries barking and diving into burrows, and they in turn draw hawks, badgers, and other predators.

The South Unit is also famous for its free-roaming wild horses, descendants of ranch stock that now range the badlands in small bands, a sight found in few other national parks. Elk, mule deer, pronghorn, and a wealth of birds fill out the picture, and the golden light of early morning or evening is the best time to see them. Always keep a respectful distance, for these are wild animals.

Just outside the park entrance sits Medora, a small frontier town founded in 1883 by a French nobleman, the Marquis de Mores, who named it for his wife and dreamed of building a meatpacking empire on the plains. The venture failed, but the town endured, and today its historic streets, shops, and the summer Medora Musical make it the lively gateway to the badlands.

This country has been home to Northern Plains peoples for a very long time, including the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara, now the MHA Nation, whose ties reach across the wider region. For travelers, Medora and the South Unit make a natural pairing, a place to walk historic streets and then drive out into a wild landscape that helped shape an American president and the conservation movement itself.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is a place we chose through independent editorial review, never a paid placement.

The South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, near Medora in western North Dakota, is the most visited part of a national park protecting the stunning North Dakota Badlands, a rugged landscape of colorful canyons, buttes, and prairie teeming with wildlife. Named for President Theodore Roosevelt, who ranched here and was shaped by the land, the South Unit offers a scenic loop drive, hiking trails, and abundant wildlife including bison, wild horses, prairie dogs, elk, and pronghorn amid dramatic badlands scenery. Its beauty and wildlife make it one of the great natural destinations of the northern plains. A spectacular and wild badlands park, it awes visitors. With its scenery and wildlife, the South Unit offers a spectacular destination in North Dakota.

You can drive the scenic loop road through the badlands, hike the many trails, watch for bison, wild horses, prairie dogs, elk, and pronghorn, visit overlooks and the visitor center, and take in the dramatic canyon and butte scenery. The scenic drive, the abundant wildlife, the badlands hiking, and the overlooks are the draws, making it a superb outdoor destination. The bison, wild horses, and colorful badlands are highlights. With its scenery and wildlife, the South Unit offers a rewarding experience in North Dakota.

The park is home to wild bison and other large animals, so keeping a very safe distance, viewing from your vehicle or well back, never approaching or feeding wildlife, and never getting close to bison, which are powerful and can be dangerous, are essential. The badlands can be hot, rugged, and remote, so bringing water, sun protection, and sturdy footwear, staying on trails, and checking conditions matter. Keeping your distance from wildlife and coming prepared ensure a safe visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

The mild months of late spring through early fall are the most pleasant for the scenic drive, hiking, and wildlife viewing, with early morning and evening best for wildlife and the badlands beautiful in the low light, while summer can be hot and winter cold and snowy. Because conditions and some services are seasonal, checking current information before you go is wise. For the best weather and wildlife, aim for late spring through early fall at the South Unit in North Dakota.

The South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is near Medora in western North Dakota, within reach of the historic town of Medora, the Painted Canyon rim view, the Maah Daah Hey Trail, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, and the Badlands region. That makes the South Unit a spectacular stop to combine with the Painted Canyon rim view and the other attractions of the North Dakota Badlands on a visit to the state.