Colorful Dakota badlands, wild horses, and the park that made a president.
Photo: NPS/Mark Hoffman · Public domain · via Wikimedia Commons
Theodore Roosevelt came to the Dakota badlands in 1883 to hunt bison and stayed to ranch, and the hard, beautiful country he found here changed him — the conservation ethic that later created the national forests and the Park Service itself was forged on these buttes. He's the only president with a national park named for him, and it's a fitting one: raw, wildlife-rich badlands along the Little Missouri River, far enough off the beaten path that you can still have an overlook to yourself.
It comes in three pieces. The South Unit, at the tourist town of Medora right off I-94, is where most people go — a 36-mile scenic loop through banded badlands and grasslands, past prairie dog towns and the park's famous herd of free-roaming wild horses. The North Unit, about 70 miles north off US-85, is quieter and more dramatic, with the sweeping Oxbow Overlook and a small herd of longhorn steers kept to evoke the open-range era. Between them sits the remote Elkhorn Ranch Unit, the site of Roosevelt's own 'home ranch,' reached by gravel.
The wildlife is the heart of it: bison grazing beside the road, wild horses on the ridgelines, elk and pronghorn, and chattering prairie dog towns. The badlands glow at sunset from spots like Wind Canyon over the river bend. Summer is the season — winters out here are genuinely brutal, with sub-zero temperatures and fierce wind — and the gateway town of Medora, with its long-running outdoor musical, is part of the experience.
Theodore Roosevelt is two separate units about 70 miles apart, each with its own scenic drive, and the park allows an hour and ten minutes to get between them. The South Unit sits right on I-94 at Medora and takes almost all the visitors; the North Unit is up a US highway and takes almost none. The South Unit loop reopened in full in November 2025 after a $51 million rebuild, so for the first time in years both drives are whole.
The interstate runs past the door — the South Unit entrance and visitor center are in Medora itself, at Exits 24 and 27, and the badlands are already in view from the Painted Canyon rest area seven miles east at Exit 32. This is the most casually accessible badlands country in the United States.
Leave I-94 at Belfield, Exit 42, and run 50 miles north; the North Unit entrance sits 14 miles short of Watford City. From Medora that is roughly 70 miles and an hour and ten — a genuine transfer rather than a hop, and the reason most people only see one unit. You also cross into Central time on the way.
Continue north and west from the North Unit and you reach the Missouri River and the old fur-trade post at Fort Union — about 74 miles and an hour and three quarters, through country that empties out as you go.
Slides caused by severe rain in 2019 closed the stretch from the East River Road junction to the old East Entrance Station, and for years the loop had to be driven as an out-and-back. A $51 million rehabilitation stabilized banks, regraded slopes, rebuilt drainage and resurfaced more than six miles, and the ribbon was cut on the complete circuit in November 2025. Snow and ice can still close sections in winter.
TipWild horses are on this loop and are genuinely wild — they move and they are unpredictable around vehicles. Prairie dog towns sit right beside the road, so expect to stop.
A dead-end road that runs the floor of the badlands, climbs to River Bend Overlook and then traces the prairie rim to Oxbow Overlook at the end. Almost entirely paved with one gravel stretch, open to RVs. Fewer people, bison standing in the road, and a rougher, more folded landscape than the south.
TipIt is out and back, so budget the return. Combined with the drive up from the South Unit this is a full day, not an afternoon — and remember the North Unit keeps Central time.
A rest area on the interstate that happens to look straight into the badlands, with a visitor center attached. If you have twenty minutes rather than a day, this is the version of the park you can actually get.
The park's signature drive — a 36-mile loop through badlands and grasslands, past overlooks, prairie dog towns, and the best zone for spotting the park's free-roaming wild horses and bison.
Insider tipDrive it at dawn or dusk when horses and bison move to graze the ridgelines. The park says to plan at least two hours for the driving alone, so allow more with stops.
Plan a trip to this spot →A jaw-dropping layered-badlands panorama right off the interstate, with its own visitor center seven miles east of Medora.
Insider tipFree to view and needs no loop drive — the perfect first stop straight off I-94 before deciding how long to stay.
Plan a trip to this spot →A short 0.4-mile walk to a bluff above a dramatic bend of the Little Missouri River — the park's premier sunset spot.
Insider tipTime it for golden hour, when the low light sets the river bend and badlands aglow.
Plan a trip to this spot →At the end of the North Unit scenic drive, a sweeping view of a U-bend in the Little Missouri — and, along the same road, the park's small herd of Texas longhorn steers.
Insider tipThe longhorns are a North-Unit-only sight — a small historic demonstration herd recalling the Long X Trail cattle drives up from Texas. Scan the sagebrush flats from the pullouts.
Plan a trip to this spot →The third-largest concentration of petrified wood in the United States, in the South Unit's wild western reaches.
Insider tipThe approved route is I-94 Exit 10 toward Camels Hump Lake, then about 50 minutes of dirt and gravel from Medora, followed by a 3-mile round-trip hike. Directions changed recently, so get the current turn-by-turn at a visitor center — and leave the petrified wood where it lies.
Plan a trip to this spot →Sprawling black-tailed prairie dog colonies dot both units, easily viewed from the scenic drives — a constant chatter of comical, alert little sentries.
Insider tipDon't feed or approach them; the towns also draw predators like coyotes and hawks, so linger and watch.
Plan a trip to this spot →Northern-plains continental: warm summers (July highs near 87°F) and frigid winters, with December–February lows in the single digits, frequent sub-zero nights, and brutal wind chill. The wettest months are May through July. Winters are dry but snowy and can close roads; spring and fall are short and mild. Summer is by far the most comfortable — and most alive — time to visit.
Three units, and the two main ones are NOT close — plan them as separate outings, often separate days.
The main unit and easiest access — the 36-mile loop, wild horses, and the visitor center, all right in Medora. Painted Canyon, seven miles east on I-94, has its own visitor center and overlook but is not an entrance. Gateway: Medora.
About 70 miles north, an hour and ten minutes by the park's reckoning — quieter and more dramatic, with Oxbow Overlook and the longhorn herd. Note the clock: the North Unit runs on Central time, the South Unit on Mountain. Gateway: Watford City, 14 miles north.
The remote middle unit at the site of Roosevelt's own ranch — reached by gravel roads, with the last three miles sometimes needing high clearance or four-wheel drive, especially in winter or after rain. Check conditions first.
No lodging inside the park — the historic town of Medora is the base for the South Unit; campgrounds sit in both main units.
A seasonal Western tourist town at the South Unit gate, anchored by the historic Rough Riders Hotel, with motels, dining, and the nightly summer Medora Musical.
Booking tipMedora largely runs late spring through mid-September; book ahead for summer, and base in Dickinson if it's full or off-season.
Watford City is the practical base for the North Unit (~15 miles); Dickinson, about 35 miles east of Medora, has more chain hotels and dining and works year-round.
Booking tipFor the North Unit, sleep in Watford City — Medora is over an hour away.
Cottonwood Campground (South Unit) and Juniper Campground (North Unit) sit among the badlands.
Booking tipEvery site at both campgrounds is reservation-only on Recreation.gov — book ahead. Cottonwood is open year-round and fills every night in summer; Juniper rarely fills. Neither has hookups.
What does it cost?
A vehicle is $30 and covers seven days; motorcycles are $25 and anyone arriving on foot or by bike pays $15. A Theodore Roosevelt annual pass is $55, and the $80 America the Beautiful pass gets you in. Entrance stations collect May through September and visitor centers handle it the rest of the year. Since May 2026 the park is cashless — cards or digital payment only. There is no timed entry and no reservation to get in.
How brutal are the winters?
Very. December through February brings single-digit and sub-zero temperatures, snow, and fierce wind chill, and some roads and town services close. Late spring through fall is the season to come.
How close can I get to the bison and wild horses?
Both are wild and dangerous. Stay in your vehicle near roadside herds, keep at least 25 yards from bison, and never approach, feed, or get between animals. Watch with binoculars or a zoom lens.
There are three units — which do I visit?
Most people do the South Unit at Medora — easiest access, the 36-mile loop, and the wild horses. The North Unit (about 70 miles north) is quieter, with Oxbow Overlook and the longhorns; plan it separately. The Elkhorn Ranch Unit is remote gravel access for dedicated visitors.
Do I need camping reservations?
Yes. Every site at Cottonwood (South Unit) and Juniper (North Unit) is reservation-only through Recreation.gov, and the park no longer takes cash anywhere. Cottonwood is open year-round and fills to capacity every night in summer; Juniper only occasionally fills on summer weekends.
How many days do I need?
One full day covers the South Unit comfortably — the loop drive, a short hike or two, and sunset at Wind Canyon. Add a second day to include the North Unit, or to pair the park with Medora's town attractions.
Pick your vehicle, line up the stops on the way in and out, and carry the whole route in your pocket.
