Theodore Roosevelt National Park was a complete mystery to me. First, it’s located in Western North Dakota so it takes some effort to get there. Second, I didn’t know much about the Teddy Roosevelt relationship beforehand. Nor did I know that the Badlands extended up that far but looks different than at Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is impressive. It has incredible views and one of the best National Park drives I’ve seen.
Welcome to Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora, North Dakota
I drove up to Theodore Roosevelt National Park after my morning visit to Wind Cave National Park. It was about 5.5 hours drive through some of the worst storms I’ve ever driven through in South Dakota. It was straight out of Twister minus the tornado!
As I passed into North Dakota and arrived at a small transit town called Bowman, the weather cleared up a bit. This was great because being able to take in the scenery makes a road trip much more enjoyable. I was honestly blown away by the scenery in that part of North Dakota but nothing was as good as when I arrived at Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Great lookout as the rains began again
You enter from the south at a small western town called Medora. Then it’s a 36-mile loop road that takes you through most of the park. Of course there are several short hikes you can take to get to great viewpoints-I always do those! And since I arrived late in the afternoon after the rains, the sky was pretty awesome, changing rapidly.
Amazing pink sky in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
The highlights for me were the Wind Canyon Trail hike which is only about a half mile round trip but had the best views in the park. Also, the prairie dog fields where thousands of them live.
Prairie Dog Fields in Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Also, just driving around viewing the landscape of Badlands, hills, small mountains and rivers. Plus there were plenty of buffalo roaming around the park. The park reminded me of the Badlands on a mushroom trip.
I think a lot of that had to do with the weather and the sky because it was so rapidly changing. Plus the colors of the hills and rocks were stunning. I really enjoyed the drive and my visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Afterwards, I had a decision to make about where I would stay.
Originally I was going to return the car to Bismarck, North Dakota and fly home from there. But because of the holiday, the drop-off fee was over $1000 and flights out of Bismarck were over $700 for coach. So I decided to fly home from Denver and drive back, stopping in Rapid City, South Dakota for the night to break up the drive.
Mount Rushmore
This also allowed me to revisit Mount Rushmore and Crazy Horse. Those two places are can’t miss spots on any road trip in the area. Plus they should be bucket list places for anyone who likes domestic travel.
Crazy Horse Memorial
So I accomplished my goal of visiting my 41st, 42nd and 43rd US National Parks. And there’s more to come!
Did you see some of the wild horses there? I saw two groups of them when I went a couple summers ago. I later was told it is one of the best places to see them on the US up close.
I don’t recall if I saw them or not and I wasn’t specifically looking for them. Buffalo and prairie dogs I remember specifically seeing.
Seeing as you squeezed TRNP in between two long drives, how long would you say you should devote to the park? Planning on a similar trip soon. Thanks!
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is one of my favorites because of how remote it is and how many different types of scenery there is. If you’ve only done the South Unit, at Medora, you need to go back and explore the North Unit. I’ve said it is one of the most underrated park drives in the country. The hikes are fairly easy, but are super remote and you most likely won’t have to deal with others on the trail. I haven’t been to nearly as many as you have, kudos, by the way, but TRNP is one that I think others should visit. Especially once the Theodore Roosevelt Library is completed in Medora. That is going to be a huge addition to the park!