16 Best Sights in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

At 2,855 feet, this is one of the highest points in the park and provides a spectacular 360-degree view of the badlands. Come here for the sunset.

Traversing the full length of the 144-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail is a true multiday wilderness adventure. A popular and well-maintained route, it runs through private and public lands—including the Little Missouri Grasslands and both the North and South units of the national park—with several access points and numerous campgrounds. Maps are available at the park visitor centers and through the U.S. Forest Service and the Maah Daah Hey Trail Association. The 7.1-mile one-way segment that runs through the park's South Unit will take you three or four hours; plan on a full day out and back. Moderate–Difficult.

This is in a lovely valley near the river. There are fire pits, drinking water, restrooms, eight open tables, and eight covered tables.

This unit of the park is composed of the 218 acres of ranchland where Theodore Roosevelt ran cattle on the open range. Today there are no buildings, but foundation blocks outline the original structures. Check with visitor center staff about road conditions.

Built by John Jacob Astor's American Fur Company, the fort was the most important fur and bison hide trading center on the upper Missouri River between 1828 and 1867. Walk around the reconstructed grounds, which include the Trade House, teepees, and the reconstructed palisade and three-story bastions of Fort Union. Follow the easy 1-mile trail to Bodmer Overlook, named for the artist Karl Bodmer, who painted the fort from this vantage point in the early 1830s. June sees a traditional Rendezvous, with fur-trade reenactors and period music, crafts, and other demonstrations. In early August, the site also hosts a Native American arts showcase and a traditional powwow.

This area has restrooms, grills, drinking water, and 28 tables (eight with shelter).

This is the largest and most diverse of 19 national grasslands in the western United States, spanning a million acres in western North Dakota. It takes three hours to complete a self-guided 58-mile driving tour known as the Custer Auto Trail, beginning and ending in Medora. The best time to see wildlife is in early morning or late afternoon. Don't forget a camera and binoculars. In addition to stretches of the lengthy Maah Daah Hey Trail, which runs through the grasslands, there are seven designated trails, and back-country hiking is permitted. Little Missouri Grassland trails are open to all nonmotorized activities, including horseback riding and cycling as well as hiking. For a copy of the driving tour and trail maps, contact the U.S. Forest Service office in Dickinson or the South Unit Visitor Center.

About 7 miles from its original site in the river bottom sits the cabin Theodore Roosevelt commissioned to be built on his Dakota Territory property. Inside are Roosevelt's original writing table and rocking chair. Interpretive tours are scheduled every day June–September.

The 14-mile, two-way drive follows rugged terrain above spectacular views of the canyons, and is flanked by more than a dozen turnouts with interpretive signs. Notice the slump blocks, massive segments of rock that have slipped down the cliff walls over time. Farther along pass through badlands coulees, deep-water clefts that are now dry. There's a good chance of meeting bison, mule deer, and bighorn sheep along the way, also keep an eye out for longhorn steers, just like the ones you would see in Texas.

The view from this spot at the end of the North Unit drive looks over the unit's westerly badlands and the Little Missouri River, where it takes a sharp turn east. This is the place to come for stargazing.

Catch your first glimpse of badlands majesty here—the South Unit canyon's colors change dramatically with the movement of the sun across the sky.

This area has eight covered tables, drinking water, restrooms, and a spectacular view.

Although bits of petrified wood have been found all over the park, the densest collection is in the South Unit's west end, accessible on foot or horseback via the Petrified Forest Loop Trail from Peaceful Valley Ranch (10 miles round-trip) or from the park's west boundary (3 miles round-trip).

Known as the "Enchanted Highway," this self-guided 30-mile driving tour east of Dickinson features seven giant metal sculptures designed by a local artist, including a 51-foot Teddy Roosevelt. Massive sculptures include a deer crossing, grasshopper family, pheasants on the prairie, a 150-foot-long gaggle of geese, and a tin family with a 45-foot father, 44-foot mother, and 23-foot son.

A 36-mile, two-way scenic loop takes you past prairie-dog towns, coal veins, trailheads, and panoramic views of the badlands. Information on the park's natural history is posted at the various overlooks—stop at all of the interpretive signs to learn about the park's natural and historical phenomena. Some of the best views can be seen from Scoria Point Overlook, Boicourt Overlook, North Dakota Badlands Overlook, Skyline Vista, and Buck Hill. If you hit the road at dusk, be prepared to get caught in a buffalo traffic jam, as the huge creatures sometimes block the road and aren't in any hurry to move. Don't get out of your car or honk at them—they don't like it.

For a great view of the Missouri River's 90-degree angle, hike a 1½-mile round-trip stretch of the much longer Achenbach Trail to this spot 430 feet above the riverbed.