37 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 18-mile out-and-back trail begins at Juniper, climbs through the Achenbach Hills, descends to the river, and ends at Sperati Point. Check with rangers about river-fording conditions. For a shorter (6-mile) hike to Oxbow Overlook, the North Achenbach Trail begins at the River Bend Overlook. Moderate--Difficult.

A huge triceratops—whose complete skull was excavated in 1992 west of Dickinson—greets you at the entrance of this museum, which houses dozens of dinosaur bones, fossilized plants and seashells, and rocks and minerals collected from around the world. The museum, which is part of the greater 12-acre Dickinson Museum Center complex with the Joachim Regional Museum, Prairie Outpost Park, and Pioneer Machinery Hall, has North Dakota's largest dinosaur display.

This stop is a great place to spend time taking in the panoramic view looking north.

Thriving prairie-dog towns entertain on this 11.4-mile loop trail in the North Unit. The trail travels over level grasslands, then loops back along the banks of Squaw Creek. Moderate–Difficult.

The French nobleman for whom the chateau is named erected this 26-room hunting cabin in 1883 with his wife, Medora, for whom the town was named. He also built a meatpacking plant and encouraged other cattle ranchers to settle in the area. Though their cattle empire was never realized, the couple hosted extravagant hunting parties and even entertained Theodore Roosevelt during his Dakota ranching days. You can tour the restored chateau between May and October, when weekend history programs and carriage rides are also offered. The site's interpretive center is open year-round.

This picnic area is in a lovely valley near the river. There are grills, drinking water, restrooms, eight open tables, eight covered tables, and two shelters.

This remote 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.

Visitors who have two to three days in the park or are diehard “Rooseveltians” should make this trek, and then only when it hasn’t been raining because most of the route is on unpaved roads; check with visitor center staff about road conditions.

This area truly encapsulates the spirit of why this is called Roosevelt National Park.

Built in 1866 near the confluence of the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers, this military post was the site of Sitting Bull's surrender in 1881. In summer, you can take a self-guided tour of the restored officers' quarters as well as the unusual, sometimes humorous, tombstones in the soldiers' cemetery. The site grounds and adjoining Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Interpretive Center are open year-round.

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 out-and-back 7-mile trail runs east-west along the South Unit's Jones Creek with close-up views of the vegetation on the badlands floor. For a longer trek (11 miles), head south on the Lower Talkington trail, from Jones Creek, to the Badlands Spur trail and then head northwest on the Lower Paddock Creek trail, which loops back to the park road on the west. Moderate.

The only campground in the North Unit has restrooms, grills, drinking water, and 28 tables (eight with shelter). The two group campsites require reservations.  

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.

Called Makoshika or "Bad Land" by the Sioux, the Little Missouri State Park has unusual land formations that create the state's most awe-inspiring scenery. The beehive-shaped rock formations resulted from the erosion of sedimentary rock deposited millions of years ago by streams flowing from the Rocky Mountains. Undeveloped and rugged, this wilderness area has both primitive and modern camping and 50 miles of horse trails.

The unpaved but flat outer loop of this 1.1-mile trail passes through badlands and woodlands to the river's edge. The trail's paved 0.7-mile inner loop is wheelchair-accessible. It's a great way to see the park's diverse terrain and wildlife, and because it shouldn't take you longer than an hour, it's a great trail for families with children. Easy.

Trail access is located on the west end of the park at one of the South Unit's few public restrooms. The 3½-mile one way trail runs along Paddock Creek and provides access to a couple of other good hikes. Take the Upper Paddock Creek Trail to the far southeast corner of the South Unit, or head north on the Badlands Spur and Lower Talkington trails and connect with Jones Creek Trail, which loops you back to the west. Moderate.

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 is Roosevelt's travel trunk. Self-guided tours are offered year-round from the South Unit Visitor Center.

This museum features six galleries and rotating exhibits, hosts special events, and is dedicated to the horse culture of the plains.

While planning for a new visitor center facility is underway, this unit is being housed in temporary trailers. It still offers park information and a park film. Amenities include restrooms and a gift shop. It's open daily except for Christmas and New Year's Day.

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.

Easily reached off Interstate 94, this South Unit Visitor Center has an information desk, exhibits, a Theodore Roosevelt Nature and History Association bookstore, a picnic area, restrooms, vending machines, water fountains, and public phones.

Although bits of petrified wood have been found all over the park, the densest collection is in the South Unit's west end, accessible 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), which is the most recommended route

This museum in Bowman, south of the national park's South Unit, has permanent and changing exhibits on local paleontology, geology, and archaeology as well as anthropology and history.

Before heading out along this short (0.6-mile) loop pick up the accompanying map and brochure with information designed to enlighten you on the ecology of the badlands. The first few yards are steep and difficult, and there's a steep descent at the end, but otherwise the trail is even. You'll complete this trail in about a half hour. Moderate.