Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Visited: June 2013

Nearby city: Dickinson, ND

In the southwestern region of North Dakota lies the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Park is made up of three units: (1) South Unit, the largest and most visited area of the park, lies right along Interstate 94, the main east-west artery in North Dakota; (2) North Unit, about an hour north along Highway 85 and in between the two is (3) Elkhorn Ranch, a remote, undeveloped and rarely visited area that is only accessible by gravel road or hiking trails.

Both the South and North Units have a Visitor Center, a scenic loop road, and a few hiking trails. There is one long trail, the Maah Daah Hey Trail, that connects all 3 units. We only visited the South Unit. The South Unit lies right next to the tiny town of Medora. This village is somewhat kitschy, but a fun Western-themed town. The famous Medora Musical is put on nightly from June to September.

We approached the Park from the east along I-94. There is an exit right off the freeway that leads to a rest area that is in the park boundary. There is a small visitor center, the Painted Canyon Visitor Center. It has a few exhibits but you're also going to want to go into the town of Medora to see the main Visitor Center. The overlook at Painted Canyon is worth a quick stop for a nice view of the Park and also to take the short Painted Canyon Nature Trail.

Once you've had your fill at Painted Canyon take the Exit into the town of Medora. The entrance fee is $25 per vehicle. Here you can visit the Main Visitor Center which has a lot of information on Theodore Roosevelt and his connection to this area. Roosevelt first came to this part of the country to hunt bison in 1883. He fell in love with the rugged badlands and spent his time here in the Maltese Cross Cabin, which you can see at the Medora Visitor Center.

In 1884, Roosevelt went through a very personal and terrible tragedy. His wife and his mother both died on the same day, February 14, 1884. In a state of crippling depression, Roosevelt returned to this rugged country to immerse himself in nature and mourn in solitude. He spent a couple of years here, regaining his strength and intimately connecting with nature. Roosevelt later said that he never would have become president if he hadn't spent this time in North Dakota. It inspired him to champion conservation policies as president. He wrote a number of books about his time spent here, including "Ranch Life and the Hunting Trail" and "The Wilderness Hunter." The museum at the Visitor's Center contains a number of artifacts and this interesting statue.

Also on display is the undershirt that Roosevelt was wearing on October 14, 1912. Roosevelt had left office 4 years earlier, but was disappointed by the performance of his handpicked successor President William Howard Taft. Roosevelt challenged Taft in the 1912 primaries. Although Roosevelt won most of the primaries, the party establishment nominated Taft at the convention. Roosevelt bolted the party and formed the Progressive (or Bull Moose) Party. On this fateful day, Roosevelt was on the campaign trail in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. As he was preparing to make a speech, a deranged madman emerged from the crowd and shot Roosevelt in the chest. The bullet lodged in Roosevelt's chest after going through his eyeglasses case and folded up 50-pages that his speech was written on. Roosevelt insisted that he deliver his speech instead of going to the hospital. And that he did. He was basically dragged to the hospital after delivering his 90-minute speech. Roosevelt carried the bullet inside him the rest of his life.

Teddy is one of my favorite presidents. I love his passion for the outdoors and his charismatic espousal of the "strenuous life."

trying my best to imitate the President. What do you think?

After the Visitor's Center, take the Scenic Loop Drive through the South Unit. You'll probably see some bison, and if you're lucky, maybe some feral horses. We didn't do any hikes in the area, just enjoyed the drive. Make sure you visit in early summer to see the beautiful green grass. Once it hits August, it will turn brown. I love the contrast of the deep green with the absolutely enormous crystal blue sky. This land is a treasure.

the wind in their manes were perfect

the beautiful badlands along the Little Missouri River

If you have time back in Medora head to the Chateau de Mores State Historic Site. It is separate from the park. You can take a tour inside the home for $10. It's worth it.

This home was built by the Marquis de Mores in 1883 as a hunting lodge and summer home. The Marquis founded the town of Medora (naming it after his wife) and built a slaughterhouse here to ship the meat via rail back east to Chicago. The home is beautifully preserved on the inside and out and is well worth a tour to learn about life on the frontier.

the standing fan in the bottom right is not authentic to the period

We concluded our stay by attending the Medora Musical. This big stage show features lots of good old-fashioned country music. This show is 100% country. I'm not a huge fan of the genre but the show was lots of fun. Tickets are $35-$40. You can also spend a little more and pair it with the Pitchfork Steak Fondue. We just went to the show but I regret not doing the Fondue dinner beforehand. We just ate at an all you can eat buffet in town (which is pretty much the only restaurant in town) and it wasn't anything to write home about.

The Medora Musical is at this great amphitheater. It's quite the production.

One of the characters in the show was "Sheriff Bear" I got a big kick out of him. 😊

North Dakota kind of gets a bad rap for being a flat, barren, featureless, ugly wasteland. But I got to tell you, this little corner of the state is absolutely beautiful. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a great park to visit and experience in one day. It is an absolute must for fans of our 26th President. I would also do the Medora Musical. Medora is short on hotels, we stayed the night a short hour's drive to the west in Glendive, MT. Dickinson, ND also has plenty of amenities and is only a half hour to the east. I look forward to going back and visiting the more remote North Unit. For more info on the park visit: https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm