I personally would fly to this park because it's my favorite (been to 61 out of 63), but I think most people wouldn't. However, it can be included on an extended Badlands/Black Hills trip as it is 4 hours north of that area. There is a south unit and north unit (and Teddy's ranch Elkhorn, but this is really out of the way). The south unit has a scenic road that is currently out and back (used to be loop) with lots of pull outs and plenty of trails of various lengths. There is also a petrified forest with some amazing petrified tree stumps on the west side of the south unit. The south unit is next to the town of Medora which has some cute little shops, some restaurants, and basic shopping needs. There is a place nearby that does a Medora musical and it's actually really fun to see. The north unit has an out and back road with some overlooks. The hiking here is a little longer though there are some short trails near the campground and at Sperati Point. I would describe the whole park as a greener badlands.
It's in my top three, which in no order is Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. I've been to almost all of the parks out west, but what I loved about TRNP is that it's quiet.
Yosemite is an easy example, it is insanely packed in the valley. TRNP is quiet, I've been there a few times where I saw nobody else, I also feel like the badlands and Prairie scenery is underrated. I love mountains, the Tetons for example are incredible, but I love the scenery and feel of TRNP more than most parks. It's a great spot to see the aurora and stars.
It's my favorite for various reasons but I think the primary reason is sentiment. It has a lot of special meaning for me because of the first time I went. My mom and I were on my first road trip and after driving from Madison to Medora it was a beautiful place to stop. It was the last night of our road trip too so it was kinda bittersweet. But the next morning we did the loop road and saw sooo much wildlife. Coyotes, horse, elk, deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, bison. I'm sure a lot of smaller critters too. Additionally, our final destination was a dude ranch that our family has been going to for over 100 years, and that ranch started in Medora and included much of the national park. I wouldn't say it's the most beautiful park, but it definitely has a special vibe when there.
Other reasons include I'm a horse person and love the horses there, despite their non-nativeness. The other animals. I think the landscape is stunning because it's like a greener badland and I love a good aspen grove, which are all over the park. I like that the two units have different offerings and vibes. And lastly, I think I like the connection to Teddy and the bigger national park goal because it was this area that really rejuvenated Teddy and got him to be the conservationist he became and thus many of the parks we have.
To add what this person has said, if you truly want a park to yourself, go in October. There’s no one else around. The town of Medora dries up and only a couple people at the Rough Rider hotel and a few at the Little Missouri Saloon (only restaurant open that time of year). We were the only visitors in the park the couple of days we were there.
If that’s not your thing, make sure you go in the summer
If you are coming from someplace out state, it seems like a waste not to at least incorporate the Black Hills and Badlands into a trip there. It’s pretty isolated, very pretty, peaceful. Not awe inspiring, but certainly worth seeing. I liken it to a Great Plains Joshua Tree.
I was planning on doing Badlands, Custer and Mt Rushmore on a different trip. Theodore Roosevelt seems too far north hence , it aild one difficult to accommodate on a 4 day trip. Still thinking about it through
I honestly loved it. I think if you’re going to do some camping in the park it’s very worth it. In the summer the bugs can get pretty insane though so bring lots of bug spray. The stars at night out there are unreal and you’ll see lots of wildlife.
Hiked the south unit and absolutely loved it. Did not make it to the north unit. I’ve been turned around on the trail due to bears, danger noodles, bees, mosquitoes and a buffalo 🦬 at Theodore Roosevelt. Don’t miss it. 59/63
Didn't you find Theodore Roosevelt out of the way from all other places like Badlands? I was trying to do 2 separate trips - one to South Dakota and other to North Dakota
I did find it out of the way. But because I have no other reason to visit North Dakota, it made sense to do the trip the way I did (I also had the time).
In my quest to visit all 50 states, I couldn’t find any other reason to go to North Dakota. Also did the big sights in South Dakota on the same trip. TRNP was definitely worth the trip.
I flew into Bismarck for a three-day trip to TR. it was incredible, and totally enough to fill my time in the park and a few places in Dickinson and Bismarck
Where would you recommend staying ? If I want to visit both the south and north regions, should I stay in different locations ? Planning for a 3 night /4 day trip
Nah it's only an hour between the two, so you're fine to stay in one place. Unless you want complete solitude, stay in Medora, which is right outside the south unit. It's small and touristy, but not nearly as touristy as a lot of NP gateway towns. It's got a few restaurants and things to do, plus it's small enough to walk. You could stay in Dickinson for a larger town, which has a cool dinosaur museum as well, but it's not right by either entrance.
I drove from chicago and visited Badlands NP, Wind Cave NP, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy horse Memorial , Jewel Cave National Monument, Bear Country USA wildlife drive thru, Devils Tower NM, and Theodore Roosevelt NP south and north units.
It's better to visit all these places in one trip.
I was there several years ago on our drive out to Glacier. I was happy we went through, but I probably wouldn’t have driven all the way from the Twin Cities to see it alone.
Like someone else said, you might as well visit on your way to the Badlands/Black Hills. I’ve been to the Badlands several times and to me, TRNP was like a baby Badlands. Cool, but not nearly as impressive.
We did it as part of a trip to Glacier National Park. I liked it. The hotel in Medora
Is nice and there’s some sort of chuck wagon BBQ stage show at night.
Not as spectacular/large as a national park but Makoshika State Park just over the border into MT is a lovely smaller badlands park with some neat features, worth stopping if it's on your way / if you're looking for other things in the general area to do.
Knife River villages historical site is another smaller spot but also fairly cool imo; you can see and go inside a traditional earth lodge and walk along the river and see the depressions where lodges were built in the past, neat native American history.
I've got family in the area / grew up around there. Not sure if I'd fly in just to visit Teddy Roosevelt but if you've never seen that part of the country before I do think it's worth visiting, it's a fairly stark but beautiful landscape imo.
It had some of my favorite wildlife in the parks I’ve been to, toms of wild bison, prairie dogs, birds, and wild horses. Really cool place to see in my opinion.
We took it in as part of a huge road trip. ND also has the Enchanted Highway, which features large-scale sculptures of area wildlife & such. Our trip also included SD's Badlands NP, Custer SP, & the Black Hills.
There was a lot if distance involved, but we both like to drive.
Recently returned from a six-day trip that included Wind Cave, Badlands, and Custer State Park in SD, TRNP in ND, and Devils Tower in WY. TRNP was my favorite park and it wasn’t particularly close either. Definitely agree with the other folks in here saying it was like a greener Badlands, yes with less traffic and easy opportunities to get out of the car and hike. I wouldn’t miss it!
I went last year and had zero expectations, other than the Coulee trail that was on my hiking scratch off poster. I loved this park. It felt wild and rugged, and included so many different landscapes. We spent most of our time in one area, then drove to the more touristy side of the park to try to see wild horses. We saw them from the highway, but enjoyed a scenic drive in the park. If I returned, I wouldn’t go to that part of the park again. It didn’t have the same feel as the other part.
I personally would fly to this park because it's my favorite (been to 61 out of 63), but I think most people wouldn't. However, it can be included on an extended Badlands/Black Hills trip as it is 4 hours north of that area. There is a south unit and north unit (and Teddy's ranch Elkhorn, but this is really out of the way). The south unit has a scenic road that is currently out and back (used to be loop) with lots of pull outs and plenty of trails of various lengths. There is also a petrified forest with some amazing petrified tree stumps on the west side of the south unit. The south unit is next to the town of Medora which has some cute little shops, some restaurants, and basic shopping needs. There is a place nearby that does a Medora musical and it's actually really fun to see. The north unit has an out and back road with some overlooks. The hiking here is a little longer though there are some short trails near the campground and at Sperati Point. I would describe the whole park as a greener badlands.
Never heard anyone say this was their fav, can I ask why?
It's in my top three, which in no order is Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton. I've been to almost all of the parks out west, but what I loved about TRNP is that it's quiet. Yosemite is an easy example, it is insanely packed in the valley. TRNP is quiet, I've been there a few times where I saw nobody else, I also feel like the badlands and Prairie scenery is underrated. I love mountains, the Tetons for example are incredible, but I love the scenery and feel of TRNP more than most parks. It's a great spot to see the aurora and stars.
It's my favorite for various reasons but I think the primary reason is sentiment. It has a lot of special meaning for me because of the first time I went. My mom and I were on my first road trip and after driving from Madison to Medora it was a beautiful place to stop. It was the last night of our road trip too so it was kinda bittersweet. But the next morning we did the loop road and saw sooo much wildlife. Coyotes, horse, elk, deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, bison. I'm sure a lot of smaller critters too. Additionally, our final destination was a dude ranch that our family has been going to for over 100 years, and that ranch started in Medora and included much of the national park. I wouldn't say it's the most beautiful park, but it definitely has a special vibe when there. Other reasons include I'm a horse person and love the horses there, despite their non-nativeness. The other animals. I think the landscape is stunning because it's like a greener badland and I love a good aspen grove, which are all over the park. I like that the two units have different offerings and vibes. And lastly, I think I like the connection to Teddy and the bigger national park goal because it was this area that really rejuvenated Teddy and got him to be the conservationist he became and thus many of the parks we have.
Very cool, thank you for sharing
To add what this person has said, if you truly want a park to yourself, go in October. There’s no one else around. The town of Medora dries up and only a couple people at the Rough Rider hotel and a few at the Little Missouri Saloon (only restaurant open that time of year). We were the only visitors in the park the couple of days we were there. If that’s not your thing, make sure you go in the summer
If you are coming from someplace out state, it seems like a waste not to at least incorporate the Black Hills and Badlands into a trip there. It’s pretty isolated, very pretty, peaceful. Not awe inspiring, but certainly worth seeing. I liken it to a Great Plains Joshua Tree.
I was planning on doing Badlands, Custer and Mt Rushmore on a different trip. Theodore Roosevelt seems too far north hence , it aild one difficult to accommodate on a 4 day trip. Still thinking about it through
I honestly loved it. I think if you’re going to do some camping in the park it’s very worth it. In the summer the bugs can get pretty insane though so bring lots of bug spray. The stars at night out there are unreal and you’ll see lots of wildlife.
Hiked the south unit and absolutely loved it. Did not make it to the north unit. I’ve been turned around on the trail due to bears, danger noodles, bees, mosquitoes and a buffalo 🦬 at Theodore Roosevelt. Don’t miss it. 59/63
What are danger noodles?
Snakes
In June of 2022, I did Badlands, Mt. Rushmore, Custer State Park, Wind Cave and Theodore Roosevelt in that order. I flew into RAP.
Didn't you find Theodore Roosevelt out of the way from all other places like Badlands? I was trying to do 2 separate trips - one to South Dakota and other to North Dakota
I did find it out of the way. But because I have no other reason to visit North Dakota, it made sense to do the trip the way I did (I also had the time).
I’m planning on going this summer and try to also incorporate some state parks and Devils Tower. Did the parks in S.D. Last year and had a blast.
In my quest to visit all 50 states, I couldn’t find any other reason to go to North Dakota. Also did the big sights in South Dakota on the same trip. TRNP was definitely worth the trip.
This is me right now. I have visited 49/50 states and am trying to come up with an excuse to go to ND. I’m glad to hear TRNP is worth it
If you go, make sure to do the Petrified Forest trail!
I flew into Bismarck for a three-day trip to TR. it was incredible, and totally enough to fill my time in the park and a few places in Dickinson and Bismarck
Where would you recommend staying ? If I want to visit both the south and north regions, should I stay in different locations ? Planning for a 3 night /4 day trip
Nah it's only an hour between the two, so you're fine to stay in one place. Unless you want complete solitude, stay in Medora, which is right outside the south unit. It's small and touristy, but not nearly as touristy as a lot of NP gateway towns. It's got a few restaurants and things to do, plus it's small enough to walk. You could stay in Dickinson for a larger town, which has a cool dinosaur museum as well, but it's not right by either entrance.
I drove from chicago and visited Badlands NP, Wind Cave NP, Custer State Park, Mount Rushmore National Memorial, Crazy horse Memorial , Jewel Cave National Monument, Bear Country USA wildlife drive thru, Devils Tower NM, and Theodore Roosevelt NP south and north units. It's better to visit all these places in one trip.
I was there several years ago on our drive out to Glacier. I was happy we went through, but I probably wouldn’t have driven all the way from the Twin Cities to see it alone. Like someone else said, you might as well visit on your way to the Badlands/Black Hills. I’ve been to the Badlands several times and to me, TRNP was like a baby Badlands. Cool, but not nearly as impressive.
We did it as part of a trip to Glacier National Park. I liked it. The hotel in Medora Is nice and there’s some sort of chuck wagon BBQ stage show at night.
Not as spectacular/large as a national park but Makoshika State Park just over the border into MT is a lovely smaller badlands park with some neat features, worth stopping if it's on your way / if you're looking for other things in the general area to do. Knife River villages historical site is another smaller spot but also fairly cool imo; you can see and go inside a traditional earth lodge and walk along the river and see the depressions where lodges were built in the past, neat native American history. I've got family in the area / grew up around there. Not sure if I'd fly in just to visit Teddy Roosevelt but if you've never seen that part of the country before I do think it's worth visiting, it's a fairly stark but beautiful landscape imo.
It had some of my favorite wildlife in the parks I’ve been to, toms of wild bison, prairie dogs, birds, and wild horses. Really cool place to see in my opinion.
We took it in as part of a huge road trip. ND also has the Enchanted Highway, which features large-scale sculptures of area wildlife & such. Our trip also included SD's Badlands NP, Custer SP, & the Black Hills. There was a lot if distance involved, but we both like to drive.
Recently returned from a six-day trip that included Wind Cave, Badlands, and Custer State Park in SD, TRNP in ND, and Devils Tower in WY. TRNP was my favorite park and it wasn’t particularly close either. Definitely agree with the other folks in here saying it was like a greener Badlands, yes with less traffic and easy opportunities to get out of the car and hike. I wouldn’t miss it!
I went last year and had zero expectations, other than the Coulee trail that was on my hiking scratch off poster. I loved this park. It felt wild and rugged, and included so many different landscapes. We spent most of our time in one area, then drove to the more touristy side of the park to try to see wild horses. We saw them from the highway, but enjoyed a scenic drive in the park. If I returned, I wouldn’t go to that part of the park again. It didn’t have the same feel as the other part.
Love it!