14 Best Sights in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

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.

Rangers host hour-long presentations and discussions on such subjects as park history, astronomy, fires, and wildlife. Look for times and subjects posted at park campgrounds.

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

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.

Here you'll find a bookstore and small auditorium where you can watch park films to acquaint you with the park.

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

Easily reached off Interstate 94, this South Unit Visitor Center has a bookstore and exhibits.

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).

Rangers take visitors on the trails of both units and through the backcountry and Elkhorn Ranch, discussing such subjects as geology, paleontology, wildlife, and natural history. Check at campground entrances or at the visitor centers for times, topics, departure points, and destinations.

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.

This building houses a large auditorium screening films about the park, plus an excellent exhibit on Theodore Roosevelt's life. On display are artifacts such as the clothing Roosevelt wore while ranching in the Dakota Territory, his firearms, and several writings in his own hand reflecting his thoughts on the nation's environmental resources. A bookstore and public restrooms are available.

All three visitor centers show a 13-minute film focusing on the unique beauty and breathtaking landscape of North Dakota's badlands, its wildlife, and its history, narrated with Roosevelt's own words.