Land of Liberty Explorers

Overview

Theodore Roosevelt first visited North Dakota to hunt bison in 1883. He loved the “perfect freedom” that the Dakotas offered and invested in the Maltese Cross Ranch south of Medora. Roosevelt’s wife and mother died within hours of each other on February 14, 1884. Roosevelt moved to North Dakota following their deaths. He established the Elk Horn Ranch north of Medora. While serving as President of the United States, Roosevelt established many national parks and monuments. Following his death in 1919, an expedition of the Little Missouri was conducted to find an appropriate location to create a future park. The Roosevelt Recreation Demonstration Area was established in 1935. It became Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge in 1946. In 1947, President Harry S. Truman established the South Unit as Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park. In 1974, the park became Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Painted Canyon Visitors Center

Painted Canyon is a rest stop along I-94; there is no official entrance to the park here, but there is a fun trail that descends into the Painted Canyon.

The real entrance to the South Unit is located in Medora. Theodore Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Cabin is located behind the Medora Visitors Center.

Scenic Drive

The South Unit’s Scenic Drive begins in Medora and makes a 34 mile loop through the South Unit. Like the North Unit, the South Unit’s Scenic Drive is the main park road. Prairie dogs have established several large communities inside the park boundaries.

Wind Canyon Trail

One of our favorite spots in the park was the view of the Little Missouri River from the Wind Canyon Trail.

Boicourt Overlook Trail

Our favorite little hike in the South Unit was the Boicourt Overlook Trail. We really liked the views of the badlands from this location and the trail felt adventurous.

Wild Horses

While we saw evidence that horses had recently been near the Boicourt Trail, we actually saw them in the valley on the other side of the road near the park boundary. There was a single horse near the Coal Vein Trail, which was the end of the road on our visit because the rest of the loop was closed due to mud slides and road work.

Buck Hill

Our last stop in the South Unit was the park’s highest point, Buck Hill. We enjoyed crawling up on some of the rock ledges at the top of Buck Hill to find nice views of the park in all directions.