8 Things to see and do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Visitors get their first real glimpse of the Badlands from the overlook at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center on Interstate 94, east of Medora. The canyon stretches as far as the eye can see into the rugged North Dakota Badlands.

While prairie dog "towns" can be found in many areas of the park, the first one encountered is along the road soon after entering the park near Skyline Vista. Prairie dogs communicate with each other by a number of sounds called "barks" or "yelps."

A major feature of the South Unit is the paved, 36-mile Scenic Loop Drive with pullouts and interpretive signs that explain some of the park's historical and natural features. Wildlife is abundant along the route that weaves through much of the South Unit.

In 1884, Theodore Roosevelt left for the Badlands following the deaths of his wife and mother on the same day. Looking for solitude, he started a second ranching site and named it the Elkhorn Ranch. The isolated site deep in the Badlands is not easy to find, but there is a map to its location. Other than signage, little remains at the location. 

The final overlook along the scenic byway offers a sweeping panoramic view of the Badlands and of an oxbow in the Little Missouri River as is carves a channel through the tree-lined river valley.

The small Badlands town of Medora is the gateway to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. But it is more than that; an Old West cowtown with horseback rides, modern museums, the state-of-the-art Burning Hills Amphitheatre, luxury lodging and primitive camping.