Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in Medora, ND, right on I-94. There are three distinct units of the park. We only visited the southern one. The other two are the North Unit and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. Elkhorn Ranch is where Theodore Roosevelt spent several years following the death of his wife. In 1883 the future president came to the area to hunt bison, and 15 days later he became a local ranch owner. Five months later, grief stricken after the death of both his wife and mother on the same day, he returned to North Dakota, purchased a second ranch (Elkhorn, which became part of the national park), and was off and on part of the community for the next 8 years.
Today Theodore Roosevelt National Park is know for its badlands, wild horses, bison, petrified wood, grasslands, and streams. Our favorites were the wild horses and petrified forest.
The wild horses are pretty easy to spot, but as this picture shows, they are a bit wary of people. I saw these horses just off the main loop road on a hill and climbed up an adjacent hill to take the picture.
This is the badlands. Vistas like this are common from the loop road in the south unit.
More badlands.
Theodore Roosevelt NP has several areas of petrified wood. We visited one in the south unit. The trailhead was fairly remote at the end of a 7-8 mile dirt road and the then about 1.5 miles to the area with the petrified wood. It was fascinating to see the stumps and trunks on the ground. It was easy to identify trees vs rocks.
Petrified stump
Petrified log
Petrified stump end view
Other worldly rock formations
Prairie in the south unit.
Wildflowers near the petrified forest.
One final horse picture.
Theodore Roosevelt NP is located in Medora, ND. Medora is a great town to visit with lots to do outside the park. It has multiple shows, including the Medora Musical, and several good places to eat including the Pitchfork Steak Fondue (picture below). If you go we recommend you plan time for the town in addition to the park. One thing to look into prior to arriving is park construction. While we were there a large paving project was causing significant traffic issues and several of the best overlooks were closed while being rebuilt. We only had four days and that was not enough. Next time we will stay a few weeks.
Pitchfork fondue steak