One Day at the Library
Most people come to Medora with one day. That is enough — if you spend it well.
This is a single-day plan built around the Library and the Badlands around it: a first view from the canyon rim, a morning in the exhibits, an afternoon on the park loop, and dinner in town. Times are approximate. Check hours before you come, and book timed entry ahead in summer.
Painted Canyon in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Bands of red scoria, tan clay, and gray bentonite stripe the buttes at Painted Canyon, where the erosion of ancient river sediments carved the North Dakota Badlands over millions of years. (Wikimedia Commons)
Downtown Medora, a few blocks long and easy to walk.
Morning: arrive by way of the canyon
- Coming from the east on I-94, stop first at Painted Canyon Overlook. It is right off the interstate and it gives you the Badlands all at once, before you have driven into them.
- Continue into Medora — about 15 minutes — and park once. The free Medora Trolley connects town and the Library, so you can leave the car for the day.
- If you have time before your entry, walk the few blocks of downtown: the Joe Ferris Store and the Von Hoffman House are both original to Roosevelt’s Medora.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on the butte above Medora.
The Library's rooftop boardwalk opens onto the western landscape Roosevelt loved. (Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library)
Galleries connect Roosevelt's life and values to the institution built to tell his story. (Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library)
Midday: the Library
- Give the galleries two to three hours. They follow Roosevelt from a sickly New York boy to the man who protected 230 million acres — and they do not skip the harder parts of the story.
- Talk with the President in the TR AI exhibit, built on the Theodore Roosevelt Center’s digitized collection.
- Walk the Boardwalk, the loop out over the bluff. This is the view that explains why the building is where it is.
- Lunch at the Library Café — regional cooking, and windows pointed at the Little Missouri.
Plan on 3–4 hours here.
Banded buttes in the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
A trail above the Little Missouri River in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The cabin's logs are the original 1883 ponderosa pine.
Afternoon: into the park
- Drive the South Unit scenic loop in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The full loop takes about 1.5 hours with stops; bison, prairie dogs and wild horses are all common along it.
- If you want to get out of the car, the Wind Canyon Trail is a short walk to a bend in the Little Missouri — the best half hour in the park.
- Stop at the Maltese Cross Cabin behind the park visitor center. Roosevelt lived in it during his first years here.
Allow 2–3 hours.
Downtown Medora, with badlands bluffs rising behind the storefronts.
The Medora Musical stage at night.
The Burning Hills Amphitheatre, carved into the hillside in 1958.
Evening: dinner and the last light
- Back in town for dinner. Teddy’s and the Little Missouri Dining Room are both walkable from the trolley stop.
- In summer, the Pitchfork Steak Fondue and the Medora Musical run in the evening at the Burning Hills Amphitheatre. Both need tickets in advance.
- If you would rather be outside: drive back up to Painted Canyon for sunset. The light comes across the buttes sideways and the whole thing goes red.
Plan the rest of your trip
Things to Do in Medora
Museums, the Medora Musical, trail rides, golf and more, most within a few blocks of the Library.
Where to Eat
From Salt+Scoria at the Library to steaks, pizza and ice cream in downtown Medora.
Where to Stay
Hotels, cabins and campgrounds in Medora, the national park and nearby Dickinson.
Hiking
Trails for every pace in Theodore Roosevelt National Park and on the Maah Daah Hey.