Theodore Roosevelt National Park Trip Planner

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Plan a park day around the time you have

Theodore Roosevelt National Park starts at the edge of Medora, minutes from the Library. Tell the planner how much time you have for the park, from 90 minutes to a full day, and where you're starting: in Medora, at the North Unit near Watford City, or passing through on I-94. It builds a timed route of overlooks, short trails and wildlife stops, with drive times and parking, checked against today's National Park Service alerts.

Start with the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, where Roosevelt's Badlands story begins. Plan on about 3½ hours there; the planner adds the visit before your park time. Or switch it off for a park-only route.

Planning your park day: common questions

Two hours covers a good slice of the South Unit: a prairie dog town, Wind Canyon's view over the Little Missouri River, and the Maltese Cross Cabin, Roosevelt's first cabin in the badlands, now behind the South Unit Visitor Center. If you start with the Library, plan on about 3½ hours there before your park time.

The North Unit is about 70 miles north of Medora, roughly an hour and a half by car each way, so it works best on a six-hour or all-day plan. The North Unit runs on Central Time, an hour ahead of Medora.

Yes. The South and North Units charge a national park entrance fee, paid by card or digital payment. See current fees from the National Park Service. Library admission is a separate timed-entry ticket.

Park alerts refresh every hour from the National Park Service, and the planner drops any stop an alert says is closed. Library entry times come live from the Library's ticketing system. Roads and trails change with the weather, so check current park conditions before you go.

Yes. Choose six hours or all day, then pick "Make it a Roosevelt day." The ranch site is reached by gravel roads, so check conditions after rain. The Elkhorn Ranch page has directions and a walking guide.