Points of Interest Along the Missouri River
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Why is this site important?
In1883TheodoreRoosevelttraveledwesttotheNorthDakotaBadlandsforahunting
excursion;itwouldbealife‐changingtripfortheNewYorkCityalderman.Heboughttwo
ranchesintheareaandfrequentlyreturnedtohuntandridehorses.Rooseveltwouldmake
significantcontributionstotheNationalParkSystem,establishingfivenationalparks,
helpingfoundtheU.S.ForestService,andenactingtheAntiquitiesActin1906which
enabledthedesignationofhistoriclandmarks,historicorprehistoricstructuresandother
objectsofhistoricorscientificinterestasfederallyownednationalmonuments.Theodore
RooseveltNationalParkwasestablishedin1947asamemorialtoRoosevelt’sparticular
interestfortheareaandforhiscontributionstoconservation.
What is there to do?
Visitorswillfindcamping,footandhorse
trails,opportunitiesforwildlifeviewing,
andinterpretivetours.Locatedinthe
southunitareTheodoreRoosevelt’scabin,
agolfcourse,anda27‐roommansionbuilt
in1884.Thenorthunitfeaturesmilesof
scenicroadswithinterpretivesignsalong
theway,andthescenicRiverBend
Overlook.Thisrelativelyisolatedparkis
hometoadensepopulationofwildlife:
bison,elk,pronghorn,deer,wildhorses
andbighornsheepinhabitthepark.
TheodoreRooseveltNationalParkissituated
withintheNorthDakotaBadlands
How do I get there?
TheodoreRooseveltNationalparkislocatedinthebadlandsofwesternNorthDakotaand
hasthreedesignatedareas:southunit,northunitandElkhornRanchunit.Theentranceto
thesouthunitisinMedora,ND,7mileseastonI‐94atexit32.TheNorthunitentranceis16
milessouthofWatfordCity,NDalongU.S.Highway85.ElkhornRanchUnitis35milesnorth
ofMedora,ND.Itisrecommendedthatyoucontactaparkrangerforroutesandroad
conditionstotheElkhornRanchsite.
How to learn more:
Phone:(701)623‐4466(southunit),623‐2333(northunit)
Website:http://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm