Agnostik
National Park · ND

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

When Theodore Roosevelt came to Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883, he was a skinny, young, spectacled dude from New York. He could not have imagined how his adventure in this remote and unfamiliar place would forever alter the course of the nation. The rugged landscape and strenuous life that TR experienced here would help shape a conservation policy that we still benefit from today.

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Photos

A colorfully striped butte in the foreground overlooks a dark green badlands landscape
The River Bend Overlook offers one of the most popular views in the park's North Unit.
the Little Missouri River under blue skies
The Maah Daah Hey Trail follows the Little Missouri River for several miles before it enters the Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness.
A muddy river bank lined with cottonwood trees and steep buttes
The Ekblom Trail is the gateway to the Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness. All you have to do is make it across the river!
two bull bison collide heads in a dusty battle for dominance
In the summer, bull bison wage furious battles over the right to breed.
the swirling, dusty looking milky way runs vertically though a starry night sky
Though light pollution in the area is increasing, the night sky over Theodore Roosevelt National Park remains beautiful and inspiring.
a string of bison are silhouetted against the backdrop of hazy blue and yellow badlands
Bison roam the badlands from top to bottom, surprising visitors with their agility and ability to cross even the most rugged terrain.
a green prairie hilltop overlooks the badlands, shrouded in shadows
A short climb to the top of Buck Hill in the park's South Unit rewards hikers with a sweeping panorama and a fantastic place to watch the sun rise or set.
A bugling bull elk and his harem of cows stand on the edge of a butte as the sunlight fades
The ghostly bugles of bull elk can be heard wafting through the badlands in the fall.
a strange looking sand and rock formation stands in a prairie of brown grass
Theodore Roosevelt described the badlands as "so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in color as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth."
The rising sun casts light on Roosevelt's snow-covered cabin.
Imagine waking up on a crisp winter morning in Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin. It is no wonder that his heart was captured by the romance of life in the West.

Activities

  • Auto and ATV
  • Scenic Driving
  • Astronomy
  • Stargazing
  • Biking
  • Road Biking
  • Camping
  • Backcountry Camping
  • Car or Front Country Camping
  • Horse Camping (see also Horse/Stock Use)
  • Group Camping
  • Food
  • Picnicking
  • Guided Tours
  • Self-Guided Tours - Walking
  • Hiking
  • Backcountry Hiking
  • Front-Country Hiking
  • Off-Trail Permitted Hiking
  • Horse Trekking
  • Horse Camping (see also camping)
  • Junior Ranger Program
  • Wildlife Watching
  • Birdwatching
  • Park Film
  • Museum Exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Bookstore and Park Store