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Theodore Roosevelt National Park

North Dakota · Established November 10, 1978

Painted badlands, bison herds, and the river that shaped a president

Area: 70,447 acres
Established: November 10, 1978
Recreation visits: 729,893 / yr
State: North Dakota
Area: About 70,447 acres (285 km²) in three units, including 29,920 acres of wilderness
Established: Memorial park 1947; national park November 10, 1978

Theodore Roosevelt Weather Forecast

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Seven-day outlook at the park's reference point (47.178, -103.430). Elevation changes everything in the mountains — expect colder, windier and wetter conditions on high ground.

Map of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

The Park

In the rolling grasslands of western North Dakota, the Little Missouri River has carved a maze of striped buttes, cedar-dark draws, and cottonwood bottoms known as the badlands. Theodore Roosevelt came here in 1883 to hunt bison, returned to ranch after personal tragedy, and later credited the rugged life of Dakota Territory with shaping the conservation ideals he carried to the presidency.

Set aside as a memorial park in 1947 and designated a national park on November 10, 1978, the park covers about 70,447 acres in three units: the South Unit near Medora, the North Unit some 80 miles to the north, and the remote Elkhorn Ranch site between them. Today bison, elk, wild horses, and prairie dogs roam a landscape still recognizable from Roosevelt's day.

Geography

All three units lie along the Little Missouri River, which winds north through the badlands before turning east to join the Missouri. The South Unit, the largest and most visited, is circled by a scenic loop road that passes prairie dog towns, overlooks, and the Painted Canyon rim beside Interstate 94. The North Unit, reached by a separate scenic drive, has deeper canyons, more forested slopes, and the dramatic bend of the river beneath Oxbow Overlook.

The park sits along the boundary between the glaciated and unglaciated parts of the Missouri Plateau. Flat-topped plateaus of mixed-grass prairie, such as Big Plateau, sit above steep badland slopes, and the river bottoms support woodlands of cottonwood and ash. Buck Hill in the South Unit, one of the park's highest points, offers a sweeping view across the badlands.

Landmarks

Painted CanyonCanyonA sweeping view of multicolored buttes from the rim beside Interstate 94.
Buck HillPeakA short, steep climb to one of the highest viewpoints in the South Unit.
Boicourt OverlookAreaA rim-top viewpoint over some of the South Unit's most rugged badlands.
Badlands OverlookAreaA classic viewpoint of banded buttes along the South Unit loop road.
Scoria Point OverlookAreaA viewpoint above hills capped with red clinker baked by ancient coal fires.
Skyline VistaAreaAn early stop on the loop road overlooking the Little Missouri valley near Medora.
Maltese Cross CabinAreaRoosevelt's restored ranch cabin, displayed behind the South Unit visitor center in Medora.
Big PlateauPlateauA broad tableland of mixed-grass prairie above the river, favored by bison and wild horses.
Elkhorn RanchAreaThe remote site of Roosevelt's second ranch house beside the Little Missouri.
Sperati PointPeakA promontory above the spot where ice-age glaciers forced the river to turn east.
Oxbow OverlookRiverThe end of the North Unit scenic drive, overlooking a great bend of the Little Missouri.
River Bend OverlookValleyA stone shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps above a sweeping river bend.

Geology

The badland walls are pages from the Paleocene Epoch, the ten million years that followed the extinction of the dinosaurs. As the Rocky Mountains rose far to the west, rivers carried sand, silt, and clay eastward across a warm, swampy lowland. Two formations dominate the park: the yellowish-brown sandstones and mudstones of the Bullion Creek Formation and, above them, the grayish-brown layers of the Sentinel Butte Formation, laced with volcanic ash that weathered into bentonite clay.

Lush swamp forests left behind thick accumulations of peat that compacted into seams of lignite coal, the black bands visible on many slopes; Roosevelt and his ranch hands dug it from hillsides for fuel. Trees buried in ash-rich sediment became petrified wood. Where lightning or wildfire ignited exposed lignite, the seams smoldered underground and baked the overlying clay and sand into hard red clinker, known locally as scoria, which now caps many buttes.

Sediment continued to accumulate for millions of years before erosion took over. By the Pliocene, the Little Missouri flowed north toward Hudson Bay. During the Pleistocene, ice sheets blocked that route and diverted the river east toward the Missouri and Mississippi. The new course was shorter and steeper, so the river cut down rapidly, and its tributaries gnawed into the soft layers to create the badlands.

Erosion continues today. Rare but intense downpours strip bentonite from slopes, sandstone caprocks protect pillars and hoodoos, mineral-cemented cannonball concretions weather out of the hillsides, and slumps and landslides reshape the valley walls.

Deep time

Paleocene, about 66–56 million years agoRivers flowing from the rising Rockies deposit sand, silt, and clay across a swampy coastal plain.
PaleoceneThe Bullion Creek Formation accumulates, followed by the ash-rich Sentinel Butte Formation.
PaleocenePeat from swamp forests becomes lignite, and buried trees turn to petrified wood.
Eocene–MioceneAdditional sediments from the western mountains bury the region.
PlioceneErosion dominates, and the Little Missouri River flows north toward Hudson Bay.
PleistoceneGlaciers block the northward route and divert the river east, triggering rapid downcutting.
OngoingBurning lignite seams bake clinker, and storms continue to carve the badlands.

The rocks

Bullion Creek FormationPaleocene
Yellowish-brown sandstone, siltstone, and mudstone with lignite beds, forming the lower badland slopes.
Sentinel Butte FormationPaleocene
Grayish-brown sediments with tuffs and bentonite, widespread in both the North and South units.
Lignite coalPaleocene
Black seams of compressed swamp peat running through the badland walls.
Clinker (scoria)Formed after burial by coal-seam fires
Hard, reddish rock baked by burning lignite, capping many buttes.
BentonitePaleocene volcanic ash
Swelling clay that forms bluish-gray, popcorn-textured slopes.
Quaternary surficial depositsPleistocene–Holocene
River alluvium, slope deposits, and glacial materials near the park's northern edge.

Trees, Plants & Ecosystems

543vascular plant species recorded

Mixed-grass prairiePlateaus and gentle slopes
Western wheatgrass, blue grama, and needle-and-thread support bison, pronghorn, and prairie dog towns.
BadlandsSteep eroded slopes
Sparse, drought-hardy plants cling to shifting bentonite and sandstone, while golden eagles and prairie falcons nest on ledges.
Juniper and ash woodlandsNorth-facing slopes and draws
Rocky Mountain juniper, green ash, and chokecherry thrive where snow lingers and moisture is retained.
River bottomlandsLittle Missouri River floodplain
Cottonwood galleries, willows, and silver sagebrush flats shelter deer, beavers, and songbirds.
Sagebrush shrublandRiver terraces and uplands
Big and silver sagebrush flats provide cover for grouse and sparrows.

Trees

Plains cottonwoodPopulus deltoidesForms golden groves along the Little Missouri and its side channels.
Rocky Mountain juniperJuniperus scopulorumThe dark trees studding cool, north-facing slopes, often called cedar locally.
Green ashFraxinus pennsylvanicaThe common hardwood of moist draws, turning yellow in autumn.
Box elderAcer negundoA hardy maple of river bottoms and coulees.
American elmUlmus americanaFound scattered in sheltered woody draws.
Peachleaf willowSalix amygdaloidesA tree willow along the riverbanks.
Quaking aspenPopulus tremuloidesSmall clonal stands survive in cool, moist pockets.

Wildflowers, shrubs & other plants

Western wheatgrassPascopyrum smithiiNorth Dakota's state grass and a backbone of the mixed-grass prairie.
Blue gramaBouteloua gracilisA short, curly-headed grass of dry uplands.
Little bluestemSchizachyrium scopariumA bunchgrass that turns rusty red in fall.
Needle-and-threadHesperostipa comataA grass with long, twisting awns that shimmer in the wind.
Big sagebrushArtemisia tridentataAn aromatic shrub near the eastern edge of its range.
Silver sagebrushArtemisia canaSilvery shrub flats line the river terraces.
Soapweed yuccaYucca glaucaTall spikes of creamy flowers rise from spiky rosettes on dry slopes.
Plains prickly pearOpuntia polyacanthaYellow blossoms on low pads in early summer.
Narrow-leaved purple coneflowerEchinacea angustifoliaDrooping purple petals dot the summer prairie.
Prairie coneflowerRatibida columniferaA Mexican-hat flower with a tall central cone.
Dotted blazing starLiatris punctataPurple spikes that bloom late in summer on dry hillsides.
BlanketflowerGaillardia aristataRed-and-yellow daisy-like flowers along roadsides.
Silver buffaloberryShepherdia argenteaA thorny shrub with tart red berries in the draws.
Creeping juniperJuniperus horizontalisA ground-hugging evergreen that mats badland slopes.

Wildlife

37mammals
161birds
9reptiles
6amphibians
29fish

Mammals

American bisonBos bisonReintroduced to the South Unit in 1956 from Fort Niobrara, Nebraska, and to the North Unit in 1962.
Feral horseEquus caballusWild horse bands descended from ranch stock roam the South Unit.
ElkCervus elaphusGone from the badlands by 1900, then reintroduced to the South Unit in 1985 from Wind Cave National Park.
Mule deerOdocoileus hemionusCommon in rugged badland terrain.
White-tailed deerOdocoileus virginianusPrefers wooded river bottoms.
PronghornAntilocapra americanaGrazes on open plateaus.
Bighorn sheepOvis canadensisOccasionally seen on steep slopes in the North Unit.
Black-tailed prairie dogCynomys ludovicianusA keystone species whose towns support burrowing owls, badgers, and hawks.
CoyoteCanis latransThe top predator commonly heard at night.
BobcatLynx rufusHunts in brushy draws.
Mountain lionPuma concolorAn elusive predator that has returned to the badlands.
American badgerTaxidea taxusDigs into prairie dog burrows.
North American porcupineErethizon dorsatumFeeds on juniper and cottonwood bark.
American beaverCastor canadensisBuilds lodges along the Little Missouri.

Birds

Golden eagleAquila chrysaetosNests on badland cliffs and hunts rabbits and prairie dogs.
Prairie falconFalco mexicanusSwift hunter of open country.
Ferruginous hawkButeo regalisThe largest hawk of the plains.
Sharp-tailed grouseTympanuchus phasianellusMales dance on spring leks on the prairie.
Wild turkeyMeleagris gallopavoFlocks roam the river bottoms.
Western meadowlarkSturnella neglectaNorth Dakota's state bird, singing from fenceposts and sagebrush.
Black-billed magpiePica hudsoniaA striking black-and-white corvid of brushy draws.
Lark buntingCalamospiza melanocorysMales perform fluttering song flights over grassland.
Lazuli buntingPasserina amoenaA turquoise songbird of shrubby coulees.
Mountain bluebirdSialia currucoidesHovers above open slopes hunting insects.
Burrowing owlAthene cuniculariaNests in abandoned prairie dog burrows.
Horned larkEremophila alpestrisCommon year-round on bare ground and roadsides.
Common nighthawkChordeiles minorBooming dives fill summer evenings.

Reptiles & amphibians

Prairie rattlesnakeCrotalus viridisThe park's only venomous snake; watch your step near rocks and prairie dog towns.
BullsnakePituophis cateniferA large, harmless constrictor that mimics a rattlesnake when threatened.
Western hog-nosed snakeHeterodon nasicusUses its upturned snout to dig in sandy soils.
Plains garter snakeThamnophis radixCommon near water and moist meadows.
Greater short-horned lizardPhrynosoma hernandesiA flat, spiny lizard well camouflaged on badland soils.
Painted turtleChrysemys pictaBasks along quiet backwaters of the river.
Tiger salamanderAmbystoma tigrinumBreeds in stock ponds and wetlands.
Northern leopard frogRana pipiensA spotted frog of river margins and ponds.

Fish

Channel catfishIctalurus punctatusCommon in the warm, silty waters of the Little Missouri.
GoldeyeHiodon alosoidesA silvery, large-eyed fish adapted to turbid rivers.
SaugerSander canadensisA relative of the walleye suited to murky river water.
WalleyeSander vitreusA predatory fish found in the river's deeper pools.

Species totals are the park's certified NPSpecies checklist (occurrence: present).

Climate & When to Visit

Theodore Roosevelt National Park has a semi-arid continental climate typical of the northern Great Plains, with dramatic extremes between seasons. Summers are warm, with average highs in the 70s and 80s °F, while winter nights from December through February average in the single digits. Annual precipitation averages only about 15 inches, and winter brings roughly 30 inches of snow.

Wind is a constant companion across the open prairie, and conditions can change quickly. Summer thunderstorms can be violent, bringing lightning, hail, and heavy downpours that turn bentonite trails into slick mud and send runoff through the draws. In winter, blizzards can close park roads and create whiteout conditions.

Spring
Changeable weather with late snowstorms possible, greening prairie, bison calves, and sharp-tailed grouse dancing on leks.
Summer
Warm to hot days, cool nights, and afternoon thunderstorms; bentonite trails become treacherous when wet.
Autumn
Crisp, often calm and sunny days, golden cottonwoods, and the elk rut in the South Unit.
Winter
Cold and windy with snow and occasional blizzards; portions of park roads may close.

Weather hazards

Thunderstorms and lightning: Open plateaus offer no shelter, so return to your vehicle when storms approach.
Slick bentonite: Wet clay becomes greasy and dangerous on trails and unpaved roads after rain.
Bison and wild horses: These large animals are unpredictable; stay at least 25 yards away and never approach on foot.
Blizzards and extreme cold: Winter storms and wind chill can create whiteouts and life-threatening cold.
Heat and dehydration: Summer sun on exposed badlands is intense, so carry plenty of water.
Prairie rattlesnakes: Watch where you step and place your hands, especially around rocks and burrows.

Theodore Roosevelt Questions

When is the best time to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

Late May through September offers the warmest weather and full road access, with June bringing green prairie and wildflowers. September and early October are quieter and often pleasantly mild.

What is the weather like at Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

Summers are warm with highs in the 70s and 80s °F and occasional violent thunderstorms. Winters are cold, windy, and snowy, with average lows in the single digits, and wind is common year-round.

Where can I see bison and wild horses?

Bison are commonly seen along the scenic drives in both units, and wild horses roam the South Unit, often near the loop road and Big Plateau. Early morning and evening are the best viewing times.

How did the badlands form?

Soft Paleocene sediments were deposited by ancient rivers, and later glaciers diverted the Little Missouri River onto a steeper course. The river and its tributaries then eroded the layers rapidly, carving the badlands.

What are the red rocks capping the buttes?

They are clinker, locally called scoria. It forms when underground lignite seams burn and bake the overlying sand and clay into a hard, brick-like rock that resists erosion.

Which unit should I visit, North or South?

The South Unit near Medora is larger and more accessible, with abundant wildlife and Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin. The North Unit is quieter, with deeper canyons and the famous view at Oxbow Overlook.

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Sources: www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · www.nps.gov · irmaservices.nps.gov · en.wikipedia.org · Official NPS site