When you think of the best national parks in the USA, several probably come to mind: Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, Grand Canyon National Park, and likely several others. But did you know there are 417 national parks in the United States, with many of these magnificent national treasures flying under the radar? Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora, North Dakota, is an uncrowded park compared to the others.

As more people flock to recreate outdoors, it’s understandable why many folks looking for solitude and space are looking for uncrowded national parks. Theodore Roosevelt is a little off the beaten path, it’s obviously a bit underfunded, but the country is stunning in its own right, and there is still plenty of wildlife viewing.

The park boasts abundant wildlife, including bison, wild (feral) horses, Bighorn sheep, plenty of prairie dog towns (if you’ve never witnessed these funny creatures, these towns are a treat), as well as deer, elk, antelope, white-tailed and mule deer. 

While I can’t say this is one of the best national parks no one visits, it is safe to say that it does not see the same crowds as the most popular parks. And it is definitely one of the best national parks in North Dakota. 

Where is Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

The park headquarters is in Medora, North Dakota, just 35 miles west of Dickinson. It is broken into three units, the South Unit, Elkhorn Ranch Unit, and North Unit. 

The South Unit is located right at Medora, just off Interstate-94. 

The Elkhorn Ranch Unit is about 30 miles off the interstate, down more remote roads. The National Park Services states the last three miles of the road sometimes require a 4-wheel drive or high-clearance vehicle, and you should check road conditions before going. 

The North Unit is about 51 miles north of Interstate-94 if leaving from Belfield, which is about halfway between Medora and Dickinson. If coming in from the north, it’s about 19 miles from Watford City. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit

For the sake of this article and to meet my goal of authenticity for this blog, I will be sharing my visit and experience to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. There was not enough time in the weekend to visit the other units; however, I definitely want to go back to cover the rest. 

Best time of year to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park

For many national parks, particularly those in the northern part of the United States, spring and fall are the best time to visit national parks.

I spent several years working in Grand Teton National Park, and I found this to be true for both GTNP and Yellowstone National Park. 

Families plan their vacations for summer when kids are out of school, so spring and fall often find these places less busy. Some people also don’t like the chance of more inclement weather on the shoulder seasons. This makes it perfect for those of us that want to avoid crowds and find more peace and quiet! 

When the parks are just opening in the spring or closing in the fall, not all services will be available. This was our experience with Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We went in early April, and the place was pretty dead. Which was fantastic! 

The weather was perfect. It was sunny the entire

weekend we were there and got up in the ’70s.

We camped one night, and while it cooled down substantially, it was still warm enough to be comfortable with the right sleeping bag. 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Petrified Forest Hike

This is a great hike, but make sure you’re prepared! To access the trail system leading to the North and South Petrified Forests from inside the South Unit, you must ford the Little Missouri River (physically walk across it through the water). 

At first, I was a little hesitant. I was a little concerned about quicksand, but the ranger assured me at the South Unit visitor center that was not a problem. He also informed me there were, in fact, no bridge crossings in the park (at least in the South Unit). 

Hike Route

With a little further investigation of the map, we determined we would start at Peaceful Valley Ranch, cross the river there and make a big loop. We hiked out the Big Plateau Trail to the intersection with the South Petrified Forest Trail and stayed left. 

This part of the hike was terrific. It took you through the middle of a few large prairie dog towns, where the little critters were running around everywhere. It is incredible how much they chew down the landscape; however, recognizing they very much serve their part in the ecosystem of this area. 

We only went as far as the South Petrified Forest, which was incredible. We pondered how the trees ended up getting covered so quickly to ultimately petrify them. Based on our limited knowledge of geology, we guessed they were covered by volcanic ash. Upon further investigation, this turned out to be correct! 

While we chose the longer, more difficult route (river crossing), there is a way to get to the Petrified Forests from the west side of the unit that is much shorter. 

On our return hike, we took a right onto the Lone Tree Loop Trail, past the Tomamichael Well (which we never really found). We mainly were losing elevation for this part of the hike, although we never gained much to begin. This was where we started hiking down into coulees and winding our way back.

Wildlife

This was the stretch we encountered our first feral horse. An old black and white paint was grazing along and heading for either shade or water. We stopped and watched for a few minutes from afar, and he didn’t seem fazed we were there. 

We also encountered an old bison bull, and we made sure to cut a WIDE swath around him. He stood up and kept his eye on us as we continued to eye our next escape route should he decide he wasn’t happy with us. We gave him more than enough space, but I would advise giving them way more than you think is necessary. 

A few miles before this, I’d stopped to answer nature’s call when Banana Pancake (my adventure partner-in-crime) came running back down the trail like he was running from something. I turned around and bolted. Turns out, he was messing with me. He said the look on my face was priceless. Needless to say, when we came to the bison, I didn’t want running for my life to turn into an actual thing!!! 

Around Tomamichael Well, we did run into some issues with finding the right trail. With the herds of bison and horses in the area, they had their own trail system that split off in all directions. There were many muddy drainages and ditches, but fortunately, we were able to find some old bridges (part of my previous “underfunded” comment) that got us across.

Be Prepared for Heat or Cold

It was getting quite hot at this point on a 70-degree day, and the entire hike was very much out in the open. Make sure to pack layers, wear plenty of sunscreen, and have ample amounts of water! 

All total, our hike was about 14 miles. The second fording of the creek felt terrific on our hot feet, and the cold beer waiting at the truck was equally delightful! 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park Wildlife

I’ve already touched on the wildlife in this park a bit, but here are the animals we encountered during our visit:

• Bison
• Wild (feral) horses
• Mule deer
• White-tail deer
• Prairie dogs
• Canadian geese
• Pronghorn
• Coyotes

Other animals that reside in the park but we didn’t see also include Bighorn sheep and elk and many birds too numerous to count. 

While we debated whether there were any bears around, we decided this was probably one of the national parks without bears. If there were any, they would only be black bears, but there were no signs or warnings like you in areas with bears around. However, this does not mean you should be careless and leave your food out and unattended, as there is plenty of other wildlife that would be happy to get into your stuff! 

Campgrounds Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We only camped one night in the park, but we stayed at the Cottonwood Campground. Open year-round, it is about five miles north of Medora. As the name implies, this campground is situated on the Little Missouri River and surrounded by cottonwood trees.

According to the National Park Service website, “half the sites are by reservation at recreation.gov while all remaining sites are first-come, first-served. Most sites are suitable for tents and RVs (no hookups). Cottonwood Campground fills to capacity each afternoon, mid-May through mid-September.”

The campground has 76 campsites, including a mix of RV spaces and walk-to-only tent sites. At the beginning of April, the North Loop of the campground was open, while the South Loop was still closed. 

There are vault toilets open year-round, and flush toilets and water are available seasonally. The latter was not open or on when we visited. There are also trash cans and recycling bins. 

Visiting Medora, North Dakota

While we didn’t get to experience Medora, North Dakota in full swing, it was pretty obvious the town would get busy during the peak season, with many tourist attractions. Yet somehow, it still felt like it would never be as chaotic as, say, Jackson Hole, Wyoming. 

It was still COVID times while we were there, so we had hoped to find a place to eat outside. However, all that was open was the Little Missouri Saloon, and their outdoor dining was closed, but it turned out to be perfect. 

It was a quiet, lazy afternoon, and we enjoyed a few beers and friendly service. Our server informed us the town gets busier during the summer and would be picking up soon.

I enjoyed a mouth-watering bleu cheese bacon burger (my mouth still waters thinking about it), and Banana Pancake had the reuben, which was also excellent. 

The best part of this saloon was the dollar bills and plethora of felt hats tacked to the sealing, all with dates and notes telling the stories of the people that had put them there. Many dated back 30 or 40 years, but I’m guessing if you spent some time wandering and looking closely, you’d find some that were even older! It was a great way to spend the afternoon before wandering out on our adventures.

Before we left town, we did some searching for travel souvenirs (stickers and lapel pins). There were a few shops open, and I successfully found a sticker, but Banana Pancake had no such luck with a lapel pin. Which is fine; it just gives us an excuse to go back!

Final Thoughts

As far as national parks without crowds go, this one is likely at the top of the list, especially if you go during the shoulder seasons. Last fall, we visited Yellowstone National Park, and it snowed and rained while we were there, yet as we sat just outside of the park camping, we watched streams of vehicle lights leaving the park each night. That was definitely not the case for Theodore Roosevelt National park. 

I would categorize this as one of the best uncrowded national parks for its space, big skies, quiet solitude, and rustic nature. While there may be more people there during the summer, regardless of the time of year you go, I think it’s well worth the visit.

Please comment and let me know of other uncrowded national parks worth visiting.