Theodore Roosevelt National Park road trip!

Who does not love a good road trip to clear your soul? I sure love them and last spring I was lucky enough (despite COVID-19) to take off for a few days and drive from my home in Wisconsin across Minnesota and North Dakota to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

My first stop in North Dakota was to check out the Chase Lake wildlife refuge area as it is the nesting grounds for the North American White Pelicans. One of my favorite birds is the pelican. Not only are they great at fishing but they just glide above the water like floating in the air. While the water table was high around the lake making it hard to get to the lake area there was lots of little lakes to be found so you could find a variety of birds and waterfowl.

North American White Pelicans

Moving down the road continuing my road trip to the park I finally arrived in Medora, North Dakota. It is a cute western type of town with boardwalks and western front buildings. I got checked into my motel at the Badlands Motel and I was not sure what to expect as I usually do not stay in a motel when I travel but I was pleasantly surprised. Check in was easy and safe and the room was nicely appointed, clean and nothing like a motel room in my book. I do recommend this place and will book again.

I was able to take in a few hours inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park on my arrival day. It is not a huge park by any means with just over 70,000 acres between the north and south unit, but it does offer great views, lots of wildlife viewing and history.

When you first enter the south entrance to the park you will drive a bit along I-94 then crossing over the interstate to the north side. Once over interstate you will soon come upon the first of many prairie dog towns. They’re cute little animals and they are quick and squeaky sounding. Careful of the buffalo that roam the park, as they look like gentle giants but they can and will lay you out like a pancake if you get to close or if it is mating season and they feel like you are a threat to their breeding. You might encounter one walking down the road use caution and you could be able to drive right along side of one if you are lucky enough.

Keep driving the loop and you could see antelope, bison, prairie dogs, elk and the beautiful wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Even the hills will speak to you as the views are beautiful especially with all the painted canyons and crevasses you will see on your drive through the park.

Painted canyon from Buck hill — Painted Canyon, North Dakota

When I was driving the loop, I was really hoping to be able to see the wild horses of the park. I got lucky and found a small band of horses over by the buck hill area. Do not forget to drive up buck hill road as the views are well worth the short drive. Seeing the small herd of horses was a sight that is for sure and there were beautiful mares and even a few foals were in the mix.

If you are into night photography the park is a great place to do some night shoots. The park even has a night festival where you can check out Cepheus, big dipper, little dipper, Andromeda and many more constellations.

I ended my evening with enjoying the thunderstorm that moved into the area and relaxing in my motel room but Medora offers some great entertainment, saloons, bars and restaurants that are worth checking out as well.

My second day in the park I woke up early as I wanted to catch the sunrise but unfortunately the sun did not shine but man mother nature put on a beautiful rain shower with lightning and thunder. As I drove the loop the rain started to subside, so I was getting hopeful to the possibility of seeing more horses, buffalo and hopefully some mule deer bucks.

I was lucky as I headed up over a hill and to my surprise walking down the road was another band of wild horses. Oh, how excited I was as my face lit up like I was a kid walking into a giant candy store. How beautiful the horses were even from the rain they were gorgeous. I sat in my car in the middle of the road for what seemed forever watching them interact, eat and walk around. You could tell who was in charge and who was not.

Headed to the North Unit

As I continue driving the loop, I decided to take a run up to the North entrance to Theodore National Park in hopes to see some sheep and other animals. As I drove the hour north to the north entrance it rained hard, but I continued the drive. Once in the park I saw some beautiful canyons that are not found in the south portion of the park. There is no loop as well but a nice drive all the same. I think the one thing that stuck in my mind while driving is when I stopped at the Cannonball Concretions stop. What amazed me is how the heck round balls can form from a side of a hill. It was amazing to see. Totally worth a stop to check the area out.

Another great scenic overlook is at the River Bend Overlook. There is a nice little picnic shelter that overlooks the river. The view is amazing!

After driving through the North unit of the park I headed back down to Medora where I checked out the town and the area more. Do not forget to check out the North Dakota Cowboy hall of fame when you visit where you can find great North Dakota cowboys of the past.

Here are a few more things you can do and see around Medora, ND.

For more information on Medora please check out their website here!

Finally, I returned to my motel for a nice rest before making the journey back home! I loved my long weekend road trip and hope to do another one soon!

If you enjoyed my post, please leave me a comment and if you have been to Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park would love to hear what you enjoyed about the area!

Click here to see more of my photos taken at Theodore Roosevelt National Park!