Lots of parking. Beautiful views all around. Great variety of wildlife. The visitors center has very clean bathrooms and a good selection of survivors. Great trails with stunning views. Dogs are not allowed on the trails but are ok in the parking lot and around the visitors center.

Stopped here before heading into Theodore Roosevelt national park. Also here are photos once inside the badlands saw wild horses buffalo deer and prairie dogs they are so cute. I would say if you have the chance go and check it out beautiful place.

Don't think if you stop here that you will see the Theodore Roosevelt national Park. Unless you mean from about 8 miles away you can see 1 butte. Yes it's a rest area with parking for about 12 semis, trailers or motorhomes and about 30 cars. There are sheltered picnic area but most are still in the wind. It is almost always very windy here. They have restrooms but mainly while the park store is open. The visitor center is a normal national Park visitor center where you can talk to a ranger pick up maps of the park, but souvenirs, get your passport cancellation stamps and more. But the actual park is about 8+miles west of here so be prepared to drive there. Note there is a lot of road construction in the area and traffic backs up quickly from about 9 am until 6pm. Luckily you do not need to pay to stop at this visitor center, the other 2 are behind the park entrance which require payment to enter. Give this review a like 👍 or mark as helpful♥️. We have a separate review of the North and South parks and visitor centers to help you decide if you want to see or stop at those. If you do buy your park pass online before entering and don't ask any questions at the entrance, that is what the visitor center is for.

Well... don't let the "one mile" trail fool you, you go down and have to come back up, which is, 250ish feet!!! So I don't get out much so it really kicked my butt. But I saw school age kids doing it and retired aged people. I don't didn't see the older people come back up, just go down haha. Aside from all of that, absolutely beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. You think you went to a place on a different planet. It was definitely worth it. If you plan on doing multiple hikes, you might want to make this one a "my only hike today" hike if you know what I'm trying to say.

Loop trail here offers great views and doable for families! National park staff has been friendly and helpful at each of our stops. Lots of shaded picnic areas available.

Stopped here before entering the badlands It has gorgeous views of the painted canyon. There are trails you can go on and it's just a nice place to stop and check out stretch your legs.

If you're driving along I-94, make sure to stop at Painted Canyon. The views are absolutely stunning, and you'll get to see bison roaming free in their natural habitat. It's definitely worth the stop for an unforgettable experience and some amazing photo opportunities!

Theodore Roosevelt NP, one of three areas. Prairie Dog villages were great. The visitor center personnel were very knowledgeable.

Nice little visitor center, not too busy for a July 4. Had a tour of their interpretive center, like 15-20 mins about Teddy Roosevelt and his time as a rancher. The young intern who gave us the tour was great. Also listened to Ranger Sidney who gave a talk about the Maltese Cross Cabin and she was quite good and very knowledgeable. Watch the 17 min movie about the park and pretty recent and informative (some parks have their interpretative movies a little old some time…) Kids got their junior ranger badge!

Lots of badlands, saw a few Bison, preferred the north unit more. Part of the scenic loop road is closed, so you can drove 22 miles in and then have to turn around and come back the same way.

Great time in the park after a big rain storm. No Bison or horses just prairie dogs cleaning out their holes

The South Unit Visitor Center at Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the natural first stop for those entering the park from Medora. The visitor center does get busy, so be prepared for a lot of people in a smaller space. Start with the park film shown in the theater, and then make your way through the interpretive exhibits to learn more about the park and Teddy Roosevelt. The Maltese Cross Cabin, one of Teddy's homes from North Dakota, has been relocated behind the visitor center. There is a gift shop and clean restrooms. Make sure you fill your water bottles here before venturing into the park. The Rangers on duty were helpful in recommending longer hikes for us, giving directions to remote trailheads, and answering our questions. The parking lot is a decent size but doesn't have a lot of space for RVs or trailers. Since the visitor center is immediately adjacent to Medora, you could park your rig on one of the side streets in Medora and just walk over.

Great visitor center, although it was pretty crowded, but there was plenty of parking. Extremely helpful staff and great exhibits and gifts.

Very nice place with small museum and theatre Also the cabin that Theodore Roosevelt used

What was nice in the North unit was that I saw a Buffalo heard as opposed to just some individual Bison in the south unit. Staff at the visitors center was helpful but be prepared to ask some questions. Scenery in both North and South are similar but perhaps better in the north. With the current setup, I'm not sure anyone would have known I paid in the North unit.

You must see the northern unit of the park. I totally missed it the last time I visited the south unit. The wildlife and scenery is top notch. Highly recommend the prairie dog town hike. We saw many bison and prairie dogs on the trail, and even birds and lizards. Incredible views!

The open hours for the visitor center are in Mountain Time. We like the north unit better than the south unit. Less people and more beautiful. There are really cool overlooks and a couple of short trails. Recommend the 1h drive from the south to at least stop at the overlooks.

We stopped at both entrances and visitors centers at Theodore Roosevelt NP. The north entrance is smaller and more remote. My kids and I are collecting stamps in our NP passport book. We also wanted to see the wildlife. Bathrooms are in a trailer outside. Rangers were fairly helpful in what we should see. My kids loved seeing the prairie dog towns.

In August 2025, we visited the North Unit Visitor's Center at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. In the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, there is a North Unit and a South Unit, and each Unit has their own Visitor's Center. In the North Unit, there is a 14 mile drive with several scenic spots, such as Cannonball, River Bend Overlook, and Ox Bow Overlook. We loved the scenery as we stopped at these different places on the 14 mile drive. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is amazing and memorable.

The North Unit Visitor Center is very small but does have a small interpretive area, restrooms, water, and rangers available to answer your questions or to recommend short hikes. The scenic drive is beautiful and will likely provide the opportunity to see the buffalo.

Super place but at the RIGHT time of year I went early July and the heat ran me out. The scenery is breath taking. Very nice camp ground. Lots of mosquitoes!! I would have stayed several days but had to move north into Montana to escape the heat

I got about a half mile out onto the loop and got lost/the trail was less easily marked. Time to brush up on my map reading skills. It’s beautiful though and apparently you can ride horses through the trail.

Whoa. My friend and I had just come from Glacier National Park so we were riding high on those views and almost running into a mother bear and cub. We arrived via ridiculously roundabout roads and terrible Google routing to a most amazing ten mile loop. Wild horses, toads, snakes, birds, and of course PETRIFIED WOOD! I’ve never seen it like this, entire tree trunks just standing there in defiance of time. I wish we’d had time to see anymore of the rest of the park, if it’s as good as this trail I’ll be back.

We loved the Petrified Forest Loop Trail and recommend the trail for any seasoned hiker that has the right equipment, including good boots, hats, appropriate sun protective clothing, snacks, and plenty of water. (Read and follow the trail safety instructions!). We did the Petrified Forest Loop Trail, starting out a little after 9 am. With a few detours, we estimated we did over 11 total miles on the hike. We spent over 8 hours on the trail, but also made lots of stops. Our detours were to circumnavigate herds of bison who liked to hang out on the trails. Normally, we would rate the hike as easy. But the length and absence of any shade made the trek difficult. We loved seeing all of the petrified wood, the wildlife, and also the seclusion of the Loop trail. The only time we saw other people was when we left at the end of the day.

Well worth the short hike in. My expectations was to see a few pieces of petrified wood, when we first saw the area I was surprised to see so many petrified tree stumps. It was very neat to see. Plus a couple wild horses keeping an eye on us on our way out. Definitely recommend this hike, might be a tough hike in temperature over 90.

I did the 11 mile loop and was surprised how good it was. So much incredible scenery, and tons of wildlife. Be prepared to go far off trail at times to get around animals; give yourself extra time and wear the appropriate footwear + tick repellent. There were 5 different times I had to go off trail to get around bison and horses. At one point, I had to go several hundred yards off trail to get around a herd of 100+ bison.

Follow the instructions from the ranger and you'll get there without any private road signs. In our case Google gave us the parks route as an alternate route - take that route. The trail splits to the north route or the south route a short way in. We were told that the north route had more to see, but was more difficult to hike. We found it to be very manageable with only a spot or two that might be difficult for people to navigate. Keep an eye out for the bison.

The Park Service has had to change the driving access route which increases the distance driven on gravel roads from about 6 miles to about 20. Make sure you get a copy of the driving directions from the Visitor Center! Do not use Google Maps to get to or return from the Petrified Forest or you will end up on undriveable roads! We followed the North Trail, not the loop. After dropping down steeply from the parking area, cross a valley on a mostly level trail. Then, climb steadily up to a plateau, cross it, bearing left when you come to the fork in the trail indicating the north and south trails, and then descend very steeply into a valley. The first "alcove" of petrified trees is to the left of the trail. Plenty of petrified tree stumps to photograph. The trail is well worn, so it's easy to follow. Most of the trail is in the open, without shade, so a hat and plenty of water is a must; treking poles are helpful for the steeper areas.

In August 2025, we visited the Oxbow Overlook at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. In the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, there is a North Unit and a South Unit, and Oxbow Overlook is at the end of 14 mile drive of the North Unit. We loved the scenery of Oxbow Overlook, and we enjoyed our picnic lunch on the concrete picnic tables. People would ride motorcycles, bicycles, and cars, and it was not crowded. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is amazing and memorable.

Beautiful overlook with some hiking opportunities, big parking lot and restrooms. Bison likes to hang around here.

Yes there is an oxbow at the end of the 14 mile drive through the north unit. But there is also a bison that hangs around there and love to come up the hill and pose for photos, but be aware he hates people getting to close and will charge you if you get less than a parking lot away. All these photos are with a 20x zoom lens. The Leo's were out to keep you from getting hurt. This 🦬 has a temper

So beautiful. Highly recommend doing the hike from here to Sperati point. The views are even better. Less than 45 minutes round trip from Oxbow parking. Easy hike!

End of the road and only 14 miles from the visitor center. Great lookout point of the valley, restrooms available in the parking lot, and a ton of wildlife along the way from bison, turkeys, rabbits, and birds.

Last stop along the scenic route. Saw the majority of the bison herd about a mile from here, so including those photos here too.

Oxbow Overlook - Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Unit) Oxbow Overlook is a must-see stop in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The views here are nothing short of breathtaking, with sweeping panoramas that stretch across the river and under the vast Montana sky. It's the perfect spot to take a break, enjoy a picnic, and soak in the incredible scenery. For hikers, the opportunities are diverse, ranging from easy strolls to more challenging adventures. We took on the hike down to the river, which was far from a casual walk. It had its share of rock scrambles and steep sections, but the effort was well worth it. Along the way, we encountered numerous bison, adding to the rugged beauty of the experience. It’s a fun and rewarding hike, especially for those seeking a bit of a challenge. The park itself is a gem. Wildlife is abundant, and the campground is a great base for exploring. At just $10 or less per night in 2024, it’s not only clean and well-maintained but also one of the best bargains around. According to a park ranger, the campground rarely fills up, even during peak seasons, making it a peaceful retreat whether you're staying for a night or an entire week. If you love hiking, there are plenty of trails to explore within the park, offering something for every level of adventurer.