Teddy Roosevelt first arrived in North Dakota at the age of 24, with the simple aim of seeing the prairie and shooting a bison. He did both, but the latter might well be the last destructive act the future president perpetrated in the North Dakota Badlands, a place he grew to love and respect, and which he credited with fostering his belief in conservation. (Badlands National Park is in South Dakota.)
Formed by millions of years of sedimentation, volcanic activity and erosion, and with weather that can range from 100-degree summer heat to heavy blizzards, even in late spring and early autumn, the landscape is not what most people think of as ‘pretty’. The Sioux called this area mako shika, or the ‘bad lands’, a name that stuck in English as well. In the 1860s, U.S. General Alfred Sully described it as “hell with the fires burned out”, and Roosevelt himself noted its “desolate, grim beauty”, with some areas “so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in colour as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth”
Teddy Roosevelt first arrived in North Dakota at the age of 24, with the simple aim of seeing the prairie and shooting a bison. He did both, but the latter might well be the last destructive act the future president perpetrated in the North Dakota Badlands, a place he grew to love and respect, and which he credited with fostering his belief in conservation. (Badlands National Park is in South Dakota.)
Formed by millions of years of sedimentation, volcanic activity and erosion, and with weather that can range from 100-degree summer heat to heavy blizzards, even in late spring and early autumn, the landscape is not what most people think of as ‘pretty’. The Sioux called this area mako shika, or the ‘bad lands’, a name that stuck in English as well. In the 1860s, U.S. General Alfred Sully described it as “hell with the fires burned out”, and Roosevelt himself noted its “desolate, grim beauty”, with some areas “so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in colour as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth”. In 1947, Congress set aside a national park in Roosevelt’s honour, incorporating his own ranchlands, in order to offer all Americans a glimpse of what so inspired America’s first environmentalist president: rugged, surreal beauty, abundant wildlife and opportunities to live the outdoor life.
The 70,000-acre park is divided into three widely separated sections, all located within the bounds of the Little Missouri National Grassland. The South Unit, near Medora, is the ‘baddest’ of the bunch with the famous Painted Canyon. The canyon is wide and shallow, with wind- and water-sculpted formations that glow in a kaleidoscope of colours.
A 36-mile scenic drive circumnavigates the South Unit’s central section, with many astounding views and opportunities to see wildlife—bison, prairie dogs, mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, wild horses and coyotes. Hikers can explore about 60 miles of trails, including the 10-mile Petrified Forest Trail.
Thirty-five miles north of Medora, Elkhorn Ranch was the location of Roosevelt’s second ranch and principal home in the Badlands, though today only the foundations of the house remain. It’s reached via a 20-mile dirt road (enquire at the Visitor Centre about road conditions before attempting the drive).
The park’s much less visited North Unit is 70 miles north of Medora. A 14-mile road takes you to the Oxbow Overlook, which opens on to a great view of the Little Missouri River. You can also get to it via the 18-mile Achenbach Trail, which takes you up clay buttes dotted with sagebrush and through river valleys (you have to ford the river several times).
If you’re visiting in summer, spend a night around Medora and head for the Pitchfork Fondue, an outdoor cowboy-style steak-and-potatoes dinner cooked on a pitchfork, with a sunset view of the surrounding landscape. Afterwards, enjoy the Medora Musical, with Western music, dancing, yodelling and the beautiful Badlands all around.
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