Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota is a magical place to visit with kids, blending history, wildlife, and the absolute beauty of the badlands.
This park captured all of our hearts. The rough and tumble bison. The adorable yipping prairie dogs. The enchanting wild horses. The views.
I’m a sucker for a beautiful view and, gosh, was Theodore Roosevelt full of them. Plus, the town of Medora is thoroughly charming and full of fun things for families to do.
We visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park with our kids for four nights over Fourth of July in 2025, and it was one of those trips that had us plotting to return even before we left.
Yet, every time I told people we were headed to the Dakotas for our big summer road trip, they unenthusiastically replied, “Oh.”
But this part of the country is so neat and gorgeous. It’s perfect for young kids (and old) too!
Theodore Roosevelt is one of my favorite National Parks to visit with young kids!
Here are our favorite things to do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park with kids so you can have a wonderful adventure too.
Best things to do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park with kids
1. Search for wildlife
I write “search,” but it’s not hard to find wildlife in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
We entered the park early our first morning and saw a bison rolling in the dirt right away. Then, we turned a corner, and saw a herd of more than 60, including so many babies!
We parked and watched the herd from the truck for awhile. Watching bison wrestle and play is enough entertainment, but if you want to keep your kids hooked, hand them binoculars or click counters to tally the herd.
We kept driving and found the park’s herd of 40+ free-roaming horses! Yes, wild horses!
When European settlers reached the Dakotas, they often turned horses out onto the open range to live and breed, then rounded up the horses they needed for ranch horses. When the land became a national park, the park service initially tried to remove all horses from the park. Eventually, they were recognized as part of the historical setting of the park, and the National Park Services came to manage the herd.
I’d been hoping to see wild horses, but wasn’t holding my breath as they can sometimes hang out in the harder-to-see reaches of the park.
As soon as we saw the horses’ silhouettes on the horizon, we pulled over into a viewpoint parking lot, and got out to watch the horses. (They were very far away from us.) Again, the babies — aww!
2. Drive the scenic drives in Theodore Roosevelt National Park with kids
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is broken into three sections. We visited two of them: the South Unit (the main unit in Medora) and the North Unit (about an hour drive north from Medora).
We visited over Fourth of July, and wildflowers were blooming. Green prairie grass swayed in the breeze. It was hot, but stunningly beautiful.
Both units have stunning scenic drives, and I highly recommend them!
3. Enjoy the park at golden hour
Golden hour is the last hour before sunset or the first hour after sunrise, when the light has an ethereal, golden hue (rather than the harsh light and shadows of midday).
Badlands are especially vibrant at golden hour when the softer light brings out their brilliant colors. (In the middle of the day, badlands often look washed out and plain gray.)
Our favorite overlooks for golden hour were: Boicourt Overlook and Painted Canyon Visitor Center in the South Unit, and Sperati Point in the North Unit.
4. Hike our favorite family-friendly trails in Theodore Roosevelt National Park with kids
We love to hike and hiked several kid-friendly trails in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. All of them are less than 3 miles, and most weren’t even one mile! Some of the shortest are steep but spectacular and great for kids.
When we visited, a section of the Scenic Loop Drive was closed for construction, so it was an out and back road. We decided to drive to the end of the road and start our hikes there, then work our way back toward the entrance.
Best South Unit hikes in Theodore Roosevelt National Park for kids
1. Buck Hill (0.4 miles, moderate)
Our first hike was Buck Hill, a very short but steep trail to a gorgeous view of the badlands. Even our 2-year-old did this hike!
It’s one of the highest points in the park and offers a stunning 360° view.
2. Wind Canyon Trail (0.5 miles, easy)
Next, we drove back to Wind Canyon Trail, arguably the best trail in the South Unit. It’s a short half mile up and overlooks the Little Missouri River.
We passed wildflowers and butterflies. Birds sang. We could see the herd of bison we drove by earlier in the distance. Like I said: magic.
3. Boicourt Overlook Trail (0.8 miles, easy)
A short walk out to the badlands that’s exceptionally lovely at golden hour. This is where we saw the wild horses!
Best North Unit hike in Theodore Roosevelt with kids
1. Sperati Point (2.5 miles, moderate)
At the very end of the North Unit’s Scenic Loop Drive is Achenbach Trailhead to Sperati Point.
The trail leads to an overlook with breathtaking views of the badlands and Little Missouri River. I loved that it was a longer trail after we had hiked several trails that were less than a mile.
This hike and the North Unit in general were lovely. We saw only a few other people in the entire section.
That said, if you only have a day in Theodore Roosevelt with kids, I’d focus on the South Unit, because we saw so much more wildlife there and it’s easier to access.
Bighorn sheep sometimes hangout in the North Unit, and we saw several signs warning of them. But we didn’t see any.
(That year, 2025, was the year we visited four national parks that typically have bighorn sheep — Canyonlands, Theodore Roosevelt, Badlands, and Zion, and we saw none. Zip. Zero. We finally ended up seeing bighorn sheep at the start of 2026 just a few hours from our home in New Mexico.)
5. Marvel at the “cannonball concretions”
A truly weird rock formation sits off a small parking lot in the North Unit: cannonball concretions.
They are funky, spherical rock formations that look like cannonballs. Definitely a must-see if you visit the North Unit!
6. Stand on the banks of the Little Missouri River
We stopped by Peaceful Valley Ranch (an old ranch that was closed while we visited) and walked down to the river.
The kids loved tossing pebbles into the river. Our middle kid could have stayed here for hours.
7. Peek into the Maltese Cross Cabin
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is named for President Teddy Roosevelt, who escaped to these North Dakota badlands after the death of his wife and mother nearly two decades before he became president. (Leaving his young daughter, Alice, behind with family for years, but that’s a different story.) Roosevelt later said, “I would never have been president had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.”
The Maltese Cross Cabin was a temporary home for Roosevelt, who split his time between North Dakota and New York for several years. By the late 1800s, he sold his interests in the cattle industry in North Dakota.
During his presidency, the cabin was acquired for the World’s Fair in St. Louis, Missouri. It then moved around the country and North Dakota before settling in Medora when Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established.
When you visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park with kids, peek inside the cabin to get a glimpse of what life would be like in the small cabin back in Teddy’s day.
8. Attend a ranger program & become a Junior Ranger
We visited over Fourth of July and the park had so many awesome activities for kids. They made bracelets, threw “axes,” practiced cattle roping, and made birdhouses. By the end, they won at least $40 worth of stuffies, stickers, and challenge coins from the giftshop as prizes!
Our middle kiddo befriended all of the park ranger interns who were there for the summer, and Saphina swore them in as junior rangers.
At the Fourth of July parade that afternoon, the park interns saw our kids and gave them so many goodies and candy.
9. Explore Medora, North Dakota
Medora is only a few blocks long and has lots of cute shops. (The kids loved the candy store.)
Our favorite spot for kids in Medora is Point to Point Park!
Some of the area cost money — like the Lazy Lil Mo lazy river and wading pool, mini golf, and a zipline.
BUT there is also a FREE splash pad, jump pillow, and wooden playground. There is little shade and it gets hot here midday, so make sure you also wear shoes to cool off in the splash pad too!
We visited Medora on Fourth of July, and the town had an adorable parade. The kids got almost as much candy as they do on Halloween!
10. Chow down at the Pitchfork Fondue & attend the Medora Musical
We had the most epic Fourth of July eating dinner at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue, a buffet-style extravaganza with 12-ounce steaks cooked on giant pitchforks. Kids get hot dogs and eat free most nights.
The dinner is held nightly from June to early September, up on a hill with gorgeous views of the town and badlands. Sides are baked potatoes, garlic toast, coleslaw, veggies, fruit, brownies, donuts, lemonade, and coffee.
Dinner is served under a large pavilion, with plenty of grass for the kids to run around afterward and get their wiggles out. Plus, there’s live music too.
On the same hill as the fondue, is the legendary Medora Musical!
You must go to this show. It’s a Western variety-esque show featuring singing, dancing, an amazing set, fireworks and more. The show has been around for more than 60 years and changes every year!
I was worried it would be a bit too … rah rah … but our show primarily covered the history of Medora and Theodore Roosevelt, and included all types of country songs. Live horses come on stage. There are fireworks. The singing and dancing are great. We had a blast.
Bonus: Fun for dinosaur lovers in Dickinson, ND
One afternoon in North Dakota, we escaped the heat and drove about 30 minutes west to the city of Dickinson. We stopped at Fresh Sips for smoothies and açai bowls, picked up groceries at Walmart, and visited the Badlands Dinosaur Museum.
Our kids love dinosaurs, and our middle wants to be a paleontologist. The Dakotas are amazing for fossils. Millions of years ago, the area was a lush, shallow sea. Now, the quickly eroding rock layers allow for easy fossil hunting.
The Badlands Dinosaur Museum is a small but awesome museum in Dickinson. It’s open Monday-Saturday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and is only $4-$6 per person.
The museum is one large room packed with great displays of fossils. But the best part is an active paleontology lab in the back! You can watch the scientists at work though the windows.
When we visited, paleontologists were working on uncovering a complete tyrannosaurus skeleton from the aptly-named “Giant Boulder.” It’s the heaviest fossil ever airlifted! The crew had been working on it for three years when we visited!
The museum also had a small kid area with puzzles, books, dinosaur toys, and more. Our littlest was 2 when we visited the museum, and she tired of the fossils quickly. She and my husband spent time in the play area while we wandered the museum. Then, the boys came to play too.
Great hotel near Theodore Roosevelt National Park for kids
The entrance to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit is in the town of Medora. Stay here. It’s a quaint, walkable, Old West-themed town with decent hotel options. Most of the businesses in town are run by the local foundation.
We stayed in Elkhorn Quarters in a family room. It’s a great hotel to stay with kids right outside Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It had a queen bed and a twin over full bunk bed, so perfect for our family of five.
Elkhorn Quarters had a pool and large lawn for the kids to run. And it wasn’t far to walk to the main stretch of town.
Best restaurants near Theodore Roosevelt National Park for kids
Medora is home to a handful of restaurants, most of which are family friendly and around the town square. We ate at the Little Missouri Saloon, Boots Bar & Grill, and Badlands Pizza.
The Little Missouri Saloon has a rooftop with lovely views of Medora and the surrounding badlands. Boots Bar & Grill was our favorite food.
Logistics of visiting Theodore Roosevelt with kids
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is in western North Dakota, outside the town of Medora. It’s only about four hours from Rapid City, South Dakota, so it’s a great add-on to a trip to South Dakota and the Black Hills National Park sites.
You’ll likely visit in summer (because winter is frigid and most things are closed) but know it gets very hot.
Bring water — the only drinking water stations we found in the parks were at the visitor centers, none at the trailheads. And don’t forget sunscreen and good hiking shoes.
Hike during the early morning or evening hours. That’s when the light is most beautiful anyway. The middle of the day is great for driving the scenic drive, cooling off in the hotel pool, or enjoying everything Medora has to offer.
We hope you love Theodore Roosevelt National Park and North Dakota as much as we did! Here’s to taking a trip!
