Last Updated on: 17th August 2025, 09:04 am
Theodore Roosevelt Park is easily one of the country’s most underrated parks. And even among those who do make it out to this remote part of North Dakota, not everyone ends up visiting the park’s North Unit. But not only does the North Unit have the park’s top hiking trail, its viewpoints also rival those of the more popular South Unit.
In the following guide, we’ll be covering everything you can expect to see and do at the North Unit within a single day. For more general info about Theodore Roosevelt National Park, be sure to check the end of the article.
Arriving at the North Unit
The entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s North Unit is about one hour from Medora and an hour and fifteen minutes from Dickinson. Turning off of the CanAm Highway, you’ll find yourself driving down Scenic Drive, the North Unit’s main (and really only) road.
There’s a Visitor Center near the entrance, and from there it’s about a ten-minute drive to the first major landmark, the Cannonball Concretions. But you’ll find a few pullouts to stop at along the way.
One pullout provides information about some unique mounds that have tilted stripes. A short trail lets you get closer to the badlands, but it culminates in a dead end.
The Cannonball Concretions
One of the most peculiar landmarks at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit is what has been dubbed the Cannonball Concretions. Here you’ll encounter mysterious stone balls, some of which are as big as small boulders.
They are largely embedded into the clay and have clearly been there for quite some time. But how?
Concretions first form inside layers of sedimentary rock, often around something like a small rock or shell. As more mineral-rich water flows through the area, the sediments bind together like glue, becoming larger and larger over time. And they eventually harden into rocks themselves.
Though they originally formed within the badlands formations, they were revealed at some point when erosion carried the outer layers away.
The Cannonball Concretions area has its own small parking lot, with a short trail taking visitors deeper into the wilderness. Initially, I was a little disappointed with how few of these cannonballs there seemed to be.
But later during the return trip, I realized that there were quite a few more around the corner to the east. This area can be partially climbed, and it makes for one of the most surreal vantage points of the park.
The Little Mo Nature Trail
Just across from the Cannonball Concretions parking lot is a side road leading to the Juniper Campground. But before reaching it, you’ll find the trailhead for the Little Mo Nature Trail, across from which is a small parking lot.
Visitors have the option of doing either the 0.7-mile Short Loop or the 1.4-mile Long Loop. In either case, this will be a pretty flat and easy hike.
In my case, I got distracted early on when a bison herd walked right in front of the Cannonball Concretions across the road, and I took a detour through the grass to get better pics.
Moving on, the trail takes visitors through the prairie, after which it loops around for great views of the Little Missouri River.
While there are lots of places throughout Theodore Roosevelt National Park to enjoy views of the Little Missouri River, this is one of the best vantage points you can get from up close.
I took a slight detour to get as close as I could to the water, and from the other side, a large four-legged animal was intently staring at me. Though I first presumed it to be a bison, it actually turned out to be a lone bull.
Speaking of bison, I returned to the parking area to discover that the herd I previously saw in front of the Cannonball Concretions had just made their way over!
They didn’t seem to be in any rush, and I had to wait patiently behind some trees for them to finally make their way to the campground. The campers sitting outside having a picnic were surely in for a shock.
The Caprock Coulee Trail
The Caprock Coulee Trail is easily the top hike in the North Unit and in Theodore Roosevelt National Park as a whole. We’ve covered the hike in detail in a separate dedicated guide. But what follows is a brief overview.
This is a 4.1-mile (6.6 km) loop hike with an elevation gain of 584 feet (178 m). It could be considered moderate in difficulty, and it should take most hikers about 2-3 hours.
After an initial flat portion, the trail will take you to the top of a large plateau which offers incredible views of the park’s iconic badlands as far as the eye can see.
About halfway through the hike, you’ll arrive at the River Bend Overlook, one of the park’s most spectacular viewpoints. Note that the overlook is situated along the Scenic Drive and can also be driven to (see more below).
The hike then takes you up close to some unique wrinkly badlands and then up a high hill. Finally, the descent begins, with the views never getting dull for a moment. Caprock Coulee is arguably even one of the most scenic hikes in the whole country.
Prairie Dog Town Via The Buckhorn Trail
After the Caprock Coulee Trail, Prairie Dog Town via The Buckhorn Trail is probably the most essential hike at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit. They share the same parking lot, while you’ll find the trailhead right next to that of Caprock Coulee.
This is a two-mile out-and-back hike that culminates at Prairie Dog Town. It’s an easy and flat hike that should only take about 45 minutes to complete.
Note that the full Buckhorn Trail is a long 10.8-mile loop, though you wouldn’t have time to fit it in with all the other hikes mentioned in this guide.
While the hike’s main destination is Prairie Dog Town, you’ll also get some up-close views of some incredible badlands formations. The stripes on these clay mounds are especially prominent.
The trail will eventually take you to a wide-open prairie with towering badlands on either side. I spotted a bison herd in the distance, and it’s probably not uncommon for hikers to encounter them on the trail.
Having already been traveling through South and North Dakota for a while, I’d already seen countless prairie dogs by this point, and the Prairie Dog Town here was much like the others.
All in all, however, the main highlight of the Buckhorn Trail is the massive badlands formations which could be considered some of the park’s best.
The River Bend Overlook
Continuing west, the next stop along the Scenic Drive is the River Bend Overlook. As mentioned earlier, this can be hiked to via the Caprock Coulee Trail. So if you’ve already done that hike, keep on driving.
However you manage to get there, be sure not to miss the River Bend Overlook. Notably, this site was a popular lookout point for visitors even before Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established.
Rather than a single vantage point, you can enjoy the views from different points along a short trail, in addition to a special viewing deck and an overlook shelter. The shelter was constructed in 1937 by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) which would also help develop both the park’s South and North Units.
The Bentonitic Clay Overlook
Further down the road is the Bentonitic Clay Overlook. Many of the badlands of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are comprised of bentonite and are equally as colorful as the famous Bentonite Hills of Utah.
According to the on-site signage, the bluish bentonite seen here can be traced for miles along the river.
Oxbow Overlook & The Achenbach Trail
The North Unit’s Scenic Drive culminates at the Oxbow Overlook, which is accessible via a short walk from a large parking lot. This is yet another overlook of the Little Missouri River, and it’s named after the U-shaped meander here called an oxbow.
While this is surely a stunning overlook under the right conditions, it grew overcast by the time of my arrival, and the colors were rather muted.
Nevertheless, I decided to embark on one final hike to another viewpoint known as Seperati Point. It can be reached by the South Achenbach Trail, a large 10.6-mile (17.1 km) trail that culminates at the Juniper Campground near the start of Scenic Drive.
But the hike to Seperati Point and back is just 2.4 miles (3.86 km) roundtrip, taking about an hour total.
Unfortunately, in complete contrast to the ever-changing scenery of hikes like Caprock Coulee mentioned above, this one takes you through nothing but bland prairie until the very end.
But is the final viewpoint worth it?
The Seperati Point is even more impressive than the Oxbow Overlook, in my opinion. You’ll get another view of the meandering Little Missouri River but with even more eye-catching badlands in the foreground.
But considering how it was still overcast, I didn’t feel that the long walk through the prairie was worth it after such a long day.
The final letdown aside, I still consider the North Unit to be the most impressive section of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and those who only set aside a day for the South Unit are really missing out.
Heading back down Scenic Drive toward the exit, we got caught in a ‘bison jam,’ a rare type of traffic interruption that brings a smile to everyone’s face.
Additional Info
While not that well-known, Theodore Roosevelt National Park probably offers more to do overall than Badlands National Park to the south. Most visitors should set aside at least two full days aside to explore both the South and North Units.
Also consider setting a third day aside to visit the Petrified Forest or anything else you might’ve missed in the park.
And if your schedule allows, plan for a fourth day to visit Makoshika State Park in eastern Montana. It’s similar to Theodore Roosevelt NP but equally impressive. It’s perhaps best thought of as the park’s unofficial ‘West Unit.’
All in all, having four full days in the area would ideal for hikers, nature lovers and photographers.
The closest town to Theodore Roosevelt National Park is Medora, a charming and well-preserved Old West town. Hotels here, however, can be quite pricey. And there aren’t many options online other than AmericInn by Wyndham Medora.
The next best option is the city of Dickinson, about a 35-minute drive away. Dickinson is also about an hour and fifteen minutes from the park’s North Unit – not much further than the one-hour drive from Medora.
Dickinson is a rather unremarkable city of 25,000 people, albeit one that has plenty of shopping and dining options compared to Medora.
I stayed at the Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham which was fine for the price. Other popular options include the Holiday Inn and Hawthorn Extended Stay.
At the time of writing, Theodore Roosevelt National Park costs $30 to enter (learn more here).
If you’re visiting from abroad, note that in contrast to many other countries, US parks typically charge per vehicle rather than per person. However, if you’re traveling by bicycle instead, they’ll charge you for an individual pass which costs $15, while those on motorcycles will be charged $25.
Considering how many National Parks and National Monuments there are to see in the Western US alone, the best option for most will be to buy an ‘America the Beautiful’ Annual National Parks Pass.
These cost $80 for the year. In most cases, you’re already saving money by just visiting four National Parks/Monuments anywhere in the country within a full year.
What’s more, is that only one person in your vehicle needs to have the pass. Additionally, seniors can buy the pass for just $20. So if you have someone over 62 in your party, just have them get the annual pass and everyone else will be set.
As for where to get the pass, you can purchase it in person at most National Parks or Monuments. But you can also order it in advance online.