5 North Dakota National Parks & NPS Sites to Visit

North Dakota National Parks. Here is the honest count: North Dakota has exactly one of America’s 63 official national parks (Theodore Roosevelt National Park). It also has four more National Park Service experiences: two national historic sites, a national historic trail, and a national scenic trail. That makes five NPS destinations in the Roughrider State, and the headliner is one of the most underrated national parks in the country.

I will say it plainly: Theodore Roosevelt National Park belongs on far more itineraries than it gets. Bison on the road, wild horses on the ridgelines, a petrified forest with stumps taller than you are, and the badlands that turned a young New York politician into the conservation president. Every site below is labeled with its correct designation so you know exactly what you are visiting.

North Dakota NPS Sites At A Glance

Site	NPS Designation	Established	What You Go For
Theodore Roosevelt	National Park (1 of the 63)	1978	Badlands, bison, wild horses, the petrified forest, TR’s ranch country
Fort Union Trading Post	National Historic Site	1966	A reconstructed 1800s fur-trade post; costumed-ranger Trade House
Knife River Indian Villages	National Historic Site	1974	Hidatsa earthlodge village sites along the Knife River
Lewis & Clark	National Historic Trail	1978	The expedition route along the Missouri River
North Country	National Scenic Trail	1980	The western end of a 4,800-mile trail at Lake Sakakawea

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1. Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site

Designation: National Historic Site (established 1966). This is a faithful reconstruction of one of the most important fur-trading posts on the Upper Missouri River.

During its 39 years, from 1828 to 1867, Fort Union was a center of economic and social exchange between the Northern Plains tribes and the wider world. Start in the Bourgeois House Visitor Center, where a nine-minute film in the video kiosk lays out why this was no ordinary post but the most important one of its era.

Fort Union’s Trade House

Step into the reconstructed Trade House, where a costumed park ranger explains how this was the fort’s most important building. The rangers here go all in on the period roles, and it works.

American Fur Company traders and the fort’s tribal partners, the Assiniboine, Crow, Blackfeet, Plains Cree, Plains Ojibwa, Mandan, Hidatsa, Arikara, Lakota, and others, all came here to trade. It was more than a store on the river. The Trade House is where negotiations happened, families reconnected, stories were told, and feasts were held.

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2. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site

Designation: National Historic Site (established 1974). One of the lesser-known North Dakota NPS sites preserves the cultural heritage of the Northern Plains peoples, especially the Hidatsa.

The site covers about 1,758 acres along the Knife River. The Hidatsa lived here for hundreds of years, known for farming crops in the demanding climate of the Northern Plains, in a series of earthlodges surrounded by fields and gardens.

The site includes the remains of two Hidatsa villages, Awatixa and Metaharta, occupied from the 17th century into the late 1800s. You can walk the earthlodge depressions and old garden plots, and outside the visitor center stands a full-scale reconstructed earthlodge with a Hidatsa garden.

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3. Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail

Designation: National Historic Trail (established 1978). North Dakota’s NPS roster includes a legendary route that follows two of America’s most determined explorers.

The Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail follows the route of the 1804 to 1806 expedition, running more than 4,900 miles from near St. Louis to the Pacific Ocean. President Thomas Jefferson commissioned the journey to explore the western territories and search for a water route to the Pacific. Captain Meriwether Lewis and Second Lieutenant William Clark led the corps, joined by the interpreter Toussaint Charbonneau and his wife Sacagawea, a Shoshone woman whose knowledge proved essential. The expedition wintered in North Dakota at Fort Mandan.

Along the trail you can hike, bike, or boat past historic sites and landmarks, with the Missouri River corridor being the North Dakota throughline. The trail is administered by the National Park Service and open to the public.

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4. North Country National Scenic Trail

Designation: National Scenic Trail (designated 1980). The western end of one of the longest trails in the country sits right here in North Dakota.

The North Country National Scenic Trail (the NCT) runs roughly 4,800 miles from Vermont to its western terminus at Lake Sakakawea State Park in North Dakota. It is one of eleven National Scenic Trails and is administered by the National Park Service. Authorized by Congress in 1980, the trail originally crossed seven states; Vermont was added in 2019.

In North Dakota the NCT offers longer backpackable segments within the Sheyenne National Grasslands, along Lake Ashtabula, along the New Rockford Canal, within the Lonetree Wildlife Management Area, and along the McClusky Canal. Shorter day-hike stretches run through the Sheyenne State Forest, Fort Ransom State Park, Valley City, the Audubon National Wildlife Refuge, and Lake Sakakawea State Park.

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5. Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Designation: National Park (established 1978). This is North Dakota’s only national park, and if you have time for just one of these sites, make it this one. It is my favorite park in the state and one of my favorites anywhere.

The park honors the man many regard as the nation’s greatest conservation president. Across more than 70,000 acres of badlands, snaking rivers, colorful canyons, and abundant wildlife, including the national mammal, this is rugged country with overlooks that earn the drive.

“It was here that the romance of my life began.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

Things to Know Before You Visit

Dogs are not allowed on trails in most national parks because they can disrupt the ecosystem. The general rule is they are allowed where cars can go, so check the rules before bringing along your furry friend.

Key Statistics

1. Location: Medora, North Dakota (three separate units)
2. Established as a national park: November 10, 1978
3. Size: 70,446 acres
4. Associated Native nations: Arikara, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Hidatsa, Mandan, Rocky Boy, Sioux
5. Entrance fee: $30 per vehicle, or use the America the Beautiful pass

Park Maps

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A Short History of Theodore Roosevelt National Park

According to the National Park Service, this land was once a swampy wetland of cypress-like trees, fish, and reptiles some 65 million years ago. Ash from volcanic eruptions filled the swamps with sediment that compacted over millions of years into colored rock layers. An ice age came, glaciers formed, and as they melted the Little Missouri River took shape, eroding the soft sediment into the formations you see today and revealing millions of years of geologic history.

Native Peoples in the Badlands

According to the National Parks Conservation Association, the Hidatsa and Mandan used the lands within the park as bison-hunting and eagle-trapping grounds. The Arikara, Blackfeet, Chippewa, Cree, Crow, Gros Ventre, Rocky Boy, and Sioux are also tied to these lands. The Lakota called the area “mako sica,” which Europeans translated as “badlands.”

Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands

In 1883, at age 24, Theodore Roosevelt came to the badlands on the promise of prime ranch land. He invested in a ranch along the Little Missouri River near Medora before heading back to New York. He had come west to hunt a bison before the herds vanished and to taste the real frontier, and he was quickly taken by the landscape. The clean air also eased his chronic asthma.

“I have always said I would not have been president had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.”

-Theodore Roosevelt

The Maltese Cross Cabin

After a few weeks of hunting, and killing his first bison, Roosevelt bought the Chimney Butte Ranch for $14,000. Known by its Maltese Cross brand, the cabin he built there served as a temporary home and can still be toured today.

The Elkhorn Ranch

After the deaths of his wife and his mother on the same day in 1884, a grieving Roosevelt returned to North Dakota to make ranching his full-time work. He bought 1,000 head of cattle and the rights to a second ranch for $400, naming it Elkhorn. About 35 miles north of Medora, the Elkhorn became headquarters for his cattle operation. Completed in spring 1885, the 30-by-60-foot ranch house was one of the finest in the badlands, and Roosevelt called it his “home ranch.”

Disaster Struck

Roosevelt’s ranching peaked in 1885 and 1886, then disaster came in the winter of 1886 and 1887. Too many cattle were grazing the open range, and heavy snow, partial thaws, and subzero cold formed a crust the cattle could not break through. When Roosevelt returned in spring 1887 he found he had lost more than half his herd. By the early 1890s he had abandoned Elkhorn for the Maltese Cross, and he sold the last of his stock in 1898. He lost much of his fortune in the badlands but never regretted his time there.

Creation of the Park

Soon after Roosevelt’s death in 1919, the search for a memorial site led to Medora. An early plan called for a 1.2-million-acre park, but local ranchers objected that the land was too valuable for grazing. In the 1930s the land dried out from poor practices, and the Depression pushed ranchers to sell to the government cheaply. The Little Missouri National Grasslands was established, with some lands set aside for a park. The CCC broke ground in 1934, then work stopped in 1941 with World War II.

In 1946, after Congress declined to make it a national park, the land went to U.S. Fish and Wildlife and became the Theodore Roosevelt National Wildlife Refuge. Under the Truman administration it was redesignated a National Memorial Park. Finally, on November 10, 1978, President Jimmy Carter signed the law making it a full national park.

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Things To Do At The Park

1. See America’s National Mammal, the Bison

The park’s most famous resident is the national mammal, the bison, and the largest land mammal in North America. The common name “buffalo” comes from the French “les boeufs.” You can spot them in both the North and South Units. In the South Unit they often appear shortly after the entrance, descending into the first canyon; in the North Unit, frequently right after you enter.

2. Watch Sunset from River Bend Overlook

The best place for sunset is River Bend Overlook in the North Unit, with panoramic views of the Little Missouri River and the badlands, a short walk from the parking lot to the viewing pavilion. A word of caution: on our visit I sat on the grassy hill in the foreground and met a prairie rattlesnake on the ten-step walk back to the trail. I never would have seen it without its rattle, which I found reassuringly loud.

3. Watch Sunrise from Oxbow Overlook

The best sunrise spot is Oxbow Overlook, with wide views of the Little Missouri River Valley that hold up any time of day. Several trails leave from here, including the popular Achenbach Trail, and you can often spot bison grazing in the canyon below. Oxbow is at the very end of the main park road in the North Unit.

4. Hike the Petrified Forest Trail

My favorite hike, and a highlight of the whole trip, was the Petrified Forest Trail. I almost skipped it because I had read so little about it, and I am glad I did not.

• Length: 1.5 miles each way to either petrified forest, or a 10-mile loop
• Time: 2 to 10 hours depending on how long you linger
• Elevation gain: about 200 feet

The park holds the third-highest concentration of petrified wood in the country. To reach the trailhead you leave the South Unit and drive one interstate exit to West River Road; signs lead you the rest of the way. We took the North Trail on a fellow hiker’s advice and were not let down. I have been to Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona and loved it, but these stumps are on another scale, some more than six feet tall.

5. Look for the Wild Horses

Among the most sought-after sightings are the park’s wild horses. We saw them, and plenty of them, every day. If you want to find them, the South Unit is your best bet, often near the Coal Vein Trail. Keep your eyes on the hilltops.

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Watch Our Theodore Roosevelt National Park Film

Across more than 70,000 acres, Theodore Roosevelt National Park holds badlands, snaking rivers, abundant wildlife including the national mammal, and colorful canyons. Will and Jim made this film, part of our award-winning national parks series, to showcase the park and to underscore why protecting North Dakota’s wild places matters.

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Planning Your North Dakota Trip

• Base in Medora for the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The North Unit is about an hour’s drive north and far quieter.
• Pair the history sites along the Missouri: Fort Union and Knife River Indian Villages sit in the western and central part of the state and make a natural loop with the park.
• Best seasons are late spring through early fall. Summer brings heat and afternoon storms; winter can close roads in the park units.
• Wildlife safety: give bison a wide berth (at least 25 yards) and watch for prairie rattlesnakes on warm-weather trails.

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You should probably know that this guide does not come out of thin air. More Than Just Parks is a family operation. My sons Will and Jim have spent their entire adult lives exploring and filming America’s national parks and public lands destinations, working with the National Park Service, the Department of the Interior, the USDA, and the U.S. Forest Service on films about important places and issues. I taught American history for 25 years, and I write our history and travel guides.

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The North Dakota NPS Sites Recap

1. Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota’s only national park)
2. Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site
3. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site
4. Lewis & Clark National Historic Trail
5. North Country National Scenic Trail