3 Hidden Places Found in Theodore Roosevelt National Park that No One Tells You About

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This post is about Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in North Dakota right off Highway 94. The park is split into the South Unit and North Unit, and since I wasn’t staying nearby, my trip to the park was quick. I ended up only doing the South Unit since it was less out of the way. Traveling from Yellowstone National Park to Bismarck, ND, this was the perfect pit stop to a long day of driving.

Know Before You Go to Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Entrance into the park is $30 per car. But! If you make the investment in the America the Beautiful annual pass like I did, you’ll pay $80 for unlimited access to all 63 national parks for a whole year. This is definitely worth it if you plan on visiting more parks. I’ve been to eight with my pass, and I’m so glad I made the investment. Plus you can use it as an excuse to plan more adventures!

North vs South Unit

The South Unit has a loop road with awesome views of the badlands and a great chance to spot wildlife! The loop is usually 36 miles, however, there were road closures during my trip. The loop was only open for the first 18 miles before I had to make a U-turn. But there was still some beautiful views along the way.

Badlands Overlook

I would say stop at as many lookouts as possible because there are so few. But the one overlook that you absolutely cannot miss is the badlands overlook. In my opinion, this is the most gorgeous view in the whole park. So don’t miss it!

Prairie Dogs and Other Wildlife – Theodore Roosevelt National Park Animals

In all honesty, I came here for the badlands as many do, but I stayed longer for the wildlife. This was my first encounter with prairie dogs, and they were just the cutest creatures! There were so many of them too! Also along the way, I saw a few bison causing some traffic and wild horses! The wild horses were stunning, and I actually pulled off the road just to watch them. They had run onto the road, so they were very close!

How Much Time in the Park Do You Need?

Like I said, this park was just a pit stop on my trip through the state, so I didn’t have a full day to explore. I would have loved to do some hikes while here to see more of the park. With the scenic route, wildlife traffic, and stops at overlooks, I spent about three hours in the park total. You could easily spend a whole day there doing all of the hikes or extending your trip to the north unit too.

Should You Plan a Trip?

Overall, would I say that you need to book a trip to this park? In my opinion, I don’t think I would’ve planned a trip solely around this park. I only stopped at this park because it was conveniently on the way to my next road trip destination. The badlands being my favorite part, I’d much rather book a trip to Badlands National Park in South Dakota where there are numerous views of the beautiful landscape.

Have you ever been to Theodore Roosevelt National Park? What did you think? I’d love to hear your opinions!

This post is about Theodore Roosevelt National Park.