Since this is #NationalParkWeek, you have a reason to visit. The South Unit is open and the website says it’s a free visit. No admission fee. .
Here’s what you will see, Eleven photos to whet your appetite.
Learn more about the daily events at all the National Parks.
Even now, just like all year round, the three units of the National Park are amazing sites. That means they provide photo opportunities that are endless.
The three units are different from one another. So, each one offers unique landscape, solitude and beauty.
To mark National Park Week, here’s a sample of the beauty of the three units.
There are differences between the three units, south unit, Elkhorn Ranch unit and north unit.
The south unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the most popular unit. It’s right off Interstate 94 at exit 23 and Medora. It is the larger of the three units and offers many marked trails. So, for the hardy hiker, it offers the opportunity to hike off-trail into the interior of the park.
The north unit is just 15 miles south of Watford City, the hub of the northern badlands. It’s more rugged up north than it is in the south unit. The north unit is also smaller so the chances of getting close to bison are better in the north unit where it is more condensed.
Here is where Theodore Roosevelt grieved and healed after the death of his mother and wife on the same day.
The Elkhorn Ranch unit is the least visited unit of the three national park units. Even during #NationalParkWeek. It’s a thrilling drive of 28 miles of gravel road leading past ancient cemeteries, through open grazing, and along the tops of badlands hills.
One of the best campgrounds in the Badlands is just around the bend from the historic site. Elkhorn campground is rarely used because it is a long drive off the pavement, it offers shade and solitude.
The three units of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park are open year round, 7-days a week, unless a major winter storm blocks the roads. One is 15 miles south of Watford City, the other is along Interstate 94. Eighty miles of Badlands separate the units, but throughout the region, trails are marked along the way such as Summit, Bennett Creek and Magpie.
You don’t need #NationalParkWeek to visit. Plan your trip and keep up with everything in western North Dakota and the Badlands by clicking on our Things to Do Page and the calendar of events.
Or you can follow along on Facebook. Give us a like and follow on Facebook to stay tuned.
Twelve Course Ukrainian Christmas Christmas in the Beautiful Badlands brings friends and families together. Traditions…
Bison Power Bison may be the largest North American animal in North America, and that's…
Christmas Cookies, Sweet Treats for the Holidays What could be better than family…
Stay warm while you are on a winter road trip Yeah, I don’t want to…
Turkeys are not supposed to be here...but here they are! 1. Immigrant Turkeys That's right. …
6 exciting books about the Badlands: myths, and legends, lynchings, murders and killer blizzards that…