Back Story… we moved to Fargo, North Dakota about a year ago from west central Minnesota. We moved from hills, trees, and lakes to flat, treeless, and flat.
Without fact checking, my husband, Cory, told our kids “there are mountains about two hours west of here (Fargo)!”
See… the way things work in our family are 1- my husband gets a crazy idea, 2- the kids get excited, and 3- I go to work making his crazy idea a reality.
Fun fact: there are NOT mountians in North Dakota.
However, if you go west enough (nearly six hours straight west) you will come across some beautiful BUTTES and the North Dakota Badlands.
Solid A for effort on Cory’s part… only because his crazy misspoken idea turned into the road trip of a lifetime.
This summer we found mountains, but more on that in a later post.
First stop along the road was Medora, ND and Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Enjoy our recap, gain some tips and travel insight, and start planning your own adventure to western North Dakota!
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Our day technically began in Dickinson, ND. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express, which was an easy 35 minute drive to reach the South Unit entrance of the park. Plus it included FREE breakfast, which our kids and wallet loved.
Travel tip: Get the IHG credit card to save on hotels while you travel.
Yes, it has an annual fee of $49.00… BUT, you get a free night stay as one of the benefits every year.
What hotel can you find for under fifty dollars??
For this trip, we saved up free nights, and utilized points we earned from day to day purchases. In return, we stayed three nights completely free thanks to this credit card!
Back to our day…
With intention of being at the visitor center right at opening time we arrived 8:55 AM, only to find out it opened at 8:00 AM NOT 9:00 AM like I had thought.
Let it be known, Google was wrong!
Nonetheless, we jumped right in and filled our day.
Here is a quick look at our day for reference throughout this post. These are approximate times based on time stamps of photos from my phone.
It was a FULL day! For our kids’ first National Park and true “hiking” experience, it was the perfect amount and size.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) is much larger than the ground we covered. However, the South Unit is both the most convienet to get to and easiest visitor experience.
For families, I highly recommend sticking to the South Unit!
Located conveniently off I-94 right in the town of Medora. You cannot miss the iconic National Park Arrowhead sign guiding you to the entrance.
South Unit Visitor Center
After taking our obligatory photos we drove into the park. Our oldest is in fourth grade, and because of that we got a FREE park pass (FOR ALL NATIONAL PARKS) for the summer. To get your own fourth grader pass visit everykidoutdoors.gov
If you don’t qualify for the every kid outdoors pass, check the chart below for pricing information.
| Private vehicle Motorcycle | $30.00 per vehicle – Valid for 7 days $25.00 per motorcycle – Valid for 7 days |
| Individual (non-motorized) | $15.00 per person – Valid for 7 days for a visitor traveling on foot, bicycle, horse, or other non-motorized means of travel. |
| TRNP Annual Park Pass | $55.00 – Valid for one year from month of purchase. Admits purchaser and passengers in a single, private, non-commercial vehicle. |
Next, we checked out the visitor center and picked up our official map and Jr. Ranger Books.
The Jr. Ranger Program is a great activity to do with kids. It gets them engaged in your day and they earn a fun souvenir badge at the end!
This is what the program journal looks like. The booklet is specific to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Kids will have different things/amounts to complete based on their age.
Ask at the visitor desk for your packet and let the fun begin.
We lucked out with our late arrival, and a ranger talk started five minutes after we got there.
Going to a Ranger Talk was part of earning the kids’ badges, but I also knew they would like the experience.
Our little history nerd Noah LOVED learning about Theodore Roosevelt! But, not just him, all the kids enjoyed the Ranger Talk, and getting to tour the Maltese Cabin.
Now that we had our booklets in hand, Ranger talk finished, and our map for the drive, we were ready to hit the road!
Scenic Loop Drive
The Scenic Loop Drive is 48 miles long, but don’t let that fool you. You can spend hours driving, making stops at overlooks, prairie dog towns, and enjoying hikes along the way.
Keep your eyes pealed for wildlife! As you drive, you may experience prairie dogs, bison, and wild horses.
Cory’s bucket list was to have a bison walk by our car, and we had it happen twice! The kids (and us) absolutely loved the wild life.
For our drive, we opted to go “backwards” or counter clockwise on the loop. We judged and ranked the hikes from hardest to easiest and opted to go with the most challenging for the kids first.
We were at TRNP in the middle of July and it was hot! It is NOT a shady park. We knew it would be a long day in the sun and it was going to be tiring. With that in mind, we opted to go to Buck Hill first.
Buck Hill
This hike is rated easy.
Only 0.1 miles long, it is quick but starts with a steep (paved) hill to get to the top.
Once you are at the top, you are welcomed with beautiful views from the highest point in the park.
The first thing our kids noticed when we got to the top were the rock formations naturally perfect for some ninja moves.
As much as I wanted to make them stop, this was natures playground at its finest. The kids had a blast and were relatively safe 😉
However, if you have any clumsy kiddos be careful. Our youngest boy (Milo) did fall. After he was comforted for a few minutes though, he went back to his parkour like nothing ever happened.
The top of the hill has a few different “zones” you can walk to. Incredible views all around, this was the favorite hike for us!
Lunch at Boicourt Overlook
There is no food inside the park.
The town of Medora has a variety of options, but I suggest packing a picnic and not waisting your time leaving and coming back.
There are many overlooks, trailheads, or stops along the loop you can enjoy a nice lunch.
We chose Boicourt Overlook.
We had planned on hiking the Boicourt trail and noticed there was a nice parking overlook not too far away. The timing for the stop was perfect for our families lunch time, too.
Something as simple as a picnic, turned out to be a huge highlight for our kids.
They were thrilled to “eat things we actually like” and enjoy the beautiful views while they ate.
Nothing extravagant, but something for everyone (we have some picky eaters). Plus, a few treats to make it fun. We also benefited from these foods later on our road trip!
After the kids were done eating they spent some time working on their Jr. Ranger booklet. I took baby Carter into the car for her bottle (with some AC) while Cory helped them complete a few activities.
This view filled my momma heart.
My kids, observing God’s amazing creation, while journaling about it and having conversation together.
It was the perfect spot to just be.
Yes, we had an agenda but take the time to create these moments. Push pause. Times are flexible, and a guide. Remember that as you put together your day!
Once our belly’s were full and Carter girl was taken care of, we drove the quick bit to the official trailhead for Boicourt trail.
Boicourt Trail
One thing I want to make clear is this path is only PARTIALLY paved.
It is advertised as a paved handicap accessible trial, but it is only part of the way.
We opted for our stroller instead of front carrier due to this information.
But the paved trial does not bring you to the WOW views! So know before you go.
With that said, this trail is 0.3 miles long and again rated easy with light terrain, after the paved path stops.
Once we ran out of sidewalk we attempted to off road with the stroller, only to ditch it and come back for it later.
The wow views past the pavement.
We loved the destination of this trail the most, just not the trail itself. We even got to see more bison in the distance!
Can you be on a rock/cliff holding a baby and NOT do the Lion King?
No, the answer is no.
Skyline Vista
The final “hike” we had planned was the easiest and my personal least favorite.
An easy 0.2 mile paved path, this is a very accesible trail.
What I didn’t like was some of the view is ruined by the interstate below.
Being a completely paved path was nice, but made it a little less adventurous and fun for the kids too. After our first two hikes with rocks and challenges they were hoping for more.
Fun dad for the win, Cory did bring them on a little “off trail” adventure at the end for some fun.
Skyline vista was our last step along the Scenic Drive Loop.
In approximately five hours we did three trails, lunch, and the entire loop.
Jr. Rangers + Souvenirs
After we made our way through the loop and back to the South Unit Visitor Center the kids turned in their Jr. Ranger booklets.
A park ranger checked their work, and went through the Jr. Ranger pledge with them. Then they received their Jr. Ranger badge!
Afterwards we browsed and shopped the visitor center. As we started traveling more this summer we encouraged the kids to find a souvenir they wanted to turn into a tradition.
Noah picked a magnet, something simple and straight to the point.
Peyton picked a water bottle and sticker to put on it. She plans to add to with more National Parks.
Milo picked a stuffy 🙂
We bought Carter a Jr. Ranger sticker to add to her baby book. It will be fun to see what she wants to collect as she gets older.
Each souvenir unique and totally fitting for our kids.
With gifts in tow, and our bodies hot and tired from the day, we said goodbye for now to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in favor of exploring the town of Medora.
Medora
During this trip I was still pumping for our (then) 9 month old baby girl, Carter. So once we were done in the park I took a much needed pump break in the AC of the car while Cory took the kids to a park.
Medora Children’s Park is an amazing playground!
However, like I mentioned before it was HOT the day we were there. The kids said a lot of the playground equipment was too hot to play on.
If your time and weather allows, enjoy Point to Point park across the street from the park. It includes, lazy river and pool, mini gulf, and the Manitou Zipline. For more information click here.
We opted to checked out the Cowboy Hall of Fame and Museum (hello, air conditioning!). It was a museum on the bottom level, and a hall of fame for ND rodeo upstairs.
The kids enjoyed the museum portion the most.
We also chose the museum because it was also conveniently next to our dinner choice, Badlands Pizza.
We have mixed reviews for Badlands Pizza + Saloon. We ate here also on our way back through North Dakota after our time in Montana. We did so because the first night was so good! Unfortunatley, the second time did not live up to our expectations from our night in Medora.
We like well done crispy pizza. The first night we asked for it WELL DONE and it was delicious and perfect. The second night we did not, and it was not. To each their own!
Carter girl loved it though 🙂
It wouldn’t be vacation without a little extra, so we stopped for some ice cream after dinner at The Fudge Depot. It was a quick walk and we enjoyed seeing the town along the way.
After dinner and ice cream we still had time before our night time feature.
Since park passes are good all day, we decided to drive a little on the loop for more wild life views! And man are we happy we did.
Without even getting out of our car, and only half hour total inside the park we witnessed both a bison (cross the road) and a wild horse!
Any free time in your day… drive back on the scenic loop!
The Medora Musical
I can’t keep many things a surprise from my kids.
1- They listen and hear everything.
2- I get too excited that I need to share!
However, I was able to keep our big finale, the Medora Musical, a successful surprise. 🙂 Peyton has gotten really into musical theater this summer. I thought this would be really fun for her, and all of us.
I was right!
This show is cute, educational, funny, and very entertaining for all ages.
It made for a late night after a long day. But, when asked what they loved about our day, ALL three big kids said the Medora Musical! It was the perfect ending to our day. Get your tickets here for a fun night.
There you have it, a jam packed 12hr+ day in Medora, North Dakota. Although it was just a stop along our way it was a trip all of its own.
Whether you, too, are driving further on your journey or making Medora your destination I hope this helps plan you day or stay.
If you’ve been to Theodore Roosevelt National Park or Medora, please comment on your favorite experiences!
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