General information about the National Park
The national park protects colorful badlands and prairie landscapes created by erosion. The Little Missouri River, which flows through the park, adds to the scenery. As the name suggests, the national park was named after Theodore Roosevelt, who had a ranch here and was a strong supporter of the country's national parks.
Number of visitors
In 2023 Theodore Roosevelt NP ranked 30th in the most visited national parks visitor statistics.
Best time to visit: Spring and summer.
Our visits:
So far 1 visit: June 2017
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 30$/car and all passengers valid for 7 days
- Covered by the Anual Pass*
- Open 24 hours a day. The North Unit has Central Time. Due to snow and ice, roads may be temporarily closed from November to April.
*The Anual Pass is so to speak the "flat rate" for all Parks managed by the National Park Service. The pass costs a one-time fee of $80 and can be purchased at the entrance to each National Park, National Monument, etc. The pass is valid for 13 months.
South Unit
Description: Directly behind the Visitor Center to the South Unit is the Maltese Cross Cabin. This cabin was inhabited by Theodore Roosevelt from 1883 to 1884. Through his stay here in South Dakota he became aware of the problem of bison hunting and sensitized for the necessary protection of nature and animals. Thus, during his presidency, numerous areas were placed under protection in the form of national parks.
When his mother and his wife died in short succession in 1884, Roosevelt left the cabin and founded the Elkhorn Ranch a few miles further north. Here he found the peace and seclusion to recover from the blows of fate.
Our rating: Since one passes the Cabin here anyway during a visit of the South Unit, a small stop should also be included. We liked to take a look at the cabin, which is still furnished in its original form. It seems almost like a window into the past.
Badlands
Description: In the southern part of the park there is also a Scenc Road. It is 18mi long and leads past all the attractions to be discovered. Even here in the south there are many of the colorful layered badlands to see. Furthermore you can find some nice lookouts from which you have nice views into the landscape.
Our rating: We drove the loop counterclockwise and passed the viewpoints of the Badlands first. We liked them and the landscapes around them very much, especially since everything was really green and lush in June. So the vegetation formed a nice contrast to the badlands.
Hoodoos
Description: The hoodoos can be seen from the Scenic Road. The hoodoos stand in several groups along the badlands. The area is small and so you hardly need half an hour to see them all.
Our rating: We liked the hoodoos and especially the red stripes caught our eye. There were some nice photo opportunities. We had fun roaming through the relatively small area and exploring everything.
Wind Canyon
Description: Wind Canyon can be explored via a short 0.5mi trail. You hike almost the entire way along the rim and always have beautiful views of the Little Missouri River valley. The trail is easy to hike and only covers a few feet in elevation.
Our rating: We were here for sunset and enjoyed the little hike very much. It was wonderful to enjoy the trail in complete solitude. A luxury you can appreciate especially if you know the crowds in the parks in the southwest. We can recommend the little hike.
An important and always very fun part are the animals that you can observe in their natural habitat, especially in the national parks. Here at the Theodore Roosevelt NP - South we were able to spot the animals shown below.
