Visit Medora and Theodore Roosevelt National Park with Kids

Last year when we drove out west, we came back east through South Dakota and missed North Dakota, leaving a big hole in our map. So this year, I made sure we took the kids to North Dakota. We stopped in Medora, ND home to the famous Medora Musical and the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). Planning activities with small children can be challenging, especially when plans include evening musicals and day hikes. Our guide to North Dakota, with kids in tow, will give you the confidence to make many joyful family memories in the gorgeous Badlands.

Things to do around town of Medora

Medora will serve as your base camp to visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Near the National Park entrance is the town of Medora, a Wild West town with a population of 129. During the summer months, college kids and volunteer work campers from all over North Dakota flock to the town to help run the stores, restaurants and support the musical.

Medora is a quaint small town, and very easy to walk or ride your bike as you sightsee. There is a North Dakota Cowboy Museum (probably more fun for adults than the kids but small enough), a nice park area, and many gift stores to explore. While in town, we ate pizza at Badlands Pizza and Saloon, and then there were a few ice creams stores for a sweet afternoon treat. Lastly, we found an old chuckwagon featured in the movie Wooly Brothers (2001).

Medora has more to do, such as having afternoon tea with Mrs. Roosevelt, seeing other shows, or joining a Gospel Brunch. Medora may be small in size, but it sure does pack a theatrical punch!

Medora Town — Window shopping around Medora

Where to Stay in Medora

Staying in Medora gave us easy access to both the musical and TRNP. We love how we could jump on our bikes for a quick ride to get ice cream.

Medora Campground – Conveniently located on the west side of Medora, the Medora Campground is the perfect place to set up your basecamp for adventure in the Badlands. In fact, we were able to ride our Rad Power Bikes to the National Park visitor center and to tour the town.

Cottonwood Campground – located in the National Park is a primitive campground (no RV hookups) and is open year-round. It fills to capacity every night in summer and is a favorite amount boondocking RVers. Half the South Unit’s Cottonwood Campground sites are by reservation; the other half are first-come, first-served.

If you are more into hotels, Medora has a few charming options, all of the non-chain variety.

BDA Tip: Come stocked with groceries and provisions for your stay as the nearest Walmart is 34 miles away.

Medora Musical – Dinner and a Show

If you haven’t heard about the Medora Musical, you have now! The Medora Musical is known as “the greatest show in the West.” Performed live and outside every night, the show is dedicated to President Theodore Roosevelt’s time in the Badlands and the Old West’s Spirit. It is a musical variety show about the Old West, Cowboys, Teddy Roosevelt, and North Dakota history. The show is performed nightly from 7:30 pm June through September. Tickets vary, but for our row Q seats (middle of the theater), we paid $59.95 for two adult tickets. And if you attend on a family night, either Sunday or Wednesday night, the kid’s tickets are free!

The Medora Musical is family-friendly entertainment set in an outdoor amphitheater nestled in the hills of the Badlands. While it might be a little late for toddlers as the show starts at sunset, even the girls recognized the outdoor beauty. Deer and horses are often seen at dusk roaming the hills. Our girls were able to stay awake, and they loved all the colorful dancers and songs. I had a proud mom moment as it was the twins’ first time standing and singing the national anthem. And John and I really enjoyed the show too!

Why not make it a complete evening with dinner and a show by adding the Pitchfork Steak Fondue? This is an old-fashioned cowboy cookout with the steak cooked on a pitchfork. Located next to the amphitheater, you can eat and enjoy the views of the bluff overlooking the Badlands before the show starts. Prices were reasonable as a 12 oz steak dinner for an adult is just $33.95 and comes with a buffet complete with a lemonade and a dessert.

BDA Tip: Book your tickets on Family Night, either a Sundays or Wednesdays, as Kids WATCH and EAT FREE at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue. Do book early as shows typically sell out in advance.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park possesses rugged beauty situated in Western North Dakota Badlands. There are two units to visit within the park – the South and North Unit.

South Unit

The South Unit is the park’s most visited area and has easy access to Interstate 94. There is enough here for a family fun day with two visitor centers, a scenic drive, hiking trails, and wildlife.

Schedule about 1.5 hours to drive the scenic 36-mile loop. The drive is dotted with viewpoints and several hiking trails ranging from really easy to really strenuous. We spent much of our time driving to see the landscape and took a few hikes less than a mile.

The main visitor center was impressive, with displays and videos giving the area’s history and showing the landscape. Our girls met a female deputy ranger and were excited when she stopped to talk to them and sign their ranger books.

North Unit

The North Unit is off the beaten path alongside ND Highway 85, located near Watford City. You will find ruggedness and solitude in this less-visited unit of the park. We did not visit this park unit, as it’s a 50-mile drive from Interstate 94. If you do visit the North Unit, you can also detour and see Elkhorn Ranch.

Roosevelt’s homestead – Elkhorn Ranch

If you drive to the North Unit, stop and see Elkhorn Ranch, Roosevelt’s failed attempt as a cattle rancher. The Elkhorn Ranch Unit preserves the place Roosevelt selected to be his “home ranch” after the deaths of his wife and mother. This drive does take you on dirt roads. There are no visitor centers, facilities, just a scenic road. Knowing our luck, there would be no Elk either, so we elected not to take the drive.

Just for the kids

For Theodore Roosevelt National Park, you can get out and explore some areas with easy short hikes, many under a mile, perfect for little hiker legs. Our girls enjoyed the Wind Canyon Trail as it wound around the edge of bluffs overlooking the Little Missouri River.

We recommend the Junior Ranger Program at every National Park, and this park is no exception. This Junior Ranger Program included more interactive activities like attending a Ranger Program or picking up trash around the park.

Borrow a Family Fun Pack for the day! This National Park has backpacks filled with field guides, binoculars, hand lenses, and activities to help families enhance their visit and sense of discovery. Family Fun Packs are available at the South Unit and North Unit Visitor Centers (not during Covid). Packs are available for a 24-hour loan. There is no charge for this service.

If nothing else, kids love Prairie Dog towns, and this park is full of them. Our girls love stopping at each Prairie Dog town to see these little animals peak their heads up and hearing their little bark.

Wildlife Watching

Our family is the worst at finding wildlife in any National Parks. The most exciting animal we have ever seen in any park was the Bison in Yellowstone. If you are looking to see Bear or other big game, this isn’t the park. But you will get a chance to see more Bison. Bison are often visible from the scenic drive at all day hours, while mule deer usually make appearances around dawn and dusk. In addition, the park claims careful observers may spot bighorn sheep on or near cliff edges. While we didn’t see any of the bighorn sheep, I did spot a few wild horses!

Remember to keep a safe distance from all wildlife you encounter. Even those cute prairie dogs can bite!

Have more time in North Dakota?

After Medora, we were on a beeline to Michigan. We drove straight through North Dakota and only stopped at the 4e Winery Harvest Host near Fargo. While we didn’t get to explore the rest of North Dakota, check out the state capital, Bismarck if you find yourself with a few more days in the state. Below is our quick list of things to see and do:

Bismarck, about a 2-hour drive from Medora

The North Dakota Heritage Center – North Dakota’s largest museum featuring the state’s rich history and geology
Lewis & Clark Riverboat – an adventure on mighty Missouri from May thru September
Dakota Zoo and Sertoma Park, next to the zoo, have several different playgrounds and walking paths.
Raging Rivers – an outdoor waterpark in Mandan, is great for all ages to enjoy; open during the summer.
Fort Mandan – a little over an hour north of Bismarck, great for history or homeschool stop
Bismarck has a nice, very walkable downtown area with local stores and restaurants.
NOTE: there’s a time zone switch from mountain time to central time between Medora and Bismark.

Visit North Dakota

What started as a location to visit just to put a sticker on our map turned out to be a notable stop. Did you know North Dakota is a frequently missed state to visit? So if North Dakota is your 50th state to visit, you can stop at the Fargo visitor center and get a pin saying “Saved the Best for Last.”

If you watched our video, you saw our tongue-in-cheek review of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. But, of course, having just come from Glacier National Park, TRNP can not compete with Glacier’s awe astounding views. But if you look closely, North Dakota has a rugged beauty, and quaint, quiet charm is rarely found.

While we have been all over this beautiful country, rarely have we found people as hospitable and freindly as those in North Dakota. We found the smiling welcomeing faces a huge breath of fresh air after more than a year of social distancing.

Give North Dakota a chance and take a few days or a week to see the beautiful places and meet the nicest people you will ever meet. If more people were like North Dakota folks, we would all have friendlier and many Bright Dais Ahead.

Bright Dais Ahead

Live. Life. Differently.

Visit North Dakota – See a Musical and a National Park