“It is an incalculable added pleasure to anyone’s sum of happiness if he or she grows to know, even slightly and imperfectly, how to read and enjoy the wonder-book of nature.” – Theodore Roosevelt
We were all excited to get to our first (planned) National Park on this trip, but I don’t think any of us were expecting to fall in love with Theodore Roosevelt National Park and North Dakota in general quite like we did. And I’m so incredibly grateful that Teddy Roosevelt fell head over heels for the Dakota badlands in the late 19th century, and began the work of conserving these beautiful places.
On the Road: Fargo to Medora
We packed up our scenic, river-front site at Lindenwood Campground in Fargo, ND early on Saturday morning to make the 4 1/2 hour trip to Medora, ND – home of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
The drive across North Dakota was similar to the drive across Minnesota – mostly flat, with the gentlest of rolling hills to break up the monotony, and a steady wind – though not as unforgiving as we’ve seen in past travels. We mark our travels in rest stops for refueling and stretching our legs.
We traveled 94 West ALLLL the way across the state of North Dakota. About an hour after we left Fargo, we began seeing advertisements for Frontier Village in Jamestown, ND, including claims of their “world’s largest buffalo” statue. We’re pretty easy going and don’t have a lot of travel rules. But one rule we DO abide by is that if we’re driving by ANYTHING claiming to be the world’s biggest – we stop.
Frontier Village was cute and quaint with lots of shops. We didn’t window shop because of A) time constraints of wanting to get back to our travel and B) downpouring rain. The buffalo statue was really impressive, and we got a good photo op underneath the bison. But the highlight of our rainy roadside stop was the National Buffalo Museum. We watched a short film that described the horrific treatment of the North American Buffalo by western expansionists in the 19th century, the near extinction of the North American Buffalo, and the conservation efforts that have replenished the buffalo population. I loved learning about the albino buffalo and its deep spiritual significance to the Native Americans, and the boys loved the exhibit that allowed them to hold and assemble buffalo organs into a life-size animal replica.
As we neared Salem, ND, we started to see signs for “Salem Sue. Once we could see her from 94, we knew that we needed to stop. We ALMOST didn’t get our camper back down the hill, but visiting the ENORMOUS heifer and taking in the breathtaking views from atop the hill she rests on was well worth it. (Says the person who didn’t have to back the camper down a windy dirt road).
On our first long road trip to South Dakota, I remember driving into the Black Hills in the southwest corner of the state and experiencing a dramatic scenery change with seemingly the flip of a switch. Flat and barren, windy…turn a corner….BAM! Breathtaking natural beauty. The same can be said for the northern equivalent. Hundreds of miles of relative sameness driving across North Dakota and WHACK! Painted Canyon. Badlands. Goose bump-inducing. Breathtaking.
Our campground was set on the edge of the small, quaint downtown hub of Medora. The kids hit the playground while Mike and I set up our site and made a beeline for the laundry room to freshen up our wardrobes. I chatted with other travelers while folding laundry. On trips like this, the people camping with you are often either headed in the same direction, or are just coming from where you are headed. When it is the former, you share ideas, and when it is the latter, you have a seasoned traveler to ask ALL the questions.
Our First Night in Downtown Medora
For our first night in Medora, we enjoyed breakfast for dinner (including some delicious bison sausage we purchased at the National Buffalo Museum), and after our laundry was finished, we headed into town. This road trip is a big one, and while we’re making a lot of efforts to live similarly on the road to how we live at home (grocery shopping, cooking for ourselves, and enjoying lots of hikes and other free activities we find along the way), we did remember that we are, indeed, on vacation. And when on vacation, our family plays mini golf. We played 18 holes at “Little Bully Pulpit Mini-Golf” at the base of the National Park entrance. We celebrated an unprecedented FOUR hole-in-ones for our crew with the most delicious ice cream I’ve ever tasted at Hatlee and Brae on Main Street.
A Full Day in Medora: Four Hikes and A Magic Show
Our one full-day in Medora was supposed to begin with a scenic horseback ride through the badlands that we had booked weeks in advance. Our youngest jumped out of bed at 6:30am, dressed himself in riding gear, and woke the rest of us up with his chant of “horseback riding! horseback riding!” So, he was understandably very disappointed when we found out upon arrival at the stables that the tours for that day had to be canceled due to dangerous trail conditions for the horses created by excessive rain. The stables rescheduled us for a ride the next morning that we could just squeeze in before heading west to Montana. Even our youngest handled the whole situation really well, understanding that the safety of the horses was the first priority, and found comfort in the hope of a dry day doing enough repair to the trails to salvage a ride for the next morning.
We didn’t waste the extra time, and headed straight for the south entrance of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, where we saw prairie dogs, wild horses, a buffalo, and hiked three trails, including:
- Wind Canyon – an easy, scenic .8 mile out and back trail that overlooks the Little Missouri River. The wildflowers on this trail were beautiful!
- Coal Vein Loop – a .8 mile loop that runs through the site of a coal fire that burned underground from 1951 – 1977.
- Buck Hill Trail – a super short but steep .1 mile climb that seemingly takes you to the top of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park world. You can walk along the rocks across the top for a beautiful 360 degree view of the North Dakota badlands.
The wildflowers on all of the trails were beautiful!
After a full morning of hiking, we ate our packed lunch and took a little rest in downtown Medora with iced coffees and lemonade, and “The Medora Magic Show”. Our 10-year-old LOVES learning and performing magic tricks and was beyond stoked at the opportunity to see a show. The magician in residence in Medora this summer was fantastically talented and entertaining, and his show was the perfect addition to our otherwise hot day of hiking in the sun.
Rested and refreshed, we refilled our water bottles and headed east to the Painted Canyon trail off of 94. The trail is 2.1 miles one way and after our full morning of scenic driving and hiking, we didn’t think it was realistic that we would make it all the way to the end and back for 4.2 miles. A ranger in the visitor’s center at the south entrance of the park encouraged us to try to make it to the half-way point at about 1.2 miles for a great view.
What the trail maps and signs don’t tell you, is that the trailhead is actually close to a half mile from the parking area. And the road that leads to the trailhead is a bit confusing. We had already hiked over a mile when we realized that we were DEFINITELY not on the trail. Normally this wouldn’t be a big deal, but there is no shade in the Painted Canyon, and the trail (both the correct AND incorrect) run steeply downhill on the way out. Up, up, and up we climbed out of the canyon, where we met a nice couple who pointed us to the true trailhead.
I’m proud to report that we made it to our goal of halfway through the trail, and the hike was worth it in all ways – even our first (numerous) missteps. The terrain is wild and beautiful, and we were absolutely, positively alone as a family of four for the entire hike. We met another family on the road on our walk out (we shared the directions to the correct trailhead with them as well). One couple, and one other family of five. Those are the only people we saw the entire time we spent in the Painted Canyon. Blissful solitude.
Steak Fondue and a Musical!
I typically cook the vast majority of our meals while traveling with our camper. This year Mike and I are making an effort to eat NO fast food on this trip. But when in Medora, I think the Steak Fondue and Medora Musical might be a “world’s largest” style MUST DO.
With a seriously impressive venue that sits high up on a mountain just at the edge of town, the Steak Fondue dinner and Medora Musical are held seven days a week all summer long. The highlight of the meal for the boys was watching the steaks being cooked on pitchforks over a fire. The highlight for me was getting a family picture taken at the top of the hill with the Hollywood-esque Medora sign in the background.
After dinner, everyone rides an escalator down to the amphitheater for the “Medora Musical”. It was FANTASTIC! A young girl from North Dakota, traveling home, runs into Theodore Roosevelt, and a history of the North Dakota badlands ensues. The singing and dancing was Broadway level (as I would expect after reading the bios of the actors!), and the love and pride for the state of North Dakota ran so deep that I teared up more than once. And I’m not from North Dakota!
Maah Daah Hey Trail and Goodbye, North Dakota!
To the great sadness of our youngest, the trail conditions didn’t improve enough for us to take our rescheduled horseback ride on Monday morning. We’ve promised to do our absolute best to schedule horseback riding on another stop during this trip, and we assuaged our sadness with a little morning mountain biking adventure on the famed Maah Daah Hey Trail.
When we entered Sully Creek State Park, a couple was just setting up for a horseback ride on the Maah Daah Hey Trail. They were extremely kind and let our 7-year-old pet the horses and ask all kinds of questions. If the prairie dogs and wild horses hadn’t already convinced our youngest to move to North Dakota one day, that couple’s kindness in sharing their horses with him for a few minutes likely sealed the deal.
Less than a half mile into the trail is a creek crossing. Undeterred, our youngest followed the guidance of the riders in front of him and rode his bike right across. He did need to stop about halfway and push, but we were off to an adventurous start. The trail after was incredibly accessible and lots of fun, and Mike and I were really kicking ourselves for not bringing our own bikes on this trip. But the boys enjoyed the miles they rode, and Mike and I enjoyed getting some exercise in before hitting the road for a two-day truck ride across the state of Montana.
We got the last of our energy out playing in the Little Missouri on our return ride/walk, and headed back to the camper to pack up and bid farewell to North Dakota. Our stay was short, but oh so sweet, and we hope to return! Off to West Glacier, Montana.
