We continued our August 2017 trip to the Upper Midwest and Northern Great Plains with a visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The park consists of more than 70,000 acres in three units connected by the Little Missouri River.
Our first stop was the Painted Canyon Visitor Center in the South Unit. This visitor center also doubles as a rest area for both eastbound and westbound traffic on Interstate 94 at exit 32 in western North Dakota. It is not connected to any other portion of the park by road.
The visitor center is open seasonally and includes an information desk, bookstore, and exhibits. Restrooms with running water are in an adjacent building. Picnic facilities including wind breaks are located at the southwest end of the compound. A large paved parking area includes over 50 spaces for passenger vehicles plus several more spaces for those with disabilities. In addition, there are spaces for 29 RVs, busses, or semi-trucks.
A concrete sidewalk leads to an overlook with views of the Painted Canyon. Several wayside displays interpret the flora, fauna, and views.
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| Bison often wander through the parking lot |
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| Visitor Center |
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| Rear of visitor center |
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| Restrooms, vending, and recycling |
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| View of the overlook from inside the visitor center |
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| Exhibits and information desk |
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| Bookstore and more exhibits |
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| Picnic area |
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| Flat topped Peck Hill, highest point in the park (2867' 1.6 miles NW) |
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| Bands of clay accent the landscape to right of Peck Hill |
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| Badlands stretch to the horizon |
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| Unnamed butte with Buck Hill on the horizon |
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| Second highest point in the park, Buck Hill (2860' 2 miles N) |
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| Badlands |
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| Painted Canyon |
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| Light plays across the badlands |
An entrance fee of $25 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven days to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Other entrance fee options include a Theodore Roosevelt National Park Annual Park Pass for $50, an Every Kid in a Park 4th Grade Pass for free and a variety of America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes providing access to most national park, national forest, and BLM fee areas
- Annual Pass for $80
- Military Pass for free
- Lifetime Senior Pass for $80 or $20 annually for those age 62 and older
- Access Pass for free for visitors with a permanent disability
An entrance fee is not collected at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center.
The park website is
https://www.nps.gov/thro.
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