Painted Canyon Visitor Center - Theodore Roosevelt National Park

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.

Bison often wander through the parking lot

Visitor Center

Rear of visitor center

Restrooms, vending, and recycling

View of the overlook from inside the visitor center

Exhibits and information desk

Bookstore and more exhibits

Picnic area

Flat topped Peck Hill, highest point in the park (2867' 1.6 miles NW)

Bands of clay accent the landscape to right of Peck Hill

Badlands stretch to the horizon

Unnamed butte with Buck Hill on the horizon

Second highest point in the park, Buck Hill (2860' 2 miles N)

Badlands

Painted Canyon

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.