South Unit Visitor Center - Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park consists of three non-contiguous parcels of land. The 46,000 acres of the South Unit are located along and mostly north of Interstate 94 near Medora, North Dakota. The 24,000 acres of the north unit are located about 80 miles north of the South Unit west of US 85 and 15 miles south of Watford City. The 200 acres of the Elkhorn Ranch Unit are located between the other two units. The Little Missouri River flows through all three units.

We continued our May 2021 trip to the park with a visit to the South Unit Visitor Center and the Maltese Cross cabin located behind the visitor center. Paved angled parking is available for 31 passenger vehicles and four RVs with an additional two places reserved for accessible placarded vehicles. The visitor center contains the usual information desk, bookstore, museum exhibits, theater, and restrooms. Rangers at the information desk also collect the entrance fees. Due to pandemic restrictions, the theater was closed, but the 17-minute film Refuge of the American Spirit was being shown in a corner of the museum entrance. The film "tells the story of how the badlands, broken and extreme, revived Roosevelt's spirit, providing him the strength and endurance of character he would need to lead a nation."

Visitor Center

Stephen Mather plaque

Exterior information boards

Petrified wood

Gift shop and bookstore

Exhibits

Interior trail information boards

Entrance to the museum

An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Theodore Roosevelt National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm.