Teddy Roosevelt National Park South Unit

South Unit Visitor Center & Maltese Cross Cabin

Begin your journey where Roosevelt's story comes alive. Explore the original Maltese Cross Cabin—the actual cabin where Theodore Roosevelt lived during his ranching years—and discover how this modest frontier home became one of the most well-traveled historic cabins in America after appearing at the 1904 World's Fair.

Medora Overlook

Your first panoramic view reveals the Little Missouri River winding through the dramatic badlands below. From this overlook, you'll understand why Roosevelt described this rugged landscape as possessing a "desolate, grim beauty" unlike anywhere else in America.

Prairie Dog Viewing Area

Watch for prairie dogs standing sentry across the grasslands as they call warnings throughout their busy underground communities. These fascinating animals are an important part of the park's ecosystem and offer one of the South Unit's most entertaining wildlife experiences.

Skyline Vista

A short paved walk leads to spectacular views nearly 400 feet above the Little Missouri River Valley. Standing here, it's easy to imagine Roosevelt looking across the same sweeping landscape while developing his deep appreciation for the American wilderness.

Cottonwood Campground

Nestled beside the river, Cottonwood Campground offers more than a place to spend the night. It occupies the same valley Roosevelt crossed while moving cattle between his ranches and rewards visitors with some of the darkest night skies in North Dakota, where countless stars fill the horizon.

Scoria Point Overlook

See the striking red and orange buttes that define the South Unit's colorful landscape. These distinctive rock layers were created when ancient underground coal fires baked the surrounding clay into durable scoria, producing the vivid colors visible throughout the park.

Badlands Overlook

Few places capture the scale of the South Unit better than Badlands Overlook. Layers of striped buttes, winding ravines, and vast prairie stretch to the horizon, revealing millions of years of geological history carved by wind and water. It is one of the park's finest places to appreciate the rugged landscape that captivated Theodore Roosevelt.

Coal Vein Nature Trail

Take a short walk through one of the park's most unusual landscapes. This trail showcases the lasting effects of a naturally ignited underground coal seam that burned for decades, transforming ordinary clay into the brilliant red scoria that gives portions of the badlands their striking appearance.

Buck Hill

One of the highest accessible points in the South Unit, Buck Hill rewards visitors with sweeping 360-degree views across the Little Missouri Badlands. A short climb to the summit offers an unforgettable perspective of rolling grasslands, colorful formations, and distant river valleys that seem to stretch endlessly into the horizon.

Wind Canyon

A brief trail leads to one of the park's most photographed overlooks. Below, the Little Missouri River twists through the badlands, while centuries of wind erosion have sculpted intricate ridges and gullies that give this scenic viewpoint its fitting name.

Peaceful Valley Ranch

End your journey at a site that preserves the spirit of North Dakota's ranching heritage. Once an active dude ranch, Peaceful Valley Ranch reflects the frontier lifestyle that Roosevelt experienced during his years in the badlands and serves as a reminder of the hardworking people who shaped this remarkable landscape.