Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit Scenic Byway

North Unit Visitor Center

Begin your journey at the North Unit Visitor Center, where exhibits introduce Theodore Roosevelt's ranching years and the wildlife that makes this landscape famous. It's also the ideal place to gather information before setting out on the scenic drive.

Buckhorn Trail

Your first major stop introduces the rugged terrain that Roosevelt explored after arriving in the badlands. The surrounding landscape sets the stage for the remarkable story of how personal tragedy led him to a life that ultimately shaped American conservation.

Hidatsa Homeland

Long before settlers arrived, the Hidatsa people called this region home. Learn about their thriving villages, agricultural traditions, spiritual beliefs surrounding the Old Woman Who Never Dies, and the devastating impact of disease and displacement.

Cannonball Concretions Pullout

One of the North Unit's most unusual sights, these enormous spherical boulders appear scattered across the hillsides like giant marbles. Formed underground over 65 million years ago, they offer one of the park's most fascinating geological stories and rewarding short hikes.

Caprock Coulee Trail

This challenging trail showcases classic badlands geology, where resistant caprock protects softer layers beneath to create flat-topped buttes and mushroom-shaped formations. Adventurous visitors can explore prairie, juniper woodlands, coulees, and petrified wood.

River Bend Overlook

A short paved walk leads to a beautifully crafted stone shelter built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1937. From here, visitors enjoy sweeping views nearly 400 feet above the winding Little Missouri River, one of the most iconic vistas along the drive.

Bentonitic Clay Overlook

Blue-black layers of bentonite clay reveal another chapter in the park's geological history. When wet, this volcanic ash expands dramatically into slippery "gumbo" mud that challenged early travelers and continues shaping the ever-changing badlands landscape.

Wildlife Along the Scenic Drive

Keep your eyes on the prairie as you drive. Massive bison herds often graze near the roadway, while sturdy feral horses roam the coulees, having adapted to one of the harshest environments in the Great Plains.

Oxbow Overlook

The scenic drive culminates at Oxbow Overlook, where the Little Missouri River forms a spectacular horseshoe bend through protected wilderness. This is the same view Theodore Roosevelt experienced during his first visit in 1883 and one of the park's finest places for wildlife watching and photography.