Four Itchy Feet

May 30, 2025. Medora, North Dakota. Day 8 of 170

We visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park today. It was our first national park on our westbound pilgrimage—and our first bison sighting! We arrived at the visitor center by 9:00 a.m. and headed around back to hike the Painted Canyon Nature Trail. It’s a one-mile, easy loop that took us down into the badlands, allowing us to experience this uniquely beautiful landscape.

As Barbara emerged from the trail, just over the hill and out of her sight, stood a large bison. We had to step off the trail to safely navigate around him—and four of his friends!

From the center, we traveled to Medora. At the National Park Visitor Center there, we visited the interpretive museum, watched a movie, and enjoyed a wonderful 30-minute talk from Ranger Karie. She provided a comprehensive historical account of Theodore Roosevelt’s activities in the area, including a tour of the Maltese Cross hunting cabin, where he spent many days during his visits to North Dakota.

We were disappointed to learn that the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is still under construction and won’t open until July 4, 2026, to coincide with our nation’s 250th birthday. We also found out that the Teddy Roosevelt Show doesn’t begin until early June. It turns out we arrived a bit early in the tourist season for the park.

We wrapped up the day with a walk around the charming town of Medora, which still preserves the character of a bygone era, and enjoyed some very tasty pizza at Badlands Pizza.