[TRNP, Jun 15, 2025]

Our long travel day yesterday and the late night with the Medora Musical meant that we had to sleep in this morning. But once we got breakfasted and caffeinated, it was time to explore the south unit of TRNP. The entrance station was literally a quarter mile from our hotel in Medora.

Only 3 or 4 cars were in front of us, and the line went quickly. You would not have this easy of an experience at some of the more visited national parks at 9:30 am on a Sunday.

We stopped by the visitor center go grab a park map and get recommendations from the ranger as to what stops to make on the scenic drive.

Behind the visitor center is Teddy Roosevelt’s first cabin in North Dakota. He used the Maltese Cross Cabin between 1883 and 1884, when he established his Elkhorn Ranch. The cabin was moved here from its original location 7 miles south but it has been restored to its original state. After Teddy Roosevelt became president, the cabin spent some time traveling across the US. In 1904, it went to the World’s Fair in St Louis and the following year, to the Lewis and Clark Centennial exhibition in Portland, OR! After a few decades in Fargo and Bismarck, it came to the park in 1959.

Then it was time for the scenic drive! What is normally a full loop was currently a 36-mile out-and-back due to the road construction on the last 12 miles of the loop. We still had plenty of choices to fill up the day with. Here are our stops.

1. Skyline Vista

This short paved trail to an overlook gave us our first views of the Little Missouri River badlands. Rainwater, creeks and the river are constantly eroding the badlands, creating the buttes we were surrounded by. In fact, the plateau we were standing on and the one across the way were once a continuous plain. The river carved away the material in-between.

2. Lower Paddock Creek Trail

This ranger-recommended trail is just down a short gravel road off the scenic drive. Immediately off the parking lot is a giant prairie dog town. I had flashbacks to the time I spent the night in a tipi at Glacier National Park, and these little guys were all over our stuff. A lone bison meandered up the hill from us.

We continued on for just under a mile, admiring the buttes around us. It was a gorgeous trail but due to our late start and the lack of shade, it was already quite hot.

Randomly, we saw a pronghorn at a non-descript pullout along the way. We actually stopped because there was a bison as well, but the pronghorn was a nice surprise! This is the best photo I could get from so far away.

3. Wind Canyon

Wind Canyon provided our most dramatic views of the day. This short trail up a wind-carved cliff had dramatic views of a bend in the Little Missouri River. In this section of the river, we could see why it was nicknamed “Little Muddy.” Sediment from the surrounding buttes had seeped into the river to the point where it didn’t even look like a river any more but rather, like a giant muddy river bed.

We also enjoyed the fully blooming prickly pear cactus we saw on the trail. I didn’t realize they grew here!

4. Boicourt Overlook

The view from this overlook was beautiful albeit a little repetitive by now. We didn’t continue to the second overlook past the paved section.

5. Buck Hill Overlook

This overlook climbs up a short but steep trail to the second-highest peak in the park with 360-degree views.

As we were driving back and out of the park, we saw a great deal of bison right off the road! It was a great way to end the day in the South Unit!

After lunch at the Farmhouse Cafe in Medora, we napped and took a dip in our hotel’s hot tub. We couldn’t have been happier with our first full day in TRNP!