Theodore Roosevelt National Park preserves 70,000 acres of the North Dakota Badlands where the future president ranched as a young man in 1884-1886, an experience he later credited as the origin of his conservation politics. The park has three non-contiguous units along the Little Missouri River: the South Unit (the developed, most-visited section, accessible directly from I-94 at Medora), the North Unit (50 mi north on US-85, less developed but more dramatic), and the small Elkhorn Ranch Unit at Roosevelt's original ranch site. The Painted Canyon overlook sits literally beside I-94 at Exit 24 and is the easiest national park overlook to reach from any interstate. Bison, prairie dogs, and feral horses are common; black bears are absent. The park is open year-round but most services run May–October only.
- Three non-contiguous units: South (Medora, I-94 Exit 27), North (US-85, 50 mi north), Elkhorn Ranch (remote)
- Painted Canyon Overlook is directly off I-94 Exit 24 — one of the easiest national park views from any interstate
- Roosevelt ranched here in 1884-1886; the experience shaped his later conservation policies
- ~700,000 visitors per year (combined units)
- Free-roaming bison and feral horses; no black bears in the park
