Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt National Park preserves a wild sweep of the North Dakota Badlands, the raw, ravined country that so gripped a young Theodore Roosevelt in the 1880s that it helped shape him into America's great conservation president. Split into three units along the Little Missouri River, the park is a place of banded buttes, prairie grasslands, and improbable herds of free-roaming wildlife.

Badlands, bison, and wild horses

The landscape is startling: layer-cake hills of grey, gold, and rust, carved by wind and water into a maze of gullies and flat-topped mesas, glowing at sunrise and sunset. Across it roam bison in shaggy herds, along with wild horses, pronghorn, prairie dogs whose towns chirp with activity, and the occasional elk. Roosevelt's own Maltese Cross Cabin still stands, a tangible link to the ranching frontier that inspired the national park idea itself.

For a UK family, this is the wide, empty, cinematic West at its most authentic and least crowded, a place where you may share a scenic loop road with more bison than other cars.

You come to Theodore Roosevelt for the West without the queues. This is one of America's most overlooked national parks, which means a family can watch a bison herd cross the road, spot wild horses on a ridgeline, and drive a whole scenic loop in near solitude. The sense of space is enormous and genuinely humbling.

The Badlands themselves are the draw: an eerie, beautiful maze of eroded buttes that turns molten at golden hour, perfect for photography and short, rewarding walks. Add a rich cast of easily spotted wildlife, from chattering prairie dog towns to pronghorn and elk, and a real slice of frontier history in Roosevelt's cabin and ranch sites. For teenagers who imagine the Wild West as a myth, standing among wild horses on an open prairie under an immense sky is a memorable dose of the genuine article.

A car is essential here, and the park is built around scenic loop roads, most notably the 36-mile loop in the South Unit and a scenic drive in the North Unit. These roads deliver the overlooks and much of the wildlife, with short trails branching off. The three units are widely separated: the North Unit lies over an hour from the South, and the Elkhorn Ranch site is remote and reached partly by gravel roads, so treat them as separate outings. There is no shuttle. Bison frequently block the road, which is part of the charm but slows progress. Winter can close roads entirely. Fuel up in Medora or Dickinson before setting out.

There is no public transport to or within Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and no in-park shuttle. Given the park's remote location on the northern plains and its reliance on scenic loop roads, a hire car is essential for any visit. The nearest towns, Medora by the South Unit and Watford City near the North Unit, are small and not served by useful transit. For a UK family, the only realistic plan is to fly into a regional airport such as Dickinson or Bismarck and rent a vehicle for the duration. Driving is not only the practical choice but part of the experience, with wildlife-rich loop roads at the heart of it.

• The park has three units: the popular South Unit near Medora, the wilder North Unit an hour or so north, and the remote Elkhorn Ranch site; most families focus on the South Unit.
• Drive the scenic loop road at dawn or dusk for the best light and the most active wildlife.
• Wild horses roam only the South Unit; the North Unit has longhorn cattle instead.
• Give bison a very wide berth. They look placid but are fast, huge, and unpredictable.
• Medora is a charming, tiny gateway town worth an evening; services inside the park are minimal.
• Summers can be hot and stormy while winters are brutally cold with possible road closures, so late spring and autumn are ideal.
• Bring binoculars; wildlife is abundant but often at a distance.

The northern Great Plains deliver extreme seasons. Summers are hot and prone to sudden, violent thunderstorms, with temperatures that can climb well into the thirties Celsius. Winters are ferociously cold, often far below freezing, with snow, wind, and possible road closures. Spring and autumn are the sweet spots: milder, quieter, and kinder for wildlife watching, though they can still bring cold snaps and wind. Pack layers for a wide daily temperature swing, sun protection, a waterproof for storms, and sturdy shoes for dusty, uneven trails. The wind rarely rests out here, so a windproof outer layer is always worth packing whatever the forecast.

Dickinson Theodore Roosevelt Regional Airport (DIK) is the closest, about 45 minutes from the South Unit, though it has limited service. Bismarck (BIS) is the more practical hub, roughly 2.5 hours' drive east with better connections, while Williston (ISN) serves the North Unit end. For a UK family this is a genuinely remote destination: expect a long-haul flight to a hub such as Minneapolis or Denver, then an onward regional flight and a drive. The reward for the effort is one of the least-visited great parks in the system. Renting a car is essential, both to reach the park and to explore its scenic loop roads, and it pairs well with a wider northern plains road trip.