2026 is the year to finally visit the North Dakota Badlands — National Geographic agrees

There’s a new presidential library coming

About 160 people live in Medora, North Dakota, but more than 250,000 visitors show up every year.

The town sits deep in the western Badlands, where colorful buttes rise over canyons and the prairie rolls out in every direction.

National Geographic named this stretch of North Dakota one of its “Best of the World” destinations for 2026, and on July 4, 2026, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opens its doors here.

The timing could not be better for your first trip.

A French nobleman and Teddy Roosevelt built this town

In 1883, a French nobleman called the Marquis de Mores founded the town and named it after his wife, Medora.

He put up a meat packing plant, a 26-room house, and a string of businesses along the Northern Pacific rail line. Theodore Roosevelt arrived the same year and bought two cattle ranches nearby.

A brutal blizzard in 1888 wiped out the cattle industry and nearly killed the town.

In the 1960’s, North Dakota businessman Harold Schafer poured money into restoring Medora’s buildings, then donated his entire investment to create the nonprofit Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, which runs many of the town’s attractions today.

The only national park named for one person

Theodore Roosevelt National Park covers more than 70,000 acres of Badlands wilderness, and the South Unit entrance sits right in Medora.

You can drive the 36-mile Scenic Loop, which winds through the Badlands with pullouts and overlooks the whole way.

If you want to get out of the car, the park has about 100 miles of trails, from short wheelchair-accessible paths to rugged backcountry routes.

Near the South Unit Visitor Center, you can tour Roosevelt’s Maltese Cross Cabin, built in 1883.

Bison, wild horses and prairie dogs everywhere you look

A herd of about 300 American bison roams the South Unit, and they wander near roads and through campgrounds like they own the place.

A historic herd of feral horses also runs through the South Unit, descendants of domesticated horses that people let loose long ago.

You’ll spot elk, mule deer, white-tailed deer and pronghorn antelope throughout the park. Near Skyline Vista, prairie dog towns dot the landscape, and you can watch the animals pop up from their burrows.

Patient observers also catch bighorn sheep, coyotes and golden eagles.

Your first look at the Badlands from Interstate 94

Painted Canyon sits right off Interstate 94, and for many visitors, it’s the first real look at the Badlands. You pull over, walk to the rim, and a wide view of layered canyons stretches out as far as you can see.

A small visitor center there has maps and information, and the stop is free. Trails lead down from the rim into the canyon if you want a closer look.

Come back at different hours, because the light shifts the canyon walls from soft pastels to deep reds and purples.

Live horses on stage and fireworks over the Badlands

The Medora Musical has run every summer since 1965, making it more than 60 years of singing, dancing, and Western showmanship.

The show fills the 2,853-seat Burning Hills Amphitheatre, a venue that local volunteers carved into a Badlands hillside in 1958.

Live horses take the stage, and the show wraps up with a fireworks finale over the buttes. More than 4 million people have watched it over the decades.

Harold Schafer helped create the musical, and it remains one of North Dakota’s most beloved family traditions.

Cowboys dunk steaks on pitchforks into hot oil

Before the Medora Musical each evening, you can grab dinner at the Pitchfork Steak Fondue just steps from the amphitheatre.

Cowboy chefs load 12-ounce New York Strip steaks onto pitchforks and dunk them straight into barrels of hot oil. The meal comes with baked beans, baked potatoes, garlic toast, coleslaw, and desserts.

You eat at outdoor tables with the Badlands spread out in front of you while live music plays. Families come back for this combination year after year.

The No. 1 public golf course in America

Bully Pulpit Golf Course took the top spot for Best Public Golf Course in America from USA Today in 2025.

Dr. Michael Hurdzan designed the 18-hole, par-72 course, which opened in 2005 right out of the Badlands landscape. Fairways wind through meadows and woodlands and run along the Little Missouri River.

The back nine sends your tee shots from one Badlands butte to another, with drops of up to 200 feet below. Kids 17 and under play free when they come with a paying adult.

A 144-mile trail the mountain biking world calls epic

The Maah Daah Hey Trail runs 144 miles of single-track through the Badlands, open to hikers, mountain bikers and horseback riders.

The International Mountain Biking Association rated it an EPIC trail, putting it among the top mountain biking trails in the country.

The name comes from the Mandan people and means “an area that will be around for a long time.”

The trail connects all three units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and passes through the Little Missouri National Grassland.

If 144 miles sounds like a lot, you can access shorter sections from trailheads near Medora.

Tour the 26-room chateau on the hill above town

The Chateau de Mores sits on a hill overlooking Medora, the 26-room summer home the Marquis de Mores built in 1883.

It’s now a state historic site and house museum, and many of the original furnishings and family belongings are still inside. Guided tours run during the summer months.

Down in the walkable downtown, the De Mores Memorial Park holds a bronze statue of the Marquis that his family donated. Small shops, ice cream parlors, and Western-themed storefronts line the streets around it.

Rodeo legends and Native American horse culture under one roof

The North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame opened in 2005, right at the entrance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

Inside, you’ll find exhibits on Native American horse culture, homesteading, ranching and rodeo across the northern plains.

The Hall of Honorees on the second floor celebrates the men, women and livestock that shaped North Dakota’s western heritage. Bronze sculptures, western artwork, firearms and artifacts fill the galleries.

Step out onto the building’s patio, and you get a wide view of the Little Missouri River and the park’s rock formations.

A $450 million presidential library opening July 4, 2026

The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a 96,000-square-foot facility sitting on 93 acres atop a Badlands butte, overlooking the national park.

The world-renowned firm Snohetta designed it with mass timber construction and a living green roof planted with native species. Inside, you’ll find about 40,000 square feet of exhibit space and a 300-seat auditorium.

The $450 million project opens on July 4, 2026, timed to the nation’s 250th birthday celebration. Thousands of visitors are expected for the grand opening events.

Explore Medora, North Dakota

You’ll find Medora along Interstate 94 in western North Dakota, right at the gateway to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The whole town is walkable, packed with outdoor entertainment, historic sites, and some of the best golf and trails in the country.

Summer is peak season, with the Medora Musical, the Pitchfork Steak Fondue and most attractions running from June through September.

Check the official website for current hours, event schedules and ticket prices before you plan your trip.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

Read more from this brand:

• The bizarre reason this North Dakota town still exists: bubble bath
• How a 27-year-old Roosevelt became a lawman hunting thieves in the Dakota Badlands
• Autumn hikes and open skies at Theodore Roosevelt National Park