Before planning our next stop in our 10 Day Camper trip (check out Part 1: South Dakota and Part 2: Montana if you haven’t read them already!), I barely knew about this place. But it was well worth the visit! Medora, ND has it all, even its own National Park! Of course, being here the time a year we went, early October 2020, meant we missed out on a few things but we were still happy we went. We met the locals and got to slow down the pace before going back home. It was neat being there in non-touristy off season. We got to notice the kids at school, the town’s Halloween decorations, and friendly residents.
As I discovered online and in person, I can’t say it better then what I found on the Medora website: “Medora is located in the Badlands, the same ones that make up Teddy Roosevelt National Park, the only National Park named after a person. Explore the 70,400 acres of land where the 26th President, Teddy Roosevelt himself, was a rancher.” Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a beautiful calming drive. According the Medora website, “in 2016, it was the #5 place they thought you’d better see! Also, the New York Times recommends Theodore Roosevelt National Park as one of “52 Places to Go.” We agree! There was so much to see and do in Medora.
We loved seeing the prairie dogs and bison. It’s a nice drive with beautiful views. The welcome center was closed as were a lot of other things because we were visiting during the off season, but we still enjoyed our visit. We did not go hiking much, but there is a lot of options and information if you want to explore more. I almost forgot, we got to see wild horses!
After the cool drive, we just walked around and got to discover the year-round Medora Children’s Park which was built for both local and tourist families. It was fun for us and our son! The playground has a western theme with a false front town and a section that looks like an Old West fort. The play areas have western-looking equipment like a stagecoach and a train engine.
The Medora Children’s Park is located on the east side of town, across the street from the new Little Bully Pulpit Mini Golf. It was closed for the season when we went, but looked really fun. We did try huckleberry ice cream, which was yummy and I regret not trying to bring some home to Minnesota!
We got to have a great chat with the lady at the post office. She took the time to explain about a few original antiques from there. It was neat. We visited a few shops that were still open, including one that was selling cowboy boots that are made near my husband’s hometown in Canada! Our son needed a cowboy belt too!
The campground we stayed at, Boots campground, was just a little outside town. It was a very quiet area to stay in even though almost all 16 spots were taken. While exploring the views at sunset, we discovered cactus. I had no clue they were there, until I walked into it! Ouch! I seem to have a cactus attraction… If you want to know more, ask! 😊
Our camper was one of the smaller ones at the camprground in Medora, even this time of year. Thank goodness that ours has a heater! It sure is starting to get cold around here!
Next stop, Fargo!
