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Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the only national park in North Dakota. The park is meant to honor Theodore Roosevelt's contribution to conservation of natural resources in the United States.
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Highlights of Theodore Roosevelt National Park include Painted Canyon, Maltese Cross Ranch Cabin, the town of Medora at the South Unit's entrance, Elkhorn Ranch Site, Scenic Loop Drive, Prairie Dog Town, Oxbow Overlook, and Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit Scenic Byway.
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Wildlife viewing is one of the most popular visitor attractions. Animals that can be seen include bighorn sheep, white-tailed deer, wild horses, cougars, bison, coyotes, mule deer, elk, prairie dogs, wild turkeys, and sharp-tailed grouse.
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There is a 7 foot tall fence surrounding the entire park. This is meant to help keep the wild horses and bison in the park's boundaries. There are locations in the fence that permit other animals to pass through.
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Reptiles and amphibians that can be found in Theodore Roosevelt National Park include short-horned lizards, sagebrush lizards, and three turtle species. The only venomous snake species in the park is the prairie rattlesnake.
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There have been at least 400 plant species identified in Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
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The most common forest type in the park is Rocky Mountain juniper, and along river regions there are hardwood species such as boxelder, cottonwood, elm, and ash.
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Grassland areas in the park support the growth of saltgrass, bluestem, needle and thread, and western wheatgrass.
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Elkhorn Ranch was established by Theodore Roosevelt himself. It was his second ranch in North Dakota. The first one he invested in was Maltese Cross Ranch, where he had the Maltese Cross Cabin built. This cabin still exists and can be visited by tourists that enter the park.
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There are threats to the Elkhorn Ranch unit of the park, due to oil development on the lands next to the unit. This development includes noise, traffic, and visual pollution factors to the ranch, which were all things Theodore tried to prevent.
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There are 100 miles of horse and foot trails in the park that tourists can explore. Other options for visitors include camping, hiking, canoeing, kayaking, biking, fishing, wildlife viewing, snowshoeing and cross country skiing, and tours.
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