Epic Theodore Roosevelt National Park Camping Guide, including Cottonwood Campground in the park's south unit and Juniper Campground in the park's north unit.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park Camping Guide
Camping in Theodore Roosevelt, NP, is a great way to experience the park. You can wake up to Bison grazing on the grass near you.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located in Western North Dakota, approximately 30 miles from Dickinson, North Dakota
The park allows campers and travel trailers but there are no hookups available.
There are no cabins or National Park Lodges available.
Theodore Roosevelt National Park Entrance Fee
Park entrance fees are separate from camping and lodging fees.
Park Entrance Pass - $30.00 Per private vehicle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Park Entrance Pass - Motorcycle - $25.00 Per motorcycle (valid for 1-7 days from the date of purchase)
Per-Person Entrance Pass - $15.00 Visitors 16 years or older who enter on foot, bicycle, or as part of an organized group not involved in a commercial tour.
Annual Park Entrance Pass - $55.00, Admits pass holder and all passengers in a non-commercial vehicle. Valid for one year from the month of purchase.
$50.00 for Commercial Van with 7-15 seats
$60.00 for Commercial Mini-Bus with 16-25 seats
$150.00 for Commercial Motor Coach with 26+ seats
Learn more about National Park Passes for parks that have an entrance fee.
$80.00 - For the America the Beautiful/National Park Pass. The pass covers entrance fees to all US National Park Sites and over 2,000 Federal Recreation Fee Sites for an entire year and covers everyone in the car for per-vehicle sites and up to 4 adults for per-person sites.
Buy your pass at this link, and REI will donate 10% of pass proceeds to the National Forest Foundation, National Park Foundation, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities.
National Park Free Entrance Days -Mark your calendars with the five free entrance days the National Park Service offers annually.
Campground Reservations
To make a reservation at either Cottonwood Campground visit or call:
1-877-444-6777
1-877-833-6777 (TDD)
1-606-515-6777 (International)
Sites may be reserved up to 6 months in advance but no less than 5 days before arrival.
Payment for online or telephone reservations must be made via a credit card. Reservation, change, and cancellation fees may apply.
Cottonwood Campground - South Unit
Location: South Unit inside the park, about 5 miles from Medora, ND.
Elevation: 2,230 feet
Open: Cottonwood Campground is open Year-round
Number of sites: 76
Accessible Sites: Site 005
Cost per night:
Standard Campsite - Summer Rate - $14.00
Standard Campsite - Summer Rate - Senior/Access Pass - $7.00
Standard Campsite - Winter Rate - $7.00
Standard Campsite - Winter Rate - Senior/Access Pass - $3.50
Group Site Rate - $30.00
Reservations?: Yes, Half the sites are by reservation at recreation.gov while all remaining sites are first-come, first-served.
Odd-numbered sites are reservable from May through September.
All campsites are first come, first served the rest of the year.
Sites may be reserved up to 6 months in advance but no less than 5 days before arrival.
Reservations can be made on Recreation.Gov
Campground amenities: Each campsite has a picnic table, raised grill for campfires and for cooking with wood or charcoal, and a cleared, flat area for a tent.
RVs allowed?: Yes
Max RV Length: 45 feet
For more information and photos, check out our post on Cottonwood Campground.
Juniper Campground - North Unit
Location: North unit, 5 miles from Hwy 85
Elevation: 1,935 feet
Open: Juniper Campground is open year-round except the group site which is open by reservation only, May through September.
Number of sites: 50
Accessible Sites: Unknown
Cost per night:
Standard Campsite - Summer Rate - $14.00
Standard Campsite - Winter Rate - $7.00
Standard Campsite - Summer Rate - Senior/Access Pass - $7.00
Standard Campsite - Winter Rate - Senior/Access Pass - $3.50
Camping - Group Site - $30.00
Reservations?: All standard campsites in Juniper are non-reservable (first come, first served).
Only the Juniper Campground Group Site may be reserved from May through September.
Reservations begin each year on the first business day in March at 8:00 am MST. Reservations must be made at least 5 days in advance.
Campground amenities: potable water (seasonal), Dump station (seasonal), flush toilets (seasonal)
Each campsite has a picnic table, a raised grill for campfires and for cooking with wood or charcoal, and a cleared, flat area for a tent.
RVs allowed?: Yes,
The maximum vehicle length among pull-through sites varies. Many sites are quite large (over 50 ft).
Back-in sites accommodate vehicles up to about 20 feet in length.
For more information and photos, check out our post on Juniper Campground.
Roundup Group Horse Camp
Roundup is the park's only camping facility in which horses are permitted. It is reserved by one group at a time; space is not be shared among different parties.
Can accommodate up to 20 people and 20 horses or 30 people if camping without horses.
The campground is gated. The lock combination is given to registered campers when they arrive at the park entrance.
Location: 12 miles from Medora, ND in the park's South Unit
Open: May 01 – October 31
Number of sites: 1
Accessible Sites: Unknown
Cost per night: $40.00
Reservations?: Reservations can be made starting March 1st at 8:00am MST and must be made at least 5 days in advance.
The maximum length of stay is 5 nights.
Campground amenities: Potable Water - Seasonal, Vault Toilets - seasonal,
RVs allowed?: Yes
This campsite is fairly large, accommodating large vehicles and trailers over 50 feet.
For a fun adventure check out Escape Campervans. These campervans have built in beds, kitchen area with refrigerators, and more. You can have them fully set up with kitchen supplies, bedding, and other fun extras. They are painted with epic designs you can't miss!
Escape Campervans has offices in Vancouver, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Denver, New York, and Orlando
Things to do when camping at Theodore Roosevelt National Park
- Biking - Visitors are allowed to ride bikes on park roads only, as all-wheeled vehicles must remain on the paved roadways and parking pads.
- Visitors can ride their bikes on the 48-mile scenic loop road (drive) as you pass through the park's rich natural beauty. The road starts at the South Unit Entrance while passing by some of the park's best sites, including several overlooks and trailheads, several trailheads, wildlife, and incredible scenery in every direction you look.
- Note on the Maah Daah Hey Trail - Bicycles are not allowed on the trail in both the North Unit and South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and they must go around.
- You can take the Buffalo Gap Trail west of the South Unit.
- Trail users at the North unit must use existing roads.
- Cross-country skiing and snowshoeing in the winter
- Horseback Riding - unfortunately, there are no longer guided trail rides available. If you have your own horse, the backcountry of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is open to horse use. This includes backcountry trails.
- Wildlife Viewing—Theodore Roosevelt National Park offers outstanding wildlife viewing! I saw lots of horses and groundhogs, as well as birds, pronghorn antelope, bison, deer, and elk.
- Fishing—Sport fishing is limited to channel catfish, goldeyes, and sauger. The quality and quantity of these fish are unpredictable.
- Hiking—There are a dozen hiking trails in the south unit of the park, ranging from easy to Strenuous.
- Stargazing - Cottonwood Campground has outstanding night sky viewing opportunities as there is very little light pollution as the closest major city is over 30 miles away!
- Canoeing and Kayaking are great ways to explore the Badlands environment! The Little Missouri River is cold, and the ice starts breaking up in early April, making May and June the best months to canoe or kayak.
- After that, the water starts getting shallow, to the point that we have to pick up our boat and move to the next body of water. It can even dry up late in the year.
- You can take a short float from the Medora Bridge to Cottonwood Campground (3.5 miles) or a slightly longer 6.5 miles, starting at Sully Creek State Park and ending at Cottonwood Campground.
- For the adventurous, you can put in at Cottonwood campground and travel approximately 107 miles to the North Unit, taking typically 5 days.
Lodging Near Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Theodore Roosevelt National Park does not have any National Park Lodges.
The map below provides additional lodging options in the area.
The town of Medora, ND, is a small town just outside the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, approximately half an hour to the East is the town of Dickinson, ND.
Watford City, ND, is approximately 15 minutes from the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park.
Additional Recreation Opportunities and National Park Resources
Things to do in Theodore Roosevelt National Park - All the things you don't want to miss during your visit to the park.
Theodore Roosevelt NP Camping Guide - Complete camping guide for Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Juniper Campground - All about Theodore Roosevelt National Parks North Unit Campground
Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site - Learn all about the earthlodge people.
Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site - Learn all about this important fur trade post on the upper Missouri River.
Badlands National Park Travel Guide - Complete guide to exploring Badlands National Park
Things to do in Badlands National Park—This is a Complete guide to Things to do, such as visiting the park's visitor center, the fossil preparation lab, hiking, watching sunrises and sunsets, scenic drives, and wildlife viewing, including Bighorn Sheep and Bison!
Ultimate Badlands National Park Hiking Guide - Complete guide to hiking Badlands National Park
The EPIC Notch Trail in Badlands National Park - Guide to hiking one of my favorite trails in the National Park System
Check out all the great North Dakota National Parks, as well as neighboring South Dakota National Parks, Montana National Parks, and Minnesota National Parks.
National Park Bucket List - How many of these National Park bucket list items have you done.
Free National Park Checklist - Free printable National Park checklist so you can count how many parks you have visited.
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