Campground · Theodore Roosevelt National Park
A riverside base where bison may pass through camp.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Theodore Roosevelt National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Theodore Roosevelt audio tourRecorded for this place
Cottonwood Campground: A Riverside Base“You're coming up on Cottonwood Campground, the South Unit's only campground, beside the Little Missouri River.”
Plays as you drive up to Cottonwood Campground in the Parkwolf Theodore Roosevelt Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Cottonwood is the South Unit’s only campground, about 5.5 miles along East River Road from Medora. Its 76 sites sit beside the Little Missouri River, with cottonwoods along the banks and badlands nearby. It’s a practical overnight base for the scenic drive and nearby trails. Plan ahead for a site: reserve through Recreation.gov during the main season, when the campground fills to capacity each afternoon from mid-May through mid-September.
There are standard tent and RV sites, plus tent-only, walk-to or boat-to sites and a group site. Each campsite has a picnic table, raised grill and cleared, flat tent area. The campground is open year-round, but water and flush toilets are seasonal; vault toilets stay open. There are no hookups, showers, laundry or dump station, and no camp store, so pick up supplies in Medora before driving in.
The river is the campground’s defining feature: bison may cross camp on their way to drink, and the cottonwood leaves turn gold in fall. Despite the trees, most sites get partial to full sun. If you bring a tall RV, check site dimensions and branch clearance first; low limbs may damage vehicles over 13 feet high.
Wildlife
1,082 sightingsBisonMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
346 sightingsWild HorseMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
27 sightingsWapitiMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
46 sightingsBighorn SheepMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
87 sightingsPronghornMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
162 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 8 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Theodore Roosevelt. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasySkyline Vista Trail0.3 mi · 10 min · 1 mi awayA short paved walk to a seated badlands overlook.
ModerateBig Plateau and Ekblom Trail Loop5.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA high plateau loop with two river crossings and badlands views.
ChallengingBig Plateau Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA short, strenuous climb opens onto a wide grassland plateau.
ChallengingLone Tree Loop9.1 mi · 5.5 hr · 1.4 mi awayA steep loop to a spring basin and broad badlands views.
EasyCCC Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 1.5 mi awayA flat grassland path to the Jones Creek junction.
ModerateJones Creek Trail4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 1.5 mi awayA creek-valley traverse through the South Unit badlands
ModerateMaah Daah Hey Trail — South Unit8.4 mi · 4.5 hr · 1.6 mi awayA one-way crossing through the South Unit's Big Plateau Wilderness.
ModerateLower Paddock Creek Trail3.6 mi · 2 hr · 1.7 mi awayWalk through a prairie-dog town and follow Paddock Creek upstream.
Scenic pullout · 1.1 mi awayPrairie Dog Colony PulloffA quick stop to look for black-tailed prairie dogs.
Sight · 1.1 mi awaySkyline VistaA quick paved walk to a broad Little Missouri badlands view.
Sight · 1.4 mi awayPeaceful Valley RanchA ranch turned dude ranch, then the South Unit's first headquarters.
Scenic pullout · 1.5 mi awayJohnson's Plateau Roadside PulloffAn easy scenic-drive stop for watching prairie dogs at work.
Scenic pullout · 2.1 mi awayMedora OverlookA quick look from Medora to the Little Missouri River
Sight · 2.3 mi awayMaltese Cross CabinAn 1883 cabin that traveled from the World’s Fair to the Badlands.
Visitor center · 2.3 mi awaySouth Unit Visitor CenterAsk a ranger about the South Unit loop before setting out.
Sight · 2.4 mi awayTheodore Roosevelt Presidential LibraryA half-day of Roosevelt, hands-on galleries, and rooftop Badlands viewsParkwolf’s Theodore Roosevelt ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
