Medora Overlook

Medora Overlook is the first roadside pullout on the South Unit's Scenic Loop Drive, looking across town toward the Little Missouri River below. It's a quick way to see how Medora sits against the badlands. The view is modest, so make it a short stop for the town-and-river setting rather than expecting a deep canyon panorama.

Look across the trees to the river valley below Medora. The river can be easy to miss among the trees, so include both the town and the low valley if you're taking a photo. A thin brick chimney in the middle distance marks the site of the old meat-packing plant.

The town was named for Medora, wife of the Marquis de Morès. He arrived in Dakota Territory in 1883 and built a plant to process cattle and ship dressed meat east in refrigerated railcars. The venture collapsed in 1886, and the plant burned in 1907; its chimney still stands at Chimney Park across the river. It's the piece of that short-lived boom you can still spot from here.

Before Medora was founded, a settlement called Little Missouri stood on the river's west side. Theodore Roosevelt arrived there on his first trip to the badlands. Looking from the overlook, you can see the river corridor that connects those two chapters.