Sight · Theodore Roosevelt National Park
An easy first look at the South Unit's red badlands.
Overview
Scoria is the reddish, hardened material that caps some buttes here. Burning coal seams underground heated nearby sand and clay into hard rock; after erosion stripped away softer layers, the red caps remained. The name points to a feature you can pick out across the hills.
Parkwolf’s verdictWhy it's called Scoria PointMap
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
Scoria Point: Red Caps and Pale Buttes“Scoria Point Overlook is ahead, with a quick roadside view of red slopes against paler buttes. I'd give this stop five minutes, then save your walking time for the trails.”
Plays as you drive up to Scoria Point Overlook 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
Scoria Point Overlook is a roadside viewpoint on the South Unit Scenic Drive near Medora. It's the drive's first overlook, a quick way to see the broken badlands before deciding how many more stops to make. If you want to spend time on the route's walks and other viewpoints, keep moving after a short look here.
The view takes in broken badlands with reddish slopes and paler buttes. Scan among them for bison, which may graze in the area. For a photo, include the red foreground and the lighter capped buttes behind it to show the contrast that makes this stop distinctive.
This is the first overlook on the South Unit Scenic Drive. The paved, two-way route takes at least two hours to enjoy, including its other overlooks and trailheads. Snow and ice can close road sections in winter, so check conditions before setting out.
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
ModerateRidgeline Nature Trail0.6 mi · 30 min · 1.2 mi awayA quick climb into a maze of ridges, grasses, and juniper.
ModerateLower Paddock Creek Trail3.6 mi · 2 hr · 1.5 mi awayWalk through a prairie-dog town and follow Paddock Creek upstream.
ModerateJones Creek Trail4.5 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA creek-valley traverse through the South Unit badlands
EasyCCC Trail0.9 mi · 30 min · 2.1 mi awayA flat grassland path to the Jones Creek junction.
ChallengingLone Tree Loop9.1 mi · 5.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA steep loop to a spring basin and broad badlands views.
ModerateBig Plateau and Ekblom Trail Loop5.4 mi · 2.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA high plateau loop with two river crossings and badlands views.
ChallengingBig Plateau Trail1.8 mi · 1.5 hr · 2.1 mi awayA short, strenuous climb opens onto a wide grassland plateau.
EasySkyline Vista Trail0.3 mi · 10 min · 2.2 mi awayA short paved walk to a seated badlands overlook.
Scenic pullout · 1.4 mi awayJohnson's Plateau Roadside PulloffAn easy scenic-drive stop for watching prairie dogs at work.
Sight · 1.7 mi awayBadlands OverlookLayered buttes make this the South Unit's panoramic finale.
Scenic pullout · 1.9 mi awayPrairie Dog Colony PulloffA quick stop to look for black-tailed prairie dogs.
Scenic pullout · 2.1 mi awayMedora OverlookA quick look from Medora to the Little Missouri River
Sight · 2.1 mi awayPeaceful Valley RanchA ranch turned dude ranch, then the South Unit's first headquarters.
Sight · 2.2 mi awayMaltese Cross CabinAn 1883 cabin that traveled from the World’s Fair to the Badlands.
Visitor center · 2.2 mi awaySouth Unit Visitor CenterAsk a ranger about the South Unit loop before setting out.
Sight · 2.3 mi awaySkyline VistaA quick paved walk to a broad Little Missouri badlands view.Parkwolf’s Theodore Roosevelt ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
