Medora: Badlands, music and history

Medora combines access to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park with Badlands scenery, country-western music and historic sites. When planning your trip, you can consider whether you would rather experience the landscape on a scenic drive, explore it actively on a trail, or focus on music and history.

Explore the Badlands in different ways

The entrance to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is in Medora. You can reach it via Interstate 94 at exits 24 and 27; the South Unit Visitor Center is just beyond the park entrance. This makes Medora the starting point for getting oriented in the park.

One way to explore the landscape is the South Unit Scenic Drive. It begins and ends in Medora, is 48 miles long and runs entirely within the Little Missouri Badlands. Without additional stops, it takes about two hours. The distance and approximate duration give you a concrete framework for planning your day.

If you prefer to get around on foot, by bike or on horseback, consider the Maah Daah Hey Trail. The 144-mile-long trail crosses the Badlands, the Little Missouri National Grasslands, private land, and the North and South Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It heads south to Medora and continues to the Burning Coal Vein Campground. The scenic drive and the trail offer different ways to experience the landscape.

Music and stories from history

The Medora Musical is a live country-western music revue performed outdoors. Its stage features include live horses, and the finale is a fireworks display. If you are also considering cultural experiences when choosing your vacation rental, the musical offers a different focus from the scenic routes.

Near Medora, the History Alive! programs are presented on weekends from June through August on the porch of the Chateau de Mores. The 20-minute monologues combine theater with history and are based on original letters, diaries and other documents. The Chateau de Mores is a historic house museum with 26 rooms on two floors. Many of the de Mores family's original furnishings and personal belongings have been preserved there. It is located 1/8 mile west and 1/8 mile south of Medora. House tours are offered during the summer months; admission is charged.

Historic sites in Medora

In the center of Medora is De Mores Memorial Park. It features a bronze statue of the Marquis de Mores, donated by his sons in 1926. The park is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

At the western edge of Medora, Chimney Park preserves the tall chimney of a former packing plant. It is made of local clay bricks; the plant building burned down in 1907. The two sites tell different parts of Medora's history: Memorial Park through the statue and its historic register listing, and Chimney Park through the preserved chimney and the story of the building that burned down.

Scenery and flavor

The Bully Pulpit Golf Course also winds through the Badlands landscape: it passes through meadows and wooded areas along the Little Missouri River, and its holes play from one butte to the next. This offers a distinct focus for travelers who want to include golf in their interests.

At the Pitchfork Steak Fondue, 12-ounce steaks are cooked medium-well and prepared using a Western-style fondue method. Alongside music, history and scenery, Medora therefore also offers a distinctive culinary experience to consider when deciding where to stay.

For the broader travel overview: Billings County.