Sully Creek State Park
🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 Badlands Horseback — 800-acre equestrian paradise along the Little Missouri River in the North Dakota Badlands — one of the only state parks in America designed specifically for horseback riders! The park borders Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit and features primitive campsites along colorful buttes and coulees carved over millions of years. Roosevelt himself rode these exact badlands in the 1880s and said they “made a man of me.”
Visitor Information
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Location | Medora, ND |
| Size | 800 acres |
| Specialty | Equestrian — horseback riding! |
Getting There
Located south of Medora in Billings County — directly adjacent to Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit. The Little Missouri River carved the dramatic badlands that so captivated young Theodore Roosevelt in 1883 that he said “I would not have been president had it not been for my time in North Dakota.” Horseback riding trails connect to the national park. The annual Medora Musical runs summer evenings.
Plan Your Visit
Sully Creek offers camping, horseback riding trails connecting to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and stunning badlands scenery. The Maah Daah Hey Trail (144 miles) — one of America’s premier mountain biking trails — passes through. Medora’s annual Musical theater runs each summer evening. The park’s horse-friendly camping makes it a top equestrian destination. Open May through October; check gravel road conditions in spring.
Nature & Wildlife
The Little Missouri badlands support mule deer, pronghorn antelope, and wild horses. Golden eagles soar above the buttes, and prairie rattlesnakes sun on the exposed clay formations. The badlands’ layered sediments contain petrified wood, lignite coal, and volcanic ash from eruptions 60 million years ago. Bison from Theodore Roosevelt National Park occasionally wander into the park.
Insider Tips
Badlands edge: Sully Creek sits near the Theodore Roosevelt National Park — the rugged Badlands that inspired TR’s conservation legacy. Pro tip: Roosevelt came to the Dakota Badlands in 1883 to hunt bison — the experience transformed him into America’s greatest conservation president. Oil boom: The Bakken oil formation has made western North Dakota one of the country’s largest oil-producing regions.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did Dakota shape Theodore Roosevelt?
Roosevelt arrived in Dakota Territory in 1883 as a grief-stricken young man (his wife and mother died on the same day). Ranching in the Badlands transformed him physically and philosophically. He witnessed the destruction of bison herds and open range — experiences that made him a passionate conservationist. As president (1901-1909), he protected 230 million acres — creating national forests, parks, and monuments. “I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota.”
