Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness

The Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness is a protected area in northwestern North Dakota featuring mixed grasslands, petrified wood remnants, and distinctive badlands formations shaped by the Little Missouri River. Three separate units compose the wilderness, connected by hiking trails and supporting herds of large mammals in their native setting.

Congress established this wilderness in 1978 to preserve landscapes that shaped Theodore Roosevelt's conservation vision during his ranching years in the 1880s. The designation reflected a broader national commitment to protecting undeveloped lands across the country.

The wilderness preserves the badlands landscape that shaped Theodore Roosevelt's thinking about nature and conservation during his years as a rancher. Visitors walk through the same terrain that influenced one of America's most important environmental movements.

The area offers roughly 95 miles of hiking trails suitable for day trips and extended backpacking, with overnight visits requiring permits. Motorized vehicles are not allowed, so visitors explore on foot or horseback through the terrain.

The Maah Daah Hey Trail stitches together the three separate units into one continuous journey through badlands that few visitors fully explore. The route takes hikers through terrain that looks much as it did when Roosevelt roamed these grasslands over a century ago.