Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Nice little spot only ten minutes from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Lots of RV traffic which comes with lots of generator noise.

Pit toilets, and a shower house that gives you eight minutes for $1. Sites are reservable and cost $12 a night but there is a day use fee of $7 that is not included in the site fee. $19 a night unless you have a ND state parks pass. Tent sites have lots of shade and the RV and equestrian areas are pretty exposed.

We stayed here two nights in a tent and loved it! Absolutely beautiful campground right across the river from Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s north unit. The scenery is breathtaking. There are three different loops A-C, and while most sites have no shade there are a couple in loop B (including ours #12) that have trees and provide good shade and wind protection. The pit toilets were some of the cleanest I’ve encountered in my history of camping. We were there in mid-September so the campground wasn’t full but there were a decent number of campers for being off season. Still, it was pretty quiet, save for the coyotes howling in the distance and a stray moo or two from nearby cows. There’s also trail access right to Maah Dah Hey and Long X trails right in the campground which is really nice! All in all this is a wonderful spot and one of my favorite campgrounds I’ve ever stayed at. 1 mi. gravel road to get in.

We stayed at Red Trail campground in Medora, ND in September 2021. This is a great little park right outside Theodore Roosevelt National park. We stayed on an end site that was large and spacious with FHU. This park is dusty when the wind starts to blow but other than that, we enjoyed our stay here. Very well managed by a cheerful staff that go to great lengths to help you get your rig in safely before they leave you to set up camp. This was by far one of the easiest parks to negotiate in and out of with a big rig and is a great stop when visiting the Theodore Roosevelt National park. I would definatly recommend this park for a carefree visit to North Dakota. To see videos on this park and others, please visit our YouTube channel: Jeff & Steff’s Excellent Adventure.

Cottonwood Campground was a very welcome oasis in the prairies of North Dakota. Along our year-long trip, we slept in a lot of campgrounds, but Cottonwood stands out as just what we needed at the time: quiet, spacious, and beautiful sites, nestled right up along the Missouri river, perfect for taking a dip at the end of a long day of hiking.

We spent four days at Theodore Roosevelt National Park: two in the south unit and two in the north unit. (We also loved Juniper Campground in the north!)

Cottonwood Campground was a great place to crash for two nights. It was cheap, comfortable, and quiet. It allowed great access to the heart of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We even ran into a Teddy impersonator at the Visitor Center!

In the south, near Cottonwood Campground, we loved the beautiful scenic drive, the views from Buck Hill, Wind Canyon Overlook, and the Petrified Forest (a bit of a drive around the park).

You can read much more about our four days in the park on our blog: Switchback Kids (Theodore Roosevelt)

We stayed here while visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Amazing views and very quite.

Tight fit but close to the National Park and downtown Medora. 

The town of Medora truly supports the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

A perfect campground for equestrian campers or those visiting Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Just 3-4 miles from Medora ND and park entrance. Open views, good trails, great birding. The sites have electric, accessible water and dump site. Showers snd vault toilets kept very clean.

Very open area not much shade making the site not very private. Staff is nice and accommodating. Showers are 1$ for 8 minutes. Close to trails and close to Medora which is the closest city to Theodore Roosevelt national park. A good alternative for tent camping if you can get into cottonwood because it’s too full.

When we camped here it was the off season and we only had to share the campground with 3 other groups of people. It is a close drive to Theodore Roosevelt National Park which is nice because we could spend all day at the park and then easily make it back in time to cook dinner and enjoy the site as well.

The best thing about this campground was its location... close to town, close to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and close to the Mefora Musical. The campground was clean but the sites werevery close together. The campground had lots of cottonwood trees so the cotton was blowing all over when we were the in June. It did have full hook-ups, so that was a plus.

I have already posted my review for the Theodore Roosevelt South campground - Cottonwood. I won't repeat myself too much. Believe it or not, but I would put the North unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park even ahead of Yosemite.

The trees and the canopy in the Juniper campground is really cool. Especially against the terrain that surrounds it. The campground is low on amenities but high on scenery, and it is very clean.

The hiking in the North unit is amazing. There is so much wildlife. Never have I been so close to so many animals in the wild. I saw a lot of wildlife in Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, but not as much as I did here.

I never thought I would ever want to visit North Dakota. Honestly, I cant wait to go back. This place will blow your expectations, especially if you take an adventure on a hike or two. In the North unit, I highly suggest stopping at the River Bend Overlook and hiking down to the CCC shelter for some amazing views. Then drive to the end of the road and take a quick hike to Sperati Point.

Found this site close to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Road in is pretty good, any right should be able to make it. There are several sites in the camping area, some could fit big rigs. Smaller rigs can get into any of the other sites. Despite being near the Interstate, it was really quiet at night. Great Verizon signal on this location. Starlink had some of the fastest connections we have seen.

The campground is just off the interstate, but far enough that the noise isn't bad. The scenery is beautiful, and we heard coyotes after we went to bed. No AT&T coverage at our campsite, but a short walk up a dirt road got us high enough for a few bars.

We didn't have time to explore the area, but what we could see of Theodore Roosevelt National Park from the highway was stunning.

We really enjoyed this campground. We had a back-in site that had a little bit of shade. There are 30/50 amp electricity, but no water/sewer. There is a dump station with potable water when you first pull in. The sites are really spread out and it was very quiet at night. There is a river adjacent to the campground and the Maah Daah Hey trail runs through the campground. The town of Medora is a 5 minute drive, but there isn't too much there. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is a 5 minute drive as well and the main reason to come to this area.

Site was clean and well maintained. Campground offered pull through, pull off and back in Sites.

Bathrooms were very clean and well maintained.

Wildlife is everywhere. We were fortune to witness Bison walking through our site in the very early hours of the morning. Wild horses also visited the campground at some point.

Rangers we not only friendly but very knowledgeable. They were great with kids in ever setting taking time to educate them with facts about the park and wildlife.

We arrived before 3pm and were able to secure a first come first serve campsite.

Not only being in the heart of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the town of Medora is a very family friendly place to explore.

While this may be in the middle of nowhere, it is worth the trip off the beaten path. From what I understand, the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is even leas visited and less crowded. We were there in the middle of the summer and only saw a handful of others. The scenery is breathtaking and unique, not exactly like anything else I have ever seen. There are abundant buffalo wandering the fields roads. The campground was quiet and clean, kind of in a prairie with abundant trees. While we didn't go hiking, there are a few trails, both long (18 mile backpacking loop) and short. If you are making the trip to Glacier from the east, don't miss this park/campground!