We didn't make a reservation and were able to get a site. We were there by 8am and it seemed like we were the first ones looking for a site. The host was great and gave us great recommendations. We ended up picking a back in campsite. Our site had a picnic table and an elevated grill. There was a water station across the street but the water was yellow and tasted gross. The bathroom was a bit of a further walk but not too bad.
The temperatures were nice. It wasn't too cold in the morning. Be careful with wildlife, there was a bison that walked by a neighboring campsite but was pretty harmless. He was just grazing.
Great place to view the stars.
Nice, well cared for campground. A lot of trees separating campsites. Very friendly camp host, nice clean restrooms and showers.
We stayed here over one night while driving from Wisconsin out to Glacier National Park. This campsite is on the southern end of the park close to I-94 exit.
I just love this place! The feel of the park is unlike anything I've experienced in that it is expansive, rough, beautiful, unforgiving, and remarkably unforgettable.
Keep these things in mind:
- This campground has amenities that are not kept up very well. Toilets are on the dirty side with outside critters coming inside.
- There is a sense of roughing it even without being out there all alone. This isn't a "pretty park," but rather a natural park.
- You will see Bison and you will see prairie dogs. All other wild beasts are hit or miss. The prairie dog fields are beyond belief in their quantity. I mean there are a TON of PDs.
The families that were there were nice and talkative if you engaged them. Truly a pleasant experience.
Do yourself a favor and drive/hike the park before it opens to the public. Unabated driving for the views is worth it and only compliments your morning Joe.
great spot- lots of room and easy access to wade in the river. minimal but can’t beat it! will be back for sure
This campground in Theodore Roosevelt National Park near Medora ND has 76 sites. Half of the sites, the even-numbered ones, are not reservable. Sites 55-66 are walk in tent sites; parking spots and grills for these sites are numbered so you have a specific site.
We arrived before 10:30 am on a Sunday and sites were being claimed quickly. There were 7 of us choosing sites at that time. The hosts had a whiteboard that listed available sites; we took a photo of the list and chose quickly as we drove around because sites that were listed as available were already being claimed. We ended up on a reservable site that was open for the next several nights. The host couple was really on the ball and their attention helped keep the site selection process orderly. After you put your tag up, they fold it over later in the day and mark your departure date. This is a practice that is used in many campgrounds.
Cottonwood has been full every day since Memorial Day so you can't show up in the evening or possibly even mid-afternoon and expect to find an open site.
This campground has no hookups but has flush toilets, sinks, potable water spigots, a sink for washing dishes/disposing of grey water, a place for filling water tanks, trash disposal and firewood for sale. There are charcoal grates for cooking that can also be use for campfires, but there are no fire rings; your campfire will be a few feet off the ground in something that I think of as a grill!
Showers? No, but there area couple campgrounds in Medora that have showers for $5.
If you stay here, you're obviously here to see Theodore Roosevelt NP. Both the campground and park are worth a visit. The scenery is incredible and gave us a new view of North Dakota. There is a hike near Pleasant Valley Ranch where you can use a few trails to make a 5+ mile loop that will show you everything the park has to offer - Little Missouri River (and you have to cross it at the beginning and end), prairie dog towns, bison herds and beautiful scenery. I highly recommend this as a way to see the park from a better vantage point than the highway.
One complaint - the position of our site (#19) had some people think it was acceptable to cut through our site on their way to the bathroom. Do you walk through someone's home to shorten your walk? Didn't think so but 3 people did within 30 minutes.