NPS · North Dakota

Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness

Divided into three units along the Little Missouri River, Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness encompasses the heart of the scenic North Dakota badlands. Eons ago, when the Rocky Mountains emerged, material washed off the range and was deposited here, forming a plain. Centuries of wind and rain carved the badlands into the broken, colorful splendor of today's badlands. The Wilderness preserves outstanding badlands geology, a petrified forest, mixed-grass prairie, and a wide variety of wildlife species.

Description from Wilderness Connect (wilderness.net).

Wilderness29,920 acresNPSNDDesignated 19787 campgrounds within 10 mi1 trail
Official page at Wilderness Connect ↗
Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness
Photo from Wilderness Connect, wilderness.net

Facts

Where each comes from ↓
DesignationWilderness
Managed byNational Park Service
StateNorth Dakota
Size29,920 acres
Designated1978, by Congress
Center point47.59° N, 103.39° W
Night skyVery dark ground, a faint glow at most (Black Marble reading 20)

Boundary map

3 outlines

Boundary, simplified to about 0.005 degrees Federal campground

The outline is the agency boundary simplified for display, so small parcels and inholdings may not show. The agency page has the authoritative map.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →
Weather by month near Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness10°20°30°40°50°60°70°80°January: 0.48 inches of precipitationFebruary: 0.40 inches of precipitationMarch: 0.58 inches of precipitationApril: 1.16 inches of precipitationMay: 2.71 inches of precipitationJune: 3.06 inches of precipitationJuly: 2.57 inches of precipitationAugust: 1.82 inches of precipitationSeptember: 1.62 inches of precipitationOctober: 1.29 inches of precipitationNovember: 0.58 inches of precipitationDecember: 0.57 inches of precipitationJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecJanuary: 13.0°F averageFebruary: 18.1°F averageMarch: 30.1°F averageApril: 42.7°F averageMay: 53.7°F averageJune: 63.4°F averageJuly: 70.1°F averageAugust: 69.0°F averageSeptember: 58.7°F averageOctober: 43.9°F averageNovember: 29.3°F averageDecember: 17.3°F average0 in1 in2 in3 in4 inTemp °FInches
The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Watford City 14S, 6 miles from the center point at 2,027 feet, station USC00329246 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 17 inches a year.

Large units span more than one climate. The station stands in for the center point, and the outer parts of the boundary can be warmer or colder.

Where to camp

Campsite Atlas →

None of the 7 federal campgrounds within ten miles sit inside the boundary. Nearest first. Distances are from the campground point to the boundary edge, from the Campsite Atlas index.

NPS · 0.2 mi
Juniper Campground Group Site
Reservable1 site
NPS · 0.3 mi
Cottonwood Group Site
Reservable1 site
NPS · 0.4 mi
Cottonwood Campground
Reservable72 sites
FS · 0.7 mi
CCC Campground
Reservable25 sites
NPS · 0.7 mi
Roundup Group Horse Camp
Reservable1 site
FS · 4.3 mi
Buffalo Gap Campground
Reservable36 sites
FS · 4.6 mi
Summit Campground
First-come5 sites

Trails

Trailhead Atlas →

1 named Forest Service trail enters this wilderness, 144 miles in all.

TrailMiles
Maah Daah Hey ↗144.3

Lengths and allowed uses come from the Forest Service trail layer by way of Trailhead Atlas. This trail list was copied from Trailhead Atlas on November 1, 2026 and is copied again on each weekly run. Trails in plain text have no page there yet.

Explore

Nearby on the other atlases

National Park System units within 30 miles · Park Atlas
National Park · 12 mi
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
National Register listings within 15 miles · 9 in all · Register Atlas

Landmarks are listed first, then by distance from the boundary.

Guidebooks for hiking across the country

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

  • Walks of a Lifetime in America
    Manning, 2020
    Find at Bookshop.org
  • Backpacker's the national parks coast to coast
    Ted Alvarez, 2016
    Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

How big is Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness?

29,920 acres.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Who manages Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness?

The National Park Service.

Source: Wilderness Connect

What state is Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness in?

North Dakota.

Source: Wilderness Connect

When was Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness designated?

Congress designated it in 1978.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Can I camp at Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness?

Camping inside a wilderness is usually allowed away from roads, with no facilities, and the managing agency page has the permit rules. The federal campgrounds within ten miles are listed under Where to camp.

Source: Where to camp

How do I get to Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness?

A point inside the boundary is at 47.586° N, 103.388° W. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is 12 miles away. The official page carries directions and the office address.

Source: Wilderness Connect

Which national parks are near Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness?

Theodore Roosevelt National Park (12 mi). Park Atlas has fees, hours and alerts for each.

Source: Nearby on the other atlases

Are there historic places near Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness?

The National Register has 9 listings within 15 miles, including Peaceful Valley Ranch and De Mores Memorial Park.

Source: Register Atlas

Sources

  • Boundary, name, acreage, designation year, states and description: Wilderness Connect.
  • Campgrounds: the Campsite Atlas index of federal campgrounds, matched to this boundary at build time.
  • Trailheads and sites: the Forest Service Recreation Opportunities layer, points inside the boundary.
  • Trails: the Trailhead Atlas open-data file of Forest Service trails, matched on the wilderness each trail enters.
  • Night sky: NASA Black Marble (VIIRS, 2016 composite) sampled at zoom 6 around the center point.
  • Weather, alerts, air quality, river flow and earthquakes load live in your browser from NWS, AirNow, USGS and iNaturalist when you open the page.