Medora: How To Spend A Perfect Weekend In The Badlands

 

It’s completely understandable why Teddy Roosevelt fell in love with this rugged terrain. Panoramic blue skies, warm sunshine, and a slight breeze greeted us in North Dakota’s Badlands. Any other time couldn’t have been better to close out summer in enchanting Medora than early September. On top of that, add a hot air balloon rally for a prismatic Western North Dakota weekend experience. Furthermore, stand on the same ground where Teddy made decisions that shaped America’s National Park Service before becoming President. 

From watching wild horses in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, eating steak from a pitchfork, to gazing at hot air balloons as they float above the Badlands, these are some of our favorite ways for a Medora getaway. 

Medora Hot Air Balloon Rally

 

Attending Medora’s Hot Air Balloon Rally and Kite Festival in early September is the perfect time to finish the town’s busy summer schedule. Colorful balloons effortlessly take off and float over Medora and the Badlands. However, balloons usually launch at 6:30 am, so spectators need to get to the launch site much earlier to see the entire process, from unpacking to liftoff. Or, for an exquisite view with a sunrise, go to the top of the Cemetary Butte.

Pitchfork Fondue

Before attending the Medora Musical, sign up for an unusual but delicious dinner at the Pitchfork Fondue next to the amphitheater. This western-style cuisine is a little different from a traditional French fondue. 

To begin with, cooks prepare 12 oz New York Strip steaks by coating each in seasoning, then pushing steaks onto pitchfork tines. Each wood-handled pitchfork holds ten pierced New York strip steaks. Next, cooks dip steak-loaded pitchforks into huge black cauldrons of hot boiling oil. After diners load up their metal trays from buffet-style carts with a baked potato, beans, coleslaw, garlic bread, fresh vegetables and fruit, they collect their steak and return to their table.

We arrived early to the first seating and would recommend the same to anyone that wants to enjoy the entire experience. By arriving early, guests can watch cooks prepare the steaks and pick their long wooden picnic table amongst hundreds. We chose an outside row table with a gorgeous view of the Badlands. To top it off, a musician played relaxing folk and pop music from the middle of the massive pavilion. 

We enjoyed the Pitchfork Fondue more than any other event. Mainly because of its relaxed atmosphere and stunning scenery. To our surprise, the tasty steaks were tender and cooked perfectly. Overall, we rate the Pitchfork Fondue an exceptional experience. However, we looked for accessible tables but didn’t see any.

The Medora Musical Backstage Tour

 

Take a backstage tour of the Medora Musical for a compelling behind-the-scenes perspective. One hour before the start of the musical, a tour guide leads visitors from the Medora Musical Welcome Center down an escalator to the stage, then under and behind the stage for a thirty-five-minute excursion. Among other props, we saw the musical’s horses and stagecoach before walking through the stage buildings.

 

Although the tour was compelling, someone with mobility challenges should reconsider this tour. Walking down the amphitheater and under the stage could make completing the tour difficult. At the end, guests must walk back up the amphitheater steps to their seats.

Medora Musical

Medora has been home to one of the most popular western musicals for over fifty years. Every Medora Musical show includes the Burning Hills Singers, the Coal Diggers Band, live horses on stage, and a stagecoach. Yearly themes focus on Teddy Roosevelt, America’s 26th President, and how he impacted America and the American West.

With beautiful Badlands and white letters spelling Medora perched on a hill as a backdrop, an evening in the outdoor Burning Hills Amphitheater will make lifelong memories. Showtime starts at 7:30 pm each night, just in time to watch the glowing sun and shadows set on the Badlands, then escape into darkness behind the stage. 

A vital tip for guests with mobility challenges: Although an escalator and elevator carry guests down to the amphitheater from the parking area, getting to your seats requires using many stadium-like concrete steps. We watched many people struggle to go to and from their seats. However, limited accessible seating without steps is available on the main level. Otherwise, choose a seat closest to the main level as possible.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Along with stunning scenery from North Dakota’s Badlands, spotting wildlife is a highlight in Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Plenty of bison and prairie dogs fill the terrain, and small herds of wild horses roam around the park. We watched several wild horse herds run through the park in plain sight from the South Unit road. Better yet, by ourselves without any other park visitors nearby.

 

Theodore Roosevelt National Park contains three units, each one a scenic drive. The forty-eight-mile South Unit loop is most popular since it’s easily accessible from the interstate and downtown Medora. Driving the loop takes about two hours without stopping. This scenic loop runs within the Little Missouri Badlands and has plenty of bison and prairie dogs a few miles from the entrance at Prairie Dog Metropolis, close to Skyline Vista. 

At the North Unit, driving without stops takes a little more than one hour. A twenty-eight-mile drive contains many hiking trails, history, and scenic overlooks. 

 

Walk Where Teddy Roosevelt Walked

In the middle at Elkhorn Ranch, an easy, short hike takes visitors to the original site of Teddy Roosevelt’s cabin. Only the foundation stones remain, but visitors can walk in the same place where Teddy founded his love for the outdoors and the idea of our National Park Service originated. Sure the wildlife and Badlands are a highlight, but we felt a more profound connection as if we touched history by standing in the same place that inspired our nation’s National Parks, which we love. To be honest, the drive here goes on very well-maintained gravel roads and through scenic private land, but it was well worth a dusty vehicle and a little extra time. Plus, see the Badlands from a different perspective that very few visitors take. We were all alone here and would do it again in a heartbeat.

Tip: Stop in the Medora Theodore Roosevelt National Park visitors center to see one of Teddy’s original cabins in the back.

 

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Chateau de Mores State Historic Site

Chateau de Mores is easily recognized as one of Medora’s most prominent landmarks. The two-story, twenty-six-room historic frame house sits on top of a bluff on the edge of town. Antoine de Vallombrosa, the Marquis de Mores, built the home in 1883 and named the new town after his wife, Medora. The former summer residence holds many original furnishings from the Marquis family. In addition, the state historical park offers insight into Marquis’s family and business life. At the Chateau de Mores Visitor Center, many exhibits reveal a behind-the-scenes look, such as home life, the beef packing plant, the stagecoach line, refrigerated railway cars, and Marquis’s freight company.

After the Visitors Center, we recommend taking a self-guided tour of the house and its stable buildings below the short but steep trail.

 

See Expert Blacksmiths In The Fantastic John Deere Historic Site

Cowboy Hall Of Fame

The Cowboy Hall of Fame’s exhibits were much more than we expected. Excellent presentations included Native American, ranching, and rodeo displays. We were delighted to see Steve Tomac as a member from his rodeo clown days. Another favorite was a restored bright green chuckwagon with red wheels set up as a kitchen on the western range. We highly recommend visiting.

 

A Pizza, Propeller, And Hanging With Ranchers: Collecting Montana Memories

Harold Schafer Heritage Center

Medora originated from Harold Schafer’s passion for North Dakota’s western culture. But, the small town’s legacy wouldn’t be possible without the businessman’s generous donations. In 1986, he sold his business, the Gold Seal Company, mostly known for Mr. Bubble and Snowy Bleach, then reinvested many of his assets into the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation. As a result, Medora and the Medora Musical were formed to save and promote the town’s western heritage. We enjoyed the fascinating story and museum, and we suspect the pink Mr. Bubbles car ranks as the most popular exhibit.

Where To Stay In Medora, North Dakota

We stayed at the Elkhorn Quarters behind the Red Trail Campgrounds. Our rustic-styled room had one queen, a set of bunk beds, a refrigerator, and a microwave. 

Where To Eat In Medora, North Dakota

Medora lacks restaurants, but we would try Badlands Pizza and Saloon next time. 

 

Disclaimer: The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation hosted us, but all opinions are our own.