Badlands Motel
501 Pacific Ave
Medora, ND
The motel at the edge of the Badlands, in the town Theodore Roosevelt said made him President.
This property is an Honorable Mention. It has been vetted and approved for our highest standards of cleanliness, safety, and operational excellence. While it is still evolving toward our full design-led designation, it is a proven, reliable anchor for any road trip. We recommend it with confidence.
About Badlands Motel
The Badlands Motel is operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation, the public non-profit formed in 1986 by a major gift from Harold Schafer and his family. Schafer began acquiring and restoring Medora's historic buildings in the 1950s when the town was approaching ghost town status, reviving it as the primary gateway to the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The motel is a single-story drive-up property in the center of Medora, within walking distance of the park entrance, the Medora Musical, and the town's dining and shops. The property operates seasonally from late spring through early fall. On July 4, 2026, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opened on a 93-acre site at the western edge of town.
What Badlands Motel Is Known For
The Badlands Motel's strongest case is its location. No other property puts guests so directly at the center of what Medora offers: a short walk to the national park entrance, the same distance to the amphitheater, and the entire town of shops, restaurants, and historic sites between them. The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation's operating mission, to preserve Medora for future generations rather than extract short-term margin from it, produces an institutional hospitality that reads differently from commercial lodging. Medora is a summer tradition for a significant number of Midwestern families, and the Badlands Motel is where many of those families have stayed for years. That kind of repeat patronage tells you something the rooms alone would not.
Amenities
- Pets Welcome
- WiFi
- Drive-up exterior access to every room
- Outdoor pool (shared access via adjacent Point to Point Park)
- Dogs welcome in select rooms
- Adjacent to Point to Point Park (zipline, lazy river, mini golf, hiking trails)
- Coffee maker and mini-fridge in every room
- Suite with full kitchenette available
- Official Theodore Roosevelt Teddy Bears available for purchase in-room
- Walking distance to Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit entrance
- Walking distance to Medora Musical amphitheater
What Guests Love
- Parking directly outside the room door matters differently in Medora than it does anywhere else: the park entrance is a short walk, the town is compact, and guests arrive with gear, kids, and bikes who need to be able to reload the car quickly at any point in the day.
- Multiple guests describe the rooms as substantially larger and more recently updated than the drive-up exterior suggests, with clean, well-maintained interiors that consistently exceed expectations on arrival.
- Medora's compact geography turns the motel's location into a genuine operational advantage: the park entrance, the Medora Musical, the pitchfork steak fondue dinner, the children's park, and the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library are all within a short walk or a very short drive, which means the car stays parked from check-in to checkout.
Worth Knowing
- The Badlands Motel is seasonal, operating from late spring through early fall. Exact open dates vary by year. Confirm the property is open before booking any visit outside peak summer months.
- Medora has a very limited lodging inventory for its peak season, and the opening of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in July 2026 has significantly increased demand. Book well in advance for any summer visit.
- The Medora Musical, the outdoor amphitheater show that runs nightly at the Burning Hills Amphitheater above town, is accessible by a short shuttle ride. The Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation operates free shuttles during peak season. Check current showtimes and shuttle schedules at medora.com before your stay.
- Pets are welcome. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
The Room
Rooms have western-themed furnishings that reference the Badlands setting in a practical rather than boutique way, and are more spacious and clean on arrival than the exterior consistently leads guests to expect. Coffee makers and mini-fridges are in every room; TVs are standard. Bathrooms are functional and well-maintained, with some rooms featuring walk-in showers. Standard formats include double-queen and king rooms. An ADA-accessible queen room is available. The motel suite offers a full living area and kitchenette with king bed and queen sleeper sofa for families or those staying multiple nights. Dogs are welcome in select rooms (dogs only, maximum two per room) with advance notice. Official Theodore Roosevelt Teddy Bears, part of the Foundation's interpretive gift program, are available for purchase in-room.
The Grounds
The Badlands Motel is a single-story drive-up strip, which is the right form for Medora and for a road trip stop at the edge of the North Dakota Badlands. Rooms open directly to the parking area with no lobby to pass through. The property shares access to Point to Point Park, operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation immediately adjacent, which includes a lazy river, zero-entry pool, mini golf, zipline, and hiking trails. The Medora Children's Park sits nearby. Downtown Medora, including the Harold Schafer Heritage Center, the Billings County Courthouse Museum, and the town's restaurants and shops, is a short walk in any direction.
The Experience
Check-in is handled at the front desk during standard seasonal hours. The Foundation's model runs on several hundred seasonal employees and volunteers who arrive in Medora each summer specifically to serve the people who come here, which produces a hospitality that is warm and purposeful. Guests who return annually describe a familiarity with the staff that accumulates over visits in the way that happens at a place run by people who take the work seriously. Peak season in Medora runs from late spring through early fall. The Medora Musical takes the stage nightly at the Burning Hills Amphitheater during this window; the Pitchfork Steak Fondue, a pre-show dinner where steaks are cooked on pitchfork tines over an open flame above the Badlands buttes, runs before each performance. Wild horses roam freely through the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and bison, elk, and prairie dogs are regular sightings along the park's scenic loop drives. The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library, which opened July 4, 2026, is the first presidential library accessible by hiking trail, mountain bike, and horseback as well as by car. Winter in Medora is quiet: the town scales down significantly after the season closes, and the national park remains open for a different and emptier Badlands experience.
Details
Medora, ND 58645
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Badlands Motel have EV charging?
No, Badlands Motel does not have EV charging.
Does Badlands Motel have WiFi?
Yes, Badlands Motel has WiFi.
What is there to do near Badlands Motel?
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit: 0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library: 1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there. Maah Daah Hey Trail: 1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Badlands Motel from Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit?
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Badlands Motel from Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library?
1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Badlands Motel from Maah Daah Hey Trail?
1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
Is Badlands Motel pet friendly?
Yes. Badlands Motel welcomes pets. A pet fee applies; contact the property directly to confirm current amounts and any restrictions before booking.
Does the Badlands Motel have a pool?
The property has shared access to an outdoor pool in the adjacent Point to Point Park complex operated by the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation.
Can I walk to Theodore Roosevelt National Park from the Badlands Motel?
Yes. The South Unit visitor center and park entrance are less than half a mile from the motel, a short walk from the front parking area.
Is the Badlands Motel open year round?
No. The property is seasonal, operating from late spring through early fall. Confirm current open dates when booking.
What is the Medora Musical?
The Medora Musical is an outdoor amphitheater show that has run every summer since 1965 at the Burning Hills Amphitheater above Medora, covering western history, country music, and Theodore Roosevelt's story. The Foundation operates a free shuttle to the amphitheater during peak season.
What types of accommodations does the Badlands Motel offer?
The property has drive-up rooms in double-queen and king formats, an ADA-accessible queen room, and a suite with a king bed, queen sleeper sofa, and full kitchenette.
What is the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library?
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library is a museum and education center designed by Snohetta that opened July 4, 2026, on a 93-acre site at the western edge of Medora. It is an independent non-profit museum focused on Roosevelt's life and legacy, particularly his years in the North Dakota Badlands.
What is the Maah Daah Hey Trail?
The Maah Daah Hey Trail is a 144-mile long-distance route through the North Dakota Badlands connecting the South and North Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders, with its southern trailhead accessible from Medora.
Is parking available at Badlands Motel?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Badlands Motel.
Does Badlands Motel include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included at Badlands Motel.
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Things to Do Near the North Dakota Badlands
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, South Unit
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park begins at the western edge of Medora and preserves the Badlands landscape that reshaped Roosevelt's outlook in the 1880s. Wild horses roam freely through the park, and bison, elk, mule deer, and prairie dogs are regular sightings along the 36-mile scenic loop drive. The park's painted canyon overlook and hiking trails into the badlands buttes are accessible within minutes of leaving the motel.
Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library
1.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
The Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library opened July 4, 2026, on a 93-acre butte at the western edge of Medora, designed by Snohetta as the only carbon-neutral presidential library in the country. The 96,000-square-foot building rises from the terrain beneath a living prairie roof and uses immersive galleries, 142 original artifacts, and a mile-long accessible boardwalk to tell Roosevelt's story in the landscape where it happened. It is the first presidential library accessible by hiking trail and mountain bike.
Maah Daah Hey Trail
1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The Maah Daah Hey Trail is a 144-mile long-distance route through the North Dakota Badlands connecting the South and North Units of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Its southern trailhead is accessible from Medora, and the trail is open to hikers, mountain bikers, and horseback riders across terrain ranked among the country's best long-distance Badlands routes for its combination of solitude and dramatic canyon and butte scenery.