Many North Dakotans make a point to visit Medora each summer. The town, the Medora musical, and of course Theodore Roosevelt National Park attract lots of visitors. But if you go, make a point to get off the beaten path a bit. The area has lots to offer, including the petrified forest, burning coal vein, ponderosa pines, and the Maah Daah Hey Trail.
There is much to explore within Theodore Roosevelt National Park, of course. You can take a drive through the park, and there are several trails of varying lengths where you can get up-close and personal with the badlands.
Also within the park, west of Medora off I-94 at exit 23, is the petrified forest. This area will take you back to a time when the area was subtropical and supported swamps and forested floodplains (think Everglades or Okefenokee). Today, this area supports one of the highest concentrations of petrified wood in the United States, including several stumps, some of which are over 10 feet in diameter.
Around 30 miles south of Medora on East River Road is the Burning Coal Vein and adjacent Burning Coal Vein Campground. Seams of lignite coal occasionally catch fire, and this one is a landmark. First observed by settlers in the 1880s, the coal seam could be observed smoldering and burning down in the cracks in the ground until the 1970s, or perhaps the 1980s.
The area was also known for supporting junipers with a columnar growth form. Gasses released from the burning coal were thought to be the cause for the columnar growth form; however, the junipers now show their normal growth form. Also in this vicinity are a few thousand acres of ponderosa pine, the northeast most natural stand on the continent.
The Maah Daah Hey Trail is a well-marked trail for hikers, bikes, and equestrians that stretches from a CCC campground south of Watford City through the Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s south unit, down to the Burning Coal Vein Campground. No motors allowed. Badlands flora and fauna abound, with good chances to see mule deer, antelope, mountain bluebirds, as well as a myriad of wildflowers. But the real draw is the spectacular scenery of the North Dakota badlands. A hike or ride of any length should provide some spectacular scenery and wildlife observations.
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