Nestled beneath towering cottonwood trees along the Little Missouri River, Medora Campground is one of the best base camps for exploring the North Dakota Badlands. Located on the west side of historic Medora and just minutes from the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, the campground offers convenient access to scenic drives, hiking trails, wildlife viewing, the Medora Musical, Bully Pulpit Golf Course, and the town’s restaurants and shops.
The campground features a mix of full-hookup RV sites, tent sites, and more rustic camping areas, making it suitable for everything from overnight stops to extended stays. Amenities include free Wi-Fi, a dump station, playground, campground store, and easy access to the Little Missouri River. Shaded sites beneath mature cottonwood trees provide a welcome escape during the summer months, while the campground’s location makes it easy to enjoy all of Medora’s attractions without a long drive.
Whether you’re spending your days hiking through Theodore Roosevelt National Park, taking in the famous Medora Musical, or simply relaxing under the trees after a day of exploring the Badlands, Medora Campground offers a comfortable and convenient place to stay in one of North Dakota’s most iconic destinations.
1 Review on “Medora Campground”
I think there are more scenic places to stay and I would have loved to try the nearby state park or even boondocking in TR National Park, but you can’t really beat Medora Campground for conveniences, and my late booking meant this campground was my only option with full hook-ups. So I booked primarily due to location, but having the utilities was a draw for us too. Being our first time here we had some “right of passage” boxes to check like the pitchfork steak fondue dinner (must do once), and seeing the Medora Musical (must do – probably every visit). Being able to catch the trolly at the campground was excellent. The campground is run by the same non-profit that runs most of the stores in town, Theadore Roosevelt Medora Foundation (they also run the steak fondue dinner, and musical) . I have been impressed by their operations. The new construction and enhancements to the non-profit run businesses shows how dedicated they are to the area’s historical preservation and tourism. The town only has 100 year round residents that swells to 500 in the summer as seasonal employees return year after year. I can’t say I’ve ever seen a small town work so hard to become a hub of hospitality. Living near Orlando we aren’t big into the touristy side of National Park travels, but we couldn’t help but want to support them! Back to the campground itself! I read several reviews that worried me. There is nearby construction so some noise was present, but from our site (808) it wasn’t bad (and very level!). There were a LOT of complaints of endless dust and little grass. Our site was pretty sparse on grass, but timely rains kept the dust down without getting the place muddy. I guess we got lucky. I did see plenty of sites with more grass, and I suspect once the construction is done the issue wouldn’t be widespread. We didn’t have the issue. Another common complaint was spacing. Our 30′ Airstream was parked with the big RVs (where they offer 50A service). I felt the spacing was adequate, but not luxurious at all. None of the sites near us offered an outdoor setting I would want to set up chairs and hang out at. If you have a small trailer and can camp closer to the direction of the river the sites are more shaded, and more grassy (but smaller!). The park wasn’t full so most campers had more room in those areas despite the smaller size. The walking trail towards and to the river was excellent for a long dog walk. The city pool and new dog park are just down the driveway (city pool was not open in late June …unsure if it’s new or why that would be the case). In all I found the park lovely for being basically “in town” and the walk on the trails was excellent. The employees were kind, considerate, and we were able to receive a couple of Amazon packages without issue while there. Laundry was great, plenty of clean machines and big dryers… Washers do accept electronic payments, but dryers require quarters (bit of a transition perhaps). Personally we would like to try for the state park next time, but we wouldn’t hesitate to stay at the Medora Campground again.