Medora, ND

The fine-dining room of the historic Rough Riders Hotel, widely held to be the best table in western North Dakota. The kitchen plates buffalo burgers and prime-rib sandwiches at lunch and hickory ribeye and tenderloin at dinner, all in a handsome period room. The dressed-up dinner after a dusty day in the badlands.

A classic Western saloon and dining room in the heart of town, all wood and local color, serving hearty plates after a day on the trails. It is the relaxed, characterful spot for a steak and a beer where the staff trade trail tips. A Medora institution and reliable evening landing spot.

A big, easygoing bar and grill plating appetizers, burgers, steaks and salads with locally crafted beer on tap and a full cocktail list. It is the crowd-pleaser when the family or group cannot agree, roomy and casual. Dependable American fare in the middle of town.

A casual pizza-and-saloon spot for a relaxed, family-friendly meal off the trail, sliding pies and a cold beer across the bar. It is the easy, lighter alternative to the town's steak rooms, good for tired kids and big appetites alike. Unpretentious and reliable.

A quick burger joint named for Roosevelt's old brand, griddling patties and shakes for a fast, cheap fill between sights. It is the grab-and-go option when you want food without a sit-down. Simple, friendly and easy on the wallet.

A homey breakfast-and-lunch cafe doing the morning fuel-up before a day in the badlands, strong on hearty plates and baked goods. It is the easy first stop of the day in a town that runs on early starts. Warm, simple and welcoming.

A relaxed wine bar and small-plates spot offering a more grown-up evening than the saloons, with a thoughtful list and a quieter room. It is the place to unwind over a glass after the kids are spent and the trails are done. A welcome change of pace in a steak-and-beer town.

A short, easy walk in the park's South Unit out to a wind-carved bluff above a dramatic bend of the Little Missouri River. The half-mile round trip delivers one of the park's best views for almost no effort, a favorite for sunset. The most reward per step in the whole park.

A short trail off the middle of the South Unit scenic drive leading to open plateau views over the badlands, an easy leg-stretcher with a big payoff. It is the perfect hop-out-of-the-car stop, with a spur to a dramatic overlook. Good for a quick taste of the backcountry without committing to a long hike.

A loop that drops from the Painted Canyon rim down into the colored badlands, trading the overlook crowds for a quiet walk among the banded buttes. The descent and climb back make it a proper short hike rather than a stroll, with the canyon walls towering around you. The way to get inside the view, not just look at it.

A five-mile loop in the South Unit that climbs onto a high plateau for 360-degree views across the whole park, crossing river bottom and badlands prairie. It is the area's best longer day hike, with real odds of crossing paths with bison and wild horses. For those wanting to walk deep into the landscape.

A nightly summer variety show in an open-air amphitheater carved into the buttes, part history of Theodore Roosevelt and part song-and-dance spectacle under the badlands sky. It is the beating heart of Medora's tourist season and a genuinely fun, only-here evening. Cheesy in the best way and beloved across generations.

A hillside dinner where steaks are speared on pitchfork tines and plunged into vats of hot oil, served buffet-style with a sweeping badlands view before the evening musical. It is pure Western theater and the classic prelude to the Medora Musical. As much an experience as a meal.

A museum on Medora's main street celebrating the ranching, rodeo and Native horse cultures of the northern plains, with galleries on cowboys, tribes and the land. It is a solid, air-conditioned hour and a good rainy-day or midday-heat stop. A grounding in the Western heritage all around you.

A public golf course carved straight through the badlands, routinely ranked among the country's best, where the middle holes plunge into the colored canyons. Even non-golfers come to gawk at the setting. The most scenic round you can play in North Dakota by a wide margin.

Medora's small historic theater hosting daytime variety and comedy shows aimed at families, a cheerful indoor counterpart to the big evening musical. It is the easy entertainment for a hot afternoon or a younger crowd. Low-key, friendly and a piece of the town's old main street.

The 26-room summer home of the French nobleman who founded Medora in the 1880s, perched on a bluff above the town he named for his wife. The two-story chateau is preserved with the family's own furnishings, a startling dose of European aristocracy dropped into the badlands. It tells the strange origin story of the whole town.

The simple log cabin Theodore Roosevelt lived in as a young rancher, now sitting behind the park's South Unit visitor center in Medora. Stepping inside the spare three-room cabin makes vivid how the future president remade himself in this country after personal tragedy. A small, moving piece of American history.

A sweeping overlook off the interstate where the badlands suddenly open into a banded expanse of red, ochre and grey ridges. It is the gasp-out-loud first view of the park for most arrivals and an easy stop with a visitor center. Best in the long light of early morning or evening when the bands glow.

A bluff-top viewpoint above the town reached by a short path or the Bully Pulpit road, looking down over Medora's rooftops and out to the badlands beyond. It is the spot locals point visitors to for a sunset over the whole valley. Quick, free and worth timing for the evening light.