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National Park Service · Theodore Roosevelt National Park · ND

Cottonwood Campground (ND)

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Information

Theodore Roosevelt National Park moves to cashless fee collection Starting May 1, Theodore Roosevelt National Park will accept only credit cards, debit cards, or digital payments for entrance fees, campground fees, and Interagency Passes. Cash and check payments will no longer be accepted.

Information

South Unit Address for Mobile Maps – Theodore Roosevelt NP On all maps used on mobile devices, use the following address to reach the South Unit Visitor Center and Entrance Station 201 East River Road N. Medora, ND 58645

Information

Petrified Forest Trailhead Access Update: Use Approved Route Directions to the Petrified Forest trailhead have changed. Please use the approved legal route from I-94, Exit 10 toward Camels Hump Lake and follow the clearly marked posts. This update helps maintain good cooperation with neighbors and…

Alerts: National Park Service alerts API · Oct 17, 2026

ReservableBookable through April 16; today opens April 17.

Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book

Right now: OpenThe agency lists it open
A night: $10From, per site
Sites: 7270 on recreation.gov
Season: Year-roundOpen year-round

Photos · NPS Photo

68 ftLongest rig

2,250 ftElevation

612 ftWater · Little Missouri River

32.1 miW of Dickinson, ND

0%Tree cover

Open year-roundToday

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 13 notices

In the agency’s own words

For people visiting the South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Cottonwood Campground is a great place to stay. Located five miles (8 km) from the entrance to the South Unit of the park, the campground is open year-round. To make a reservation for the group site please visit this the Cottonwood Group Site (ND ) page. Keep reading

Recreation

Hikers can access the estimated 70 miles (21 km) of trails within a short distance of the campground. Visit the Hiking and Trail Information page on the park website or stop at a Visitor Center for more details. Located immediately adjacent to the Little Missouri River and filled with Cottonwood trees bird watching in the campground can be a rewarding experience. Watch for Bison that can be seen traveling through the campground on their way to a stop at the river. Just a few miles from the campground is the Peaceful Valley Ranch. A former ranch from Theodore Roosevelt's time, the location also serves as one of the best sites in the park for outstanding night sky viewing.

Facilities

Toilets, drinking water and picnic tables are provided at this facility. The site can accommodate tents, trailers and RVs. Sites can accommodate up to six people and two vehicles. There are no hookups or a dump station. A water fill station is available for campers (through October 1 each year). All wheeled vehicles and trailers must remain on roadways or pads. The Group Site (site #25) can accomodate 7-20 people and reservations are available the first business day of March for the upcoming summer season. Go to the Cottonwood Group Site (ND) to make reservations for the group site.

Natural Features

The Little Missouri River is the central, unifying feature of this wild and broken land where, as a young man, Theodore Roosevelt ranched and hunted in the 1880s. The park is part of both the Northern Great Plains and the West, blending a rich natural beauty with diverse human history. The rugged topography, with its flora and fauna, also provides an opportunity to discover the badlands environment as Roosevelt once did. It is a place to experience a land and way of life that helped shape Theodore Roosevelt's attitudes and philosophy regarding conservation. Cottonwood trees surrounding the campsite turn golden in the fall. Although the campground is moderately forested, most of the campsites are in partial to full sun but visitors can cool off in the cold river when temperatures peak during summer.

Nearby Attractions

The town of Medora has shopping, restaurants, amenities and the Medora Musical is located approximately five miles (8 km) to the south. The Little Missouri National Grassland is the largest National Grassland in the nation at 1.03 million acres (416,826 ha). It is located in western North Dakota and is managed by the Medora Ranger District in Dickinson, ND and the McKenzie Ranger District in Watford City, ND. The National Grassland provides additional recreation opportunities in the area.

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

Entrance Fee. The park collects a separate park entrance fee of $30 per vehicle. Visitors may pay the fee upon arrival or purchase in advance. The fee is valid for seven days. The park also honors Federal interagency passes (e.g., annual, senior, access, 4th grade, Golden Age pass etc.). For more information visit the park's Fees & Passes web page.

Rule

Pass Discounts. If using an Interagency Senior or Access Pass for a camping fee discount, the pass must be present during stay at campground (Interagency Annual, Park Annual, Every Kid in a Park, and Interagency-Military do not receive a camping discount).

Rule

Group Site. Site 25 (the group site) goes on sale first business day of March for the Summer Season.

Everything else this campground posts · 10

Rule

Check-in & Check-out Times. Check-in/out is 12:00 noon

Rule

Maximum Stay. During the busy season of May 1 through October 31, campers may stay a maximum of 14 night total in Cottonwood Campground and a maximum of 30 days total in a calendar year. This includes the non-reservation, self-registration season of November through April.

Rule

Vehicle (RV) Height over 13 feet (4 m). Trees and branches in the campground may not accommodate vehicles of this height. Camping equipment may experience significant damage for which the NPS is not responsible.

Rule

Generators. Generators hours are from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Generators must have an effective muffler.

Rule

Water. Water is not always available by May or after October 1. Vault toilets will be available. The park does not offer a refund for the or price difference.

Rule

Site Capacity. Cottonwood Campground regular sites (excluding group site) max occupancy is 6 people and 2 vehicles. Walkin sites 1 vehicle max.

Rule

No Showers. There are no shower or laundry facilities located in the park.

Rule

Campfires. During hot and dry summer months, fire restrictions are common and campfires (including charcoal fires) may be prohibited.

Rule

Firewood. Firewood not for sale in park. The closest place to buy wood is in Medora, approximately 5.5 miles (9 km) away. Gathering of dead and downed firewood is allowed.

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Help protect our forests! Prevent the spread of tree-killing pests by obtaining firewood at or near your destination and burning it on-site. Moving firewood is illegal in some states. Visit dontmovefirewood.org to learn more.

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Oct 1, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 72 · 12 walk-in
Hookups: None
Longest rig: 68 ft
Paved pads: 1 of 72
Accessible sites: 1
Pets: Allowed
Campfires: Not allowed
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets - seasonal · Vault Toilets - year round
Drinking water: Yes
Dump station: Yes
Camp host: On site; recreation.gov lists “Host”
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: River; Amphitheater; Auto Touring; Biking; Birding; Hiking; Historic site; Wildlife viewing
Night sky · 14th darkest of 27 in ND: Bortle 3

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

45 of 112 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:43 UTC

recreation.gov lists 70 of the 72 campsites the agency files here. The rest aren’t on its booking system, so a reservation won’t get you one.

OpenBooked

Booking window6 months outBookable now through April 16, 2027. Today at 10 AM ET, availability opens through April 17, 2027.recreation.gov

Max stay14 nightsthe facility record

A night$10plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule

A weekend$28DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itNational Park ServiceBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 14

What you actually pay

The sign priceNational Park Service

A night$10

Standard Nonelectric$10

Tent Only Nonelectric$10

Group area, a night$30

Rates for the season the campground is in now, Oct 1, 2026 to Dec 31, 2026.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

One nightDerived$18

A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$28

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rate for this season, $10 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 5

Sign price: recreation.gov facility rate schedule, quoted as the agency publishes it · Oct 1, 2026

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

recreation.gov availability, read 16:43 UTC · rules read Oct 1, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

72 sites · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 70 mapped sites

83 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

Most roomSouth Loop 043 156 ftNorth Loop 039 148 ftNorth Loop 027 128 ftNorth Loop 032 128 ftNorth Loop 017 121 ft

Least roomNorth Loop 029 4 ftNorth Loop 034 4 ftSouth Loop 055 16 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 72 sites

72 of 72 sites located

Standard58Walk, hike or boat in12Type not stated2

001 002 003 004 005 006 007 008 009 010 011 012 013 014 015 016 017 018 019 020 021 022 023 024 025 026 027 028 029 030 031 032 033 034 035 036 038 039 043 044 045 046 047 048 049 050 051 052 053 054 055 056 057 058 059 060 061 062 063 064 065 066 067 068 069 070 071 072 073 074 075 076

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 58 of the 72 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.


North Loop	001	standard nonelectric	38 ft		47 ft	561 ft	$10
North Loop	002	standard nonelectric	30 ft		47 ft	514 ft	$10
North Loop	003	standard nonelectric	28 ft		32 ft	456 ft	$10
North Loop	004	standard nonelectric	18 ft		32 ft	426 ft	$10
North Loop	005	standard nonelectric	45 ft	yes	93 ft	429 ft	$10
North Loop	006	standard nonelectric	26 ft		94 ft	307 ft	$10
North Loop	007	standard nonelectric	65 ft		94 ft	347 ft	$10
North Loop	008	standard nonelectric	40 ft		67 ft	465 ft	$10
North Loop	009	standard nonelectric	60 ft		120 ft	420 ft	$10
North Loop	010	standard nonelectric	41 ft		67 ft	529 ft	$10
North Loop	011	standard nonelectric	25 ft		102 ft	561 ft	$10
North Loop	012	standard nonelectric	40 ft		63 ft	686 ft	$10
North Loop	013	standard nonelectric	35 ft		76 ft	611 ft	$10
North Loop	014	standard nonelectric	32 ft		63 ft	707 ft	$10
North Loop	015	standard nonelectric	35 ft		84 ft	623 ft	$10
North Loop	016	standard nonelectric	30 ft		109 ft	671 ft	$10
North Loop	017	standard nonelectric	55 ft		121 ft	550 ft	$10
North Loop	018	standard nonelectric	68 ft		83 ft	591 ft	$10
North Loop	019	standard nonelectric	35 ft		83 ft	542 ft	$10
North Loop	020	standard nonelectric	44 ft		52 ft	471 ft	$10
North Loop	021	standard nonelectric	35 ft		52 ft	446 ft	$10
North Loop	022	standard nonelectric	35 ft		93 ft	487 ft	$10
North Loop	023	standard nonelectric	50 ft		93 ft	397 ft	$10
North Loop	024	standard nonelectric	38 ft		104 ft	471 ft	$10
North Loop	025	type not stated	45 ft			464 ft
North Loop	026	standard nonelectric	37 ft		104 ft	516 ft	$10
North Loop	027	standard nonelectric	45 ft		128 ft	682 ft	$10
North Loop	028	standard nonelectric	30 ft		66 ft	621 ft	$10
North Loop	029	standard nonelectric	46 ft		4 ft	794 ft	$10
North Loop	030	standard nonelectric	36 ft		66 ft	662 ft	$10
North Loop	031	standard nonelectric	60 ft		61 ft	896 ft	$10
North Loop	032	standard nonelectric	32 ft		128 ft	774 ft	$10
North Loop	033	standard nonelectric	30 ft		105 ft	959 ft	$10
North Loop	034	standard nonelectric	37 ft		4 ft	798 ft	$10
North Loop	035	standard nonelectric	65 ft		91 ft	1,006 ft	$10
North Loop	036	standard nonelectric	38 ft		61 ft	866 ft	$10
North Loop	038	standard nonelectric	38 ft		91 ft	936 ft	$10
North Loop	039	standard nonelectric	40 ft		148 ft	743 ft	$10
South Loop	043	standard nonelectric	55 ft		155 ft	430 ft	$10
South Loop	044	type not stated	48 ft			381 ft
South Loop	045	standard nonelectric	25 ft		65 ft	220 ft	$10
South Loop	046	standard nonelectric	25 ft		65 ft	239 ft	$10
South Loop	047	standard nonelectric	25 ft		68 ft	149 ft	$10
South Loop	048	standard nonelectric	25 ft		68 ft	190 ft	$10
South Loop	049	standard nonelectric	25 ft		88 ft	111 ft	$10
South Loop	050	standard nonelectric	25 ft		88 ft	148 ft	$10
South Loop	051	standard nonelectric	25 ft		100 ft	209 ft	$10
South Loop	052	standard nonelectric	25 ft		100 ft	116 ft	$10
South Loop	053	standard nonelectric	25 ft		83 ft	96 ft	$10
South Loop	054	standard nonelectric	25 ft		73 ft	149 ft	$10
South Loop	055	walk to			16 ft	76 ft
South Loop	056	walk to	10 ft		16 ft	64 ft
South Loop	057	walk to			36 ft	70 ft
South Loop	058	walk to	10 ft		108 ft	59 ft
South Loop	059	walk to			36 ft	64 ft
South Loop	060	walk to	12 ft		64 ft	127 ft
South Loop	061	walk to	8 ft		45 ft	171 ft
South Loop	062	walk to	10 ft		91 ft	151 ft
South Loop	063	walk to			45 ft	214 ft
South Loop	064	walk to	15 ft		74 ft	216 ft
South Loop	065	walk to			49 ft	262 ft
South Loop	066	walk to	15 ft		61 ft	282 ft
South Loop	067	standard nonelectric	25 ft		61 ft	253 ft	$10
South Loop	068	standard nonelectric	25 ft		79 ft	342 ft	$10
South Loop	069	standard nonelectric	25 ft		88 ft	371 ft	$10
South Loop	070	standard nonelectric	25 ft		88 ft	459 ft	$10
South Loop	071	standard nonelectric	25 ft		84 ft	470 ft	$10
South Loop	072	standard nonelectric	25 ft		84 ft	553 ft	$10
South Loop	073	standard nonelectric	25 ft		98 ft	555 ft	$10
South Loop	074	standard nonelectric	25 ft		85 ft	657 ft	$10
South Loop	075	standard nonelectric	25 ft		85 ft	603 ft	$10
South Loop	076	standard nonelectric	25 ft		107 ft	713 ft	$10

Price: Derived by CAMPANAC: each site takes the per-night rate this campground publishes for the site’s own site type (recreation.gov rate schedule). recreation.gov publishes no per-campsite fee, and a site whose type carries no published rate is left blank rather than called free · Oct 1, 2026

25 of 72 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate46.95000, -103.53222

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phone701-623-4466 (NOTE PARK DOES NOT TAKE RESERVATIONS)

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

Cottonwood Group Site (ND)Theodore Roosevelt National Park · 0.2 mi

Roundup Group Horse CampTheodore Roosevelt National Park · 4.1 mi

Buffalo Gap Campground (ND)Little Missouri National Grassland · 6.7 mi

Wannagan CampgroundLittle Missouri National Grassland · 7.7 mi

Elkhorn CampgroundLittle Missouri National Grassland · 20 mi

Burning Coal Vein CampgroundLittle Missouri National Grassland · 25 mi

Getting there

The South Unit entrance is in Medora, ND. Medora is accessible via Interstate 94 Exits 24 and 27 in North Dakota. Please note exit 27 is a westbound exit only.

Medora is 133 miles (214 km) west of Bismarck, ND and 27 miles (43 km) east of the Montana state line.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Oct 1, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

Tonight40°Mostly Clear

Saturday76°Sunny

Saturday Night42°Partly Cloudy

Sunday62°Mostly Sunny

NWS forecast for Medora, ND

Source: National Weather Service, BIS forecast office · Oct 17, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 30°F, day 58°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 3°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°-10°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: MEDORA, ND (USC00325813), 2 miles away and at about the same elevation

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

what threatens it · who answers for it

Roadless country, and what’s coming for it

Roadless

Wannagan6,026 acres · 7 mi · inventoried roadless area

Roadless

Dawsons Waterhole6,087 acres · 10 mi · inventoried roadless area

Roadless

Twin Buttes13,492 acres · 10 mi · inventoried roadless area

You’re camping on ground somebody wants. We track the threats and the comment deadlines.

Source: USFS Inventoried Roadless Areas via MTJP Roadless Map · Jul 29, 2026

Who answers for this land

Cottonwood Campground (ND) is in North Dakota’s at-large congressional district. Its representative, Julie Fedorchak (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: The agency lists it open right now.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 70 of the 72 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Season: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 72 campsites here that carry a reading · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 0.17 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 27 rated federal campgrounds in North Dakota · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Cell signal: the Park Service’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest place of any size: Medora, ND, 2.2 mi N. Straight line.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026