The THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK , a huge tract of multihued rock formations, rough grassland and lazy streams, is split into north and south units approximately seventy miles apart, the area between comprising a checkerboard of federal, state and privately owned territory. Exploring the park's seventy thousand acres is like entering different rooms: from desert to woods to mountains. Both units are at their subtlest at sunrise or sundown, the best times to observe such fauna as elk, antelope, bison and several fascinating, closely knit prairie dog communities (both open daily dawn-dusk; vehicles $10, pedestrians $5).

Your first taste of the larger, more popular southern unit is likely to be at the breathtaking Painted Canyon , seven miles east of the town of Medora off I-94, exit 32. Here and elsewhere in the park, the land is like a sedimentary layer cake that for millions of years has been beaten by hard, infrequent rains, baked by the sun into a kaleidoscope of colors and cut through to the base by erosive streams and rivers. A mile-long nature hike begins at the end of the canyon's boardwalk.

The southern unit 's main visitor center in Medora (daily: June to early Sept 8am-8pm; early Sept to May 8am-4.30pm; tel 701/623-4466) counts as park headquarters, and runs tours, nature walks and lectures by campfire in high season. Out back, the simple cabin was used by the young Roosevelt while a partner in the Maltese Cross Ranch (free guided tours daily until 4.15pm). A highlight of the scenic 36-mile loop road is the sublime view from Wind Canyon , ten miles out of Medora. Peaceful Valley Ranch (tel 701/623-4496), seven miles from Medora and a mile from the park's first-come, first-served Cottonwood Campground ($10 per tent site), arranges horseback tours in summer for $12 per hour.

The northern unit , off Hwy-85 near Watford City , receives only a tenth as many visitors and is smaller but more spectacular than its southern counterpart, the highlight being Oxbow Overlook , at the end of a fifteen mile scenic drive. Its visitor center is open daily (9am-5.30pm; tel 701/842-2333) and closes a half hour earlier in winter months. Keep in mind that the northern unit is on Central time while the southern unit is on Mountain time.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

• Theodore Roosevelt National Park

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