MEDORA

Hiking opportunities beckon outdoor enthusiasts to the Badlands of western North Dakota to join Teddy Roosevelt actor on two novel Point-to-Point hikes.

From Nov. 27 through Dec. 23, “A Magical Medora Christmas” brings a family-friendly holiday show that’s “full of spirit, humor and expertly performed music that audiences have grown to expect from Medora,” officials from the Theodore Roosevelt Medora Foundation said in a news release.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., and Deputy Secretary of the Interior Tommy Beaudreau toured Theodore Roosevelt National Park with park Superintendent Wendy Ross on Tuesday and discussed opportunities to update and improve the Painted Canyon Visitors Center as well as reviewing the progress of repairs for the Scenic Loop Drive in the TRNP South Unit.

The Great Western Cattle Trail was used during the late 19th century for movement of cattle and horses to markets in eastern and northern states. North Dakota Great Western Trail Chair Darrell Dorgan explains the process of marking the trail, courtesy of a handful of volunteers who placed obelisks and black marble markers from the South Dakota border to Belfield last summer and completed the remainder of the North Dakota portion in its entirety this summer. This weekend, June 26-27, the Great Western Trail will celebrate the momentous undertaking with a grand celebration at Fort Buford. Dickinson Ready Mix, an avid supporter of local nonprofits in western North Dakota, provided the obelisks free of charge to the project — a donation estimated at over $50,000.

More than a century after a future American President sought solitude, and bison, in what would become western North Dakota, the park named after Theodore Roosevelt offers both to visitors, especially in the North Unit, where the silence and rugged beauty are unparalleled.

The secret is getting out, slowly, of western North Dakota's punishing but amazing running, biking and Nordic skiing experience. Established a few decades ago with horses in mind, the 144-mile Maah Daah Hey Trail is proving to be a challenge and a unique experience for racers from all over the nation.

The Waltons purchased the ranch to preserve, and it will continue to be grazed, according to a statement released on behalf of the couple.

The Badlands in Theodore Roosevelt National Park features a variety of exploration options for tourists, including one of the most sought out recreation sports — horseback riding.

Residents of Medora were forced to evacuate as 3,000 acres were claimed by a wildfire Thursday and Friday, as local, state and federal fire services worked around the clock to save North Dakota’s tourist gem.