Situated along the Missouri River, the park straddles the Montana/North Dakota state line. At an elevation of 1,900 feet, the park is located on the southern edge of the glaciated subsection of the vast Missouri Plateau. This area, a segment of the Badlands Vegetation Zone, includes mixed-grass prairie, coulees, deciduous groves, and river bottoms that encompass mixed grasses, riparian, and Rocky Mountain plant species. The present vegetation is a mixture of native plant communities and remnant or invasive exotics.
Did You Know?
Theodore Roosevelt had two ranch operations along the Little Missouri River - the Maltese Cross Ranch and the Elkhorn Ranch - yet did not own any land in what is now known as North Dakota.
more...