GEOGRAPHY LESSON

The Badlands stretch along western North Dakota's border, about 550 miles from the Twin Cities. Theodore Roosevelt National Park -- one of the country's least crowded national parks -- sweeps from Medora to Watford City along the Little Missouri River, which carved buttes, canyons and jagged peaks that rise from grasslands.

It's a nine-hour drive via Interstate 94 from the Twin Cities to Medora. Fargo and Bismarck are good places to break up the journey.

The historic Rough Riders Hotel went through a major expansion in the past two years to add 68 much-needed modern hotel rooms in Medora ($159-$179; 1-701-623-4422; www.medora.com). With inspiration from the original nine rooms, the accommodations blend Western Victorian decor with details such as Roosevelt's ranch brand on shower tiles. Most coveted rooms: No. 501 with seven windows facing the Badlands and No. 503 with a balcony. The hotel is popular for its fine-dining restaurant that serves walleye, buffalo ribeye and lobster bisque.

Badlands Motel ($125-$135; 1-701-623-4422; www.medora.com) has a throwback feel and an outdoor pool and sits close to downtown and the playground.

The AmericInn with an indoor pool ($169-$239; 1-701-623-4800; www.americinn.com) is another family-friendly option.

There are 76 first-come, first-served sites at the Cottonwood Campground at Theodore Roosevelt National Park's south unit and another 50 sites in the park's more remote north unit ($10 a night; south unit: 1-701-623-4730, ext. 3417; north unit: 1-701-842-2333; www.nps.gov/thro). No hookups available.

The sweeping view and culinary novelty of the Pitchfork Fondue make it the most popular dinner spot in town. Steak -- skewered on pitchforks and plunged into boiling vats of oil -- is served buffet style with beans, potatoes and brownies on an outdoor terrace atop a bluff above the Badlands. There's a fireplace here, but dress warmly if you go early in the season. Kids can opt for $6 hot dogs rather than the $26 steak.