Watford City, ND

Watford City is the county seat of McKenzie County in western North Dakota, with a current population of approximately 6,000 residents. The community grew dramatically during the Bakken oil boom, expanding from a small town of about 1,700 to a regional hub serving the surrounding oil fields, and it retains the practical, working character of a western energy town. Today it functions as the primary gateway to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park and as a base for visitors exploring the surrounding badlands. It sits roughly 50 miles east of Williston and approximately 300 miles northwest of Bismarck, the state capital.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park's North Unit is the most prominent draw in the area, located about 15 miles south of Watford City via a scenic byway. The North Unit offers a quieter, less-visited counterpoint to the more famous South Unit near Medora, with the same spectacular badlands topography, the winding Little Missouri River, and healthy populations of bison, mule deer, prairie dogs, and wild horses. Visitors can drive the scenic loop road, hike into the painted canyons, and stop at overlooks for sweeping views of the rugged terrain. Theodore Roosevelt National Park is managed by the National Park Service and remains the cornerstone attraction of the region.

Surrounding the national park and the town itself is the Little Missouri National Grassland, a vast expanse of federally managed prairie administered by the U.S. Forest Service. The grassland offers dispersed camping, hunting, horseback riding, and countless backcountry roads for exploring the rugged breaks of the Little Missouri River. It is one of the largest national grasslands in the country and a defining feature of the regional landscape, giving visitors plenty of room to roam beyond the boundaries of the park itself.

Running through the badlands just north of the North Unit is the Maah Daah Hey Trail, a roughly 140-mile point-to-point route that has become one of the premier mountain biking and hiking trails in the northern Plains. Trailheads can be reached within a short drive of Watford City, and outfitters in town provide shuttles, rentals, and gear for visitors planning multi-day trips into the backcountry.

Watford City makes a compelling base for short-term rental visitors because it offers a practical small-town setting with the services, dining, and supplies travelers need, while keeping the dramatic scenery of the North Dakota badlands within a short drive. Its position between the oil-producing Williston Basin and the national park gives it a steady year-round demand base, and travelers who want to experience the wild side of Theodore Roosevelt without the crowds of the South Unit often find that staying in Watford City provides the best of both worlds.