North Dakota’s one and only national park has been around for decades, and we all know and love it. What many people don’t know about, however, is some of the changes its had throughout the years to make it what it is today. For example, did you know an original entrance to the park is not at all where the entrances are today? In fact, you can even hike right to the abandoned entrance station! Check it out:

The South Unit of the Theodore Roosevelt National Park is full of tons of great trails and beautiful sights that thousands of people explore annually.
Jimmy Emerson/Flickr
One trail, however, is a lot lesser known yet totally awesome, and that's the Old East Entrance trail. It's fairly quick and easy and will take you right to an abandoned building.
Leroy Kolar/Alltrails
The trail is about 0.8 miles long and snakes through the prairie brush among the buttes of the badlands.
Leroy Kolar/Alltrails
One of the most notable things about the trail is that it goes right through prairie dog towns.
Nic McPhee/Flickr

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You could sit and watch these guys pop in and out of their holes for hours, and they're right along the path!
Christa R/Flickr
As you continue, you'll get closer to one of the very first, original entrances to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park when it was first opened decades ago.
Leroy Kolar/Alltrails
At the end of the trail is the old abandoned entrance station, a charming stone building. You can picture in your head a stream of cars coming through here to visit the park in the 1950s.
Leroy Kolar/Alltrails
Now, this spot is unpaved and completely abandoned other than having the trail that leads to it. It's an awesome little piece of lesser-known history of North Dakota's gorgeous national park.
Lynn Nolan/Alltrails

You can reach this trail by taking the scenic drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park. It’s perfect to stretch your legs after the car ride and explore some of the park’s history. The South Unit entrance is located near Medora, North Dakota. For more information about the park, click here.

This hike is pretty quick and easy at under a mile long, but did you know that this park also has the longest trail system in the entire state at more than 90 miles? It’s called the Maah Daah Hey Trail — and it’s epic.

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