This is a review of one of the best national park campgrounds for big rigs. Juniper Campground is located in the north unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, off US-85. This campground is suitable for National Park camping in big rigs.
Why We Stayed Here
We visited Teddy Roosevelt NP’s southern unit in 2022. We stayed here 8-10 September 2023, on the way to the Oregon Coast. We decided to finish exploring this national park and dry camp in our new Brinkley Model G for the first time.
Key Points About this Campground
- $7 a night with the America the Beautiful Access Pass
- Asphalt pad with an upright barbeque grill
- Camping within the National Park with sites that will handle big rigs
- Dump station available
- Dogs are allowed in the campground
Campground Review
The National Park North Unit and Campground (CG) is easy to find off US-85. We showed our Access Passes to get into the park and then proceeded to mile marker 5, where the CG is located. We pulled up to the information and sign-in board for this first come, first serve CG at about 11:30 AM Mountain Time (interesting that when we got to the north unit area, our phones went back to central time, and after a quick Google search, we found out that the north unit runs on central time). A gentleman let us know that he had just pulled in and grabbed a campsite near the entrance/exit and that we’d probably only fit in site 8 (this CG is all dry camping) as the perimeter campsites, both back-ins and pull-throughs, were too short for us. The other longer sites were already taken. We proceeded to pull through site 8, which is a long, quarter moon-shaped asphalt site. We maneuvered around to stay away from tree branches and stay on the pad. The picnic table and stand-up barbecue were on the driver’s side, but since the sites are nicely spaced out, this was not a problem. We then filled out our registration envelope, placed $14 cash (Access Pass discount) in the folder, put the tab on our post, and deposited the envelope in the registration area. We could have also written a check or used a credit card to pay. We got on and off 1 bar on Verizon. We did have a good shot north for Starlink. They have a vaulted toilet and flush toilet building along with potable water at the dump station. There are about a half dozen sites for longer rigs, such as 32, 42, and 43, 49, with 5 being the best site. We had our two dogs with us, and there was plenty of room to walk them around the CG. There was plenty of bison poop in the CG, but we didn’t see any during our two-night stay. Watford City is 17 miles north and has your major amenities. We enjoyed using this CG as a base to explore the North Unit.
Attractions
- 14-mile scenic drive
- The campground is within walking distance of the cannonball concretions, which in our opinion, was the highlight of the North Unit
- Lots of buffalo milling about to include sometimes in the campground, so watch your step
Dawg Haus Rating
We publish campground reviews on RV Life Campground Reviews, Campendium, The Dyrt, and RV Parky. To date, we have provided over 200 reviews on private and public campgrounds. Here’s our opinion and rating based on what we like and dislike about a particular campground. We rate campgrounds differently depending on if we are just stopping for an overnighter or a few-day rester or if it’s a destination-type campground. Our subjective ratings are: The Best (Five Paws), Very Good (Four Paws), Good (Three Paws), It’ll Work (Two Paws), and Not Impressed (One Paw).
Juniper Campground received our “Good” rating. The CG hit many of our likes. We were able to stay within the National Park, sites were well spaced with some long enough for big rigs, a great price at $7 per night, there was a dump station, and campground was dog friendly.
After Blush
We were glad we stayed here and got to see the north unit. However, it would not have been worth the 1.5-hour drive from the south unit at Medora as it was pretty much the same scenery. Having seen the north unit, there is no compelling reason to return.
