In the nation that created the idea of national parks there are today more than 420 areas that enjoy the protection of the National Park Service. Of these, a select few are given the congressional designation of a “national park”, & only one of these is named for a singular individual: Theodore Roosevelt National Park…
Guide to Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Grassy plains that glow golden at sundown seem to stretch forever. Yet these fall away suddenly at jagged cliffs whose bases contain oddly placed large round, cannonball rocks and strangely contoured hoodoos that stand topped by red and pink scoria. Rugged trails lead hikers toward the flowing Little Missouri River that lies just through the cottonwood trees.
Roosevelt himself spoke to the jagged landscape as such: “so fantastically broken in form and so bizarre in color as to seem hardly properly to belong to this earth”. Indeed, the land upon which Theodore Roosevelt National Park is located, is rugged, wild and untamed, much like the man himself.
Exploring Theodore Roosevelt
The park is divided into two main units, along with the remote Elkhorn Ranch. The southern unit is located right on the north side of Interstate 90, and the northern unit is located about 50 miles north of the interstate and 14 miles south of Watford City. The Elkhorn Ranch is situated between the two, but entrance is gained from the west via a system of gravel roads. See the visiting section for info on how to get to Elkhorn Ranch.
South Unit
The south unit is the most easily visited, as it sits right along Interstate 94. Both the Painted Canyon and Medora visitor centers are located just off the highway. Here visitors can take a leisurely drive on the 36-mile Scenic Loop, which winds through the unit’s badlands and offers numerous pullouts and overlooks from which fine views can be had. Numerous prairie-dog towns are visible from the drive, while none are in the north. So if you wanna hang out with these things…
The south unit is home to the Maltese Cross Cabin and offers a nearby museum that houses many of TR’s possessions from his time in the Dakotas.
Northern Unit
The northern unit is the more removed and thus receives less visitation, although crowds are not really an issue anywhere in this park. There is a visitor center here and in this more remote unit, you can almost find the solitude that TR sought in the 1880s. The main feature here is a 28-mile (round trip) out-and-back drive that winds out into the grassy plateaus that rise above the surrounding badlands and looks down on the winding Little Missouri River.
Elkhorn Ranch
The Elkhorn Ranch unit was where Roosevelt chose to make his western home, so named because here he discovered the still interlocked horns of two male elk. The elk had been engaged in a battle, butting heads when their horns became locked. Being unable to removed themselves from this position, and unable to eat or drink, both elk died here, in this compromised position.
Roosevelt chose this place for its desolation, bragging that his nearest neighbors were more than 10 miles away in any direction. Today, the ranch house is gone, only its stone foundation remains, but the solitude of its location remains somewhat unchanged. The view is much the same as it was when TR found the place in the 1880s. There can be heard windless afternoons, the distant oil pumps that are extracting oil from the area, but for now, the view is still spectacular.
Playtime
Hiking is probably the most popular activity inside the park, with more than 100 miles of trail available for trail-bound hikers and backpacking is a fave, with free backcountry permits available at any of the park’s three visitor centers.
There are a number of short, interpretive trails in both the south and north units, and for those who desire a bit of a hiking challenge, the Achenbach Trail is a 18-mile loop in the northern unit. It consists of a number of bison paths that are stitched together with sections of man-made trail that are marked with wooden posts, each one visible from the last.
For those wishing to hike between units, check out the Maah Daah Hey Trail, which runs for nearly 100 miles and connects the two units. It is also open to those on horseback. Horseback riding is permitted on most of the park’s trails.
Paddling is another option, as the Little Missouri can be ran from Medora (south unit) to Long X Bridge (north unit). The journey covers about 110 miles and should take around a week. This trip should receive adequate planning, as the river runs through remote sections of plains, with no cellular service.
Wildlife
Wildlife is abundant in the park today, with herds of bison roaming about and rutting loudly during the late summer, sometimes just outside campgrounds, making for exciting evenings of light slumber for campers.
The park is also home to elk, wild horses, bighorn sheep coyotes, pronghorn, rattlesnakes, golden eagles and perhaps the most obvious creatures in the park, the prairie dog, which can be seen in their roadside “towns”, scurrying about in preparation for whatever the hell these guys are preparing for…they sure are excited. As Roosevelt himself noted, they are “the most noisy and inquisitive animals imaginable”…
Geology
Formation of the landscape that makes up the park began some 60 million years ago, with the uplifting of the Rocky Mountains to the west. As these mountains rose toward the skies, materials from their slopes were carried to the east by countless small streams and rivers.
As the land evolved, low-lying swamps supported vegetation while occasional volcanic activity to the west sent ash and debris reigning down upon the area. Much of this buried vegetation became compressed by layers above and eventually formed layers of lignite, a form of coal.
The park is home to the nation’s third-largest petrified forest, whose stumps exceed 12 feet in diameter and are actually remnants of the Sequoia Tree, which once covered much of the northern reaches of this land.
Layers of reddish scoria rock were formed when hot volcanic ash and coal reached extreme temperatures that essentially baked the scoria into the brick like substance visible today, while the layers of ash that fell eventually formed the bluish bentonite that can be observed as well.
The next 60 million years saw the formation of the Little Missouri River, which flows right through each section of the park. This river would slowly carve out the valleys and canyons that today display the unique formations and colors that so amazed the eyes of young TR.
Services
There is no lodging available in the park, however camping is available in both the north and south units. The north unit offers the Juniper Campground with 50 first-come, first-served sites surrounded by cottonwood trees. It is very nice.
The south unit has 76 sites, with half available via reservation while the other half are walk-up. There is also a horse camp in the south unit, with space for up to 20 horses and 20 riders. Lodging options are available in Medora and those wishing to stay out on the land may access numerous national forest areas which allow dispersed camping. See the visiting page for a more complete listing of services in and near the park.
The park consists of three separate units, a north and south unit, and the remote Elkhorn Ranch, which lies 30 miles down a series of unmarked branching dirt roads, between the other units.
Heads up: northern unit is Central Time Zone, southern unit is Mountain Time Zone.
Park Junkie Verdict
This place is a shrine, and so it should remain. It is here that the necessity of conservation became embedded upon the mind of a future leader who would do more than any other to facilitate the preservation public land and its inhabitants.
For as Roosevelt noted:
“I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota.”
See ya there…
Guide to Theodore Roosevelt
Relevant Links
National Park Guides
All content found on Park Junkie is meant solely for entertainment purposes and is the copyrighted property of Park Junkie Productions. Unauthorized reproduction is prohibited without the express written consent of Park Junkie Productions.
YOU CAN DIE. Activities pursued within National Park boundaries hold inherent dangers. You are solely responsible for your safety in the outdoors. Park Junkie accepts no responsibility for actions that result in inconveniences, injury or death.
This site is not affiliated with the National Park Service, or any particular park.
