Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Theodore Roosevelt once said "I never would have been President if it had not been for my experiences in North Dakota". Well, neither of us intends to run for anything, but TR's national park certainly made an impression on us. We drove to the park across beautiful rolling prairie which suddenly and dramatically gives way to multicolored buttes and canyons. It makes an immediate impression of wildness and beauty. The park is divided into 2 sections, the South Unit and the North Unit. We spent our first day at the South Unit, which is just outside the little town of Medora. We saw several herds of bison, which were reintroduced to the park in the 60's. We passed through several prairie dog towns, seeing lots of adults and babies. In addition, we saw a number of wild horses (actually feral horses, as they descend from previously domesticated stock), which looked really healthy and beautiful. We hiked several short trails, getting back in off the roads. Although the park was not crowded, the hikes gave us more of a sense of what the area was like in the past.

We spent the second day at the North Unit, which is about 50 miles north, more isolated, and less visited. We read that some feel the North Unit is the more beautiful, and we are in total agreement. This area was more dramatic- higher buttes, deeper canyon, more varied terrain, and more vivid colors. Although there are no wild horses here, there are a lot of bison, prong-horn antelope and bighorn sheep. We spotted all but the antelope. On the advice of one of the rangers, we decided to hike a 4+ mile trail (the Caprock Couley trail), as we were told that it would take us through all of the varied types of terrain you would see in this part of the park. What an incredible hike! It started in the more arid area, getting close to some of the unusual rock formations, than into cool woods (with very slippery muddy clay surface) on the north side of the canyon. We noticed we were following the same path previously walked by a bison, and not long before us. We took a moment to determine we were all headed in the same direction. We were not anxious to come face to face with a 2000 lb bison who can run 30 miles per hour on this narrow trail! We continued on, climbing up to a beautiful open grassy prairie area where we did spot a lone bison relaxing on a small outcropping, looking out at the view. Thankfully, the trail went the opposite direction.

The next section of trail was a real surprise- it took us to one of the highest points overlooking the canyon, on hard, compacted clay mixed with volcanic ash, formed by wind and water into unusual shapes. This section was truly spectacular! On the way back down into the canyon, we ran into John, one of the back country rangers, who is responsible for maintaining the trails, checking the fencing that surrounds the huge park, and various other duties. He has worked this park for 30 years, and agreed that it was truly special, with part of the attraction being the lack of people (the place was nearly deserted).

We ended our day by completing the drive around the park, and spotting 2 bighorn sheep. What a great day! We headed back to Bismarck for the night, with plans to head to S.Dakota the next day.

We headed to S.Dakota on one of the scenic drives we had read about. We agree it was beautiful, through several Indian Reservations and rolling, open prairie. We have never seen so many hay fields in our lives. I think Dale said it best- "It's beautiful, but enough is enough!" However, we did manage to spot a couple of prong-horn antelope crossing the road, which made the drive worth it. We ended our day in the capital of S.Dakota, Pierre. We will head for the Badlands and Mt. Rushmore tomorrow.