Theodore Roosevelt National Park - Underrated, But Not Underappreciated (National Parks Trip #3)

This post represents another installment in the series documenting our West Coast National Parks trip in the summer of 2017.  Alan and I, along with our 18 year old daughter, Kyra, logged a total of 8,513 memorable miles of adventure over the course of five and a half weeks during the months of July and August.

When we left home in mid-July, I had no idea how quickly this 39 day trip would fly by.  Day #34 found us rolling into Medora, North Dakota, and we were due home at the end of the week.  Medora is home to Theodore Roosevelt National Park, and the Cottonwood Campground within the park would be our home for the next two nights while we explored the park.  “I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.”  Roosevelt’s time in North Dakota impacted him greatly, and our time in the National Park named for him left a lasting impression on me, as well.

In 1883, Theodore Roosevelt came to the badlands of North Dakota to hunt bison.  Before he left, he had invested in the Chimney Butte Ranch, and later purchased a second ranch – Elkhorn Ranch – which he considered his primary residence in North Dakota.  Roosevelt served as our country’s 26^th President from 1901 to 1909.  He was a visionary in the field of conservation, and his efforts toward that end defined his presidency.  With conservation a focal point of his political career, both as Governor of New York and President of the United States, he worked tirelessly to place nearly 230 million acres of national forests, parks, monuments and reserves under protection for the benefit and enjoyment of the American people.  The National Park Service was established in 1916, three years before Roosevelt died suddenly in his sleep.  Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established to honor his legacy, and it remains a testament to his love for the wild lands of the west and the impact they had on his conservation ethics and efforts.

Whenever we stay at a campground within a National Park, I always love the delicious feeling of waking up in the park.  It makes me feel like I’m already part of the magic – kind of like waking up in your bed at one of the resorts inside Disneyworld, if you’re a big Disney fan.  The Cottonwood Campground was quiet and felt quite isolated, but we were just a hop, skip and jump away from all kinds of wildlife and the rugged beauty of the badlands.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park has three sections: the South Unit, the North Unit and Elkhorn Ranch.  The Ranch is rather remote and requires vehicles with four wheel drive at certain times of the year.  The South Unit, closest to Medora, is the most visited section of the park.  The North Unit is about an hour north of the South Unit, but well worth the drive.

The Maltese Cross Cabin - the first residence Roosevelt had built on his ranch lands

While this National Park lacks the majestic mountains of Glacier, the thermal features of Yellowstone and the spectacular waterfalls of Yosemite, its topography speaks of immense spaces and unusual rock formations – both magnificent in their own special way.  Ranching – never an easy undertaking – must have been exceptionally difficult here, but Roosevelt and others who lived within these badlands were drawn to the area’s unique beauty and solitude.  (Note the "concretions" in the third photo below.  Concretions are spherical masses of hard sandstone that become visible when the softer sandstone around them is worn away.  SO intriguing!)

Not only was the land throughout the park impressive to see, but the wide variety of wildlife was surprising.  Bison, prairie dogs, mule deer, whitetail deer, wild horses and even a small herd of longhorn steers (like those that Roosevelt would have run on his ranches) were easily spotted.  The abundance of critters made for a rather entertaining day.  But, then, it doesn’t take much to make us happy.  I’d take bison watching over people watching any day.

This big guy was all alone, and he greeted us at the entrance to the North Unit.

One of the steers in the small herd of about a dozen longhorns

The rest of the bison herd was further into the North Unit.

Wild horses couldn't drag me away from this park!

Since we didn’t plan on visiting the site of the Elkhorn Ranch or doing any hiking, one full day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park was just enough time for our visit.  (That would be Day #35.)  Before we arrived, I would have guessed that this National Park would have been a “one and done” for us, but it turned out to be so much more than I expected.  If we ever find ourselves in western North Dakota again, you can bet we’ll be stopping by to pay Teddy Roosevelt’s beloved ranch lands another visit.

With just four days remaining in this 39 day trip, it was safe to say that we were almost home.  What could possibly happen in four days?