Theodore Roosevelt National Park is divided into three sections, the South Unit near Medora, the North Unit near Watford City and Elkhorn Ranch Unit which is located west of and about halfway between the other two units. Overall the park covers about 110 square miles.
The South Unit
We had two days to tour this part of the park and thoroughly enjoyed it. There is a 36 scenic mile drive which is usually a loop drive but a 4 mile section of the road is closed because of bad road conditions. At first it seemed like an inconvenience to drive the 32 miles and then return but actually the views are completely different according to the direction.
The scenery is just gorgeous as you drive through the badlands. The different colors are spectacular and even though the Little Missouri River is low now (they desperately need rain) it is still quite picturesque winding it's way between the buttes and mesas.
We saw a large variety of wildlife in our two days! Bison and prairie dogs galore, along with wild turkeys, feral horses, deer, rabbit and many beautiful birds. We spotted hawks, red-winged black birds, magpies, doves and even white pelicans.
The cute little western town of Medora is just across the street from the visitor's center. We had a great hamburger for lunch one day and another day went to a fun little ice cream shop. We both sampled huckleberry ice cream for the first time.
The North Unit
While we enjoyed the Cottonwood Campground in the South Unit, we already had reservations at a full hook-up campground, The Crossings, about 15 miles east and on the way to the North Unit. It is located in a small town, Belfield, which according to their website is the Crossroads of America. Interstate 94 runs right through the town and goes from New York to Seattle. Highway 84 runs north to south through the town and goes from Alaska to Mexico City. We had a couple of delightful surprises while staying at The Crossings. The local Catholic Church which is just a few blocks away has beautiful bells in the afternoons. There are quite a few cottonwood trees on the property and we have discovered that songbirds love cottonwoods. We also experienced one of the most spectacular sunsets of our trip.
The drive to the North Unit from Belfield is about an hour but was lovely as we drove through the plains with grasses and grains. We even saw two pronghorns cross the highway in front of us. They are beautiful and fast. Unfortunately we were not able to get any pictures of them.
The north unit looks very similar to the south unit with the badlands and the Little Missouri River. We took a picnic lunch and enjoyed it at the highest point, Oxbow Overlook. The scenic drive is 28 miles and is not a loop.
We saw many bison along with deer, wild turkeys and longhorn cattle. We were hoping to get a glimpse of some big horn sheep but did not.
One thing we have been really impressed with in every National Park, Preserve, and Forest has been the information signs that are posted all along the roads. They are quite informative and we have learned so much from them.
About seven weeks ago there was a large fire in the North Unit. Approximately 30 acres were burned and even the housing and office buildings were threatened. We were so surprised to see that the forest is already showing recovery. We learned that the grasses and flowers in the desert have roots about 7 to 8 inches into the ground, hence they are able to quickly recover and sprout new growth.
Elkhorn Ranch Unit
We did not visit this part of the park. It is in a very remote section of the park and no paved roads. The park newspaper recommends 4 wheel drive and/or high clearance vehicles. This is the location of Theodore Roosevelt's ranch. There are no buildings left, however there is the cabin foundation.
No comments:
Post a Comment