North Unit, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

"I grow very fond of this place, and it certainly has a desolate,
grim beauty of its own, that has a curious fascination for me."
- Theordore Roosevelt

A ranger at Devil's Island State Park said "South Dakota claims to have the prettiest badlands, but I think North Dakota's are our best-kept secret."

With that, we were anxious to head to Theodore Roosevelt National Park to view the badlands. For now, we don't have anything to compare it to, as we haven't been to the badlands of South Dakota, yet.

We approached the badlands via U.S. Highway 85. A roadside sign read "The early French explorers called these bewildering and seemingly endless variety of landforms "mauvais Terres a traverse" or "bad lands to cross."

It was breathtaking!

We arrived at the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, as suggested by the ranger. He said it was prettier than the South Unit, and less touristy. We agree!

When we arrived at our site at the Juniper Campground, we were greeted by this beauty - a white-tailed deer.


We traveled the 14-mile Scenic Drive, which passed through a variety of terrains and got better and better the further we went.

Longhorns

Longhorn Pullout - 4,000 head of longhorn cattle arrived here in 1884. Longhorns are hardy animals, and they did well on the long walk from Texas (over 1500 miles). By the 1900's, longhorns were nearly extinct due to alternative, more successful breeds of cattle. Today, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Unit, houses 10-25 longhorn steers.

The Slump Formation

Slump Formation - formed by streams cutting against the base and the top slipping downhill.

Cannon Ball Concretions

Cannon Ball Concretions - formed within rocks (shale, clay, sandstone, etc.) by the deposition of mineral around a core.

Long X Cattle Trail

Long X Cattle Trail - a trail used in the 1880's to drive cattle to the Long X Ranch.

Picnic Shelter at the River Bend Lookout

River Bend Lookout - Drought and depression of the 1930's hit the badlands region hard. Landowners sold their land to the government in hopes of starting anew elsewhere.

The Civil Conservation Corps (CCC) was formed to help provide employment. Between 1934 and 1941, the CCC built shelters, trails, roads, and more throughout Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The picnic shelter at the River Bend Lookout is one of the many projects completed by the CCC.

The Bentonitic Clay Overlook

We arrived at the Bentonitic Clay Overlook, not expecting to see much wildlife. An anxious gentleman pulled up to the overlook and asked if we had spotted anything. He seemed disappointed that he had not seen anything yet. Just as he pulled away, we spotted this bison climbing over the hill. He rolled around in the dust and ate a few slivers of grass. It was the first time we had seen a bison in the wild.

Man and Grass Pullout

The Man and Grass Pullout describes the overgrazing of the land by too much cattle. Today, the area is protected and thriving.

As we approached the next curve in the road, we were haulted by a herd of bison in the road. It was an unexpected and exciting surprise! Our hearts were beating tremendously as we watched these incredible animals nibble on the grass and slowly cross the road. It was 20-minutes or so until we could safely pass, but we didn't mind the wait at all.


There are signs throughout the park warning that buffalo/bison are dangerous, and that visitors must view them from a distance... so this was an invigorating sight for us!

Bison or Buffalo?
They are actually the same. French explorers first called these mammals "les boeufs" or oxen. The name went through many variations from "buffle" to "buffelo" to "buffalo." Bison is the scientific name, but buffalo is widely used and accepted.

Bison are the largest mammals on the North American continent, and
are members of the cow family, Bovidae.


Full-grown bulls can weigh 2,000 pounds and stand 6-feet tall at the shoulder.


A female bison (called a bison cow) can weigh 1,100 pounds and
stand 4-5 feet tall at the shoulder.


The hump at the shoulders gives the bison its "top-heavy" look.


Groups travel 10-15 miles a day at 5-6 mph, led by the eldest cow.


Calves have a 9-month gestation period.
They are born an orange-red color, which turns brown after 3 months.


Thankfully, bison are herbivores (which doesn't stop them from being really scary).


Bison predators are wolves and grizzly bears.
(We were happy to learn do not exist in the park!)

Edge of the Glacier Pullout - This wasn't as exciting as the bison we just watched crossing the road, but still interesting.


At the Oxbow Overlook, we took the 1.5-mile Sperati Point Trail to view the narrowest gateway in the badlands. As we approached the half-way point, we came across two hikers who decided to turn around due to a bison on the trail.

The Sperati Point Trail

They said to us "You might want to turn around yourselves. That bison is traveling straight for us on the trai. And he is alone, so he is probably a bull." They didn't have to say another word... we were directly behind them heading back to the car. The younger New Yorker said "I've never been chased off a trail before by a buffalo. A first for me!"

The bison that caused our U-turn on the trail.

And we'll end with a fun story about an attempt of theft...