Walk in the footsteps of the man himself in Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit!
Theodore Roosevelt National Park is split into three sections, the North Unit, Elkhorn Ranch, and the South Unit. It takes about an hour to drive between the North and South Units’ visitor centers. They are even in different time zones, even though they are directly north and south of each other. Time zones in North Dakota are weird. Visiting Elkhorn Ranch requires driving for a long time down dirt roads or hiking. I skipped Elkhorn Ranch but I did spend a day and a half in the South Unit.
The South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park is the largest of the three units. The terrain here is similar, yet different than that of the North Unit. The South Unit has more streams (usually dry in late summer/early fall), more canyons, more prairie dogs and the terrain seems a bit more badlandy.
The South Unit also has a very second weird visitor center, the Painted Canyon Visitor Center, only reachable by the interstate. It’s probably the most visited section of the park, as it’s basically a seasonal rest stop, a rest stop with bison.
A herd of bison likes to hang out in the parking lot.
Jana Irving A nature trail heads down there. I was going to hike it, but once I saw how steep it was, it was a nope from me.
You have to hop back on the interstate to get to the park. The entrance is in the middle of Medora, a gateway community. The park has a scenic loop road. It was partially closed for repairs, so the scenic loop turned into a very long out and back scenic road.
Jana Irving One of the first overlooks has a prairie dog town. How are these guys so cute?
Jana Irving The South Unit has a bunch of feral horses.
Jana Irving Interstate 94 passes right through the park. There was already a road here before they built it but really, an interstate?
Jana Irving Cottonwood Campground sits in a very scenic area of the park.
Jana Irving I continued down the scenic loop stopping at overlooks. The Boicourt Overlook overlooks the Little Missouri Badlands.
Jana Irving The Boicourt Trail is at a different overlook, which is a little weird.
Jana Irving Saw a little herd of pronghorns, a common prairie animal.
Jana Irving Just a lazy bison by the side of the road.
Jana Irving I think this was at an overlook with a bathroom.
Jana Irving Gorgeous views at the Badlands Overlook.
Jana Irving Prairies are surprisingly pretty sometimes.
Jana Irving Reminds me of the Bent Pyramid in Egypt. I swear I’m not a super nerd. Okay, maybe I am.
Jana Irving There used to be an East Entrance. When they built the Interstate, the East Entrance was closed. A trail now follows the old entrance road.
Jana Irving The trail goes right through a giant prairie dog trail.
Jana Irving The old East Entrance. It’s also surrounded by prairie dogs.
Jana Irving Next trail was the Coal Vein Nature Trail. A large coal seam caught fire in the 1950s and burned for twenty years, leaving a interesting landscape.
Jana Irving It’s a fairly easy trail.
Jana Irving The fire left a big hole where there used to be a hill.
Jana Irving The trail offers some really nice views.
Jana Irving Last trail of the day goes up Buck Hill. It’s a very steep climb, but the views are worth it.
Jana Irving Social trails lead even further.
Jana Irving Much further down the plateau.
Jana Irving Even more wonderful views down here.
Jana Irving Just gorgeous.
Jana Irving Reclimbing Buck Hill.
Jana Irving Badlands can be super beautiful.
Now for Day 2. The weather decided to be almost 90 in the afternoon, so I had to get an early start hiking. My main goal for the day was one 7-mile out and back trail, the Lower Paddock Creek Trail. I ended up doing about 6 miles of it. The trail has a lot of water crossings, but it was mostly dried up when I hiked it in September. The lack of water also reduced the number of animals that normally hang out around the area.
Jana Irving Gorgeous.
Jana Irving There were plenty of prairie dogs, though. The trail passes through several different prairie dog trails. This guy looks so stoic.
Jana Irving So adorable!
Jana Irving Not much shade on this trail.
Jana Irving Gorgeous terrain.
Jana Irving The very dry Paddock Creek. I also had to walk into the sun the entire way out.
Jana Irving Gorgeous.
Jana Irving A bit of stagnant water still in the creek here.
Jana Irving There is a lot of up and down into ravines.
Jana Irving A bit of fall color emerging here.
Jana Irving A prairie dog meeting?
Jana Irving The ravines were much greener than the rest of the prairie.
Jana Irving Much dryer prairie.
Jana Irving This one is building a nest. So cute!
Jana Irving I very much enjoyed this trail.
I just had enough energy to do one more trail, the Wind Canyon Trail.
Jana Irving I really liked this little bit of grasslands.
Jana Irving Wind Canyon gets its name because the wind cuts through the canyon eroding part of it.
Jana Irving Very white, eroded canyon walls. You can climb down there if you want.
Jana Irving If you head uphill more, you are rewarded with gorgeous views of the Little Missouri River. A few bison are down there by the river.
Jana Irving Zooming in!
Jana Irving Gorgeous views in the other direction.
Jana Irving I did head down a short trail again, this time to the Little Missouri River. It was really shallow. I recommend wearing sandals as it is extremely rocky.
The South Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park was a fantastic visit. Lots of wildlife, great trails and fabulous views. It’s worth going out of your way to visit.
Check out my next update where I head south to explore more of the Black Hills!
or
Start at the beginning of this northwest Midwest road trip!
