Day 75 - 76 (7/17 - 7/18): Theodore Roosevelt National Park (North Dakota)

We are back in the US and exploring North Dakota, one of the states we have never been to.

Yes, those are the actual canola fields behind the sign, so beautiful!  We have been exploring Theodore Roosevelt National Park.  The park is split into three parts, one of which (Elk Horn Unit) is not easily accessible, so we are only visiting the North & South Units. It is very hot out (upper 80's), so we are doing very little hiking - most of the park is known for the scenic drives anyways so we are in luck!  

There is just over an hour's distance between the North & South Units.  Since we were staying in Dickenson, we did the scenic drive in the North Unit the day we drove in.  This unit is smaller than South Unit, but has more dramatic views of the topography, and views of the Little Mississippi River, which flows through the entire park.  We learned that almost 80% of the overall park land (70+ Acres) is designated Wilderness Area.  You get that feeling for that in the vastness of the views.   

 
These are more "badlands" topographies.  In addition to more hoodoos (which I failed to mention in my other post from Dinosaur NP), this is the first time we have seen concretions being exposed from the sediment.  Some of them look to me like gigantic bones coming out of the earth.

The South Unit has two Visitor Centers with more information about the park, and about Theodore Roosevelt's ties to this area.  Although born and raised in NYC, he spent much of his life here.  After his first wife and mother both died in the same house on the same day he came here to heal.  He fell in love with nature here, and it is widely known that if he did not come here, he probably would not have become the man he became, and thus, our 26th President.  He is known as our first conservationist president, and they are even building a Presidential Library honoring him here that is scheduled to be completed in 2026.

This park feels like it is literally in the middle of nowhere, and if it were not for still being in Texas and taking this route back, I'm not sure we would have made it here...it is worth it - beautiful!

GOOD NIGHT!

Miles driven: 347 (Regina to Theodore Roosevelt Nat'l Park & Dickenson), 127 (Driving around South Unit of the park)