Theodore Roosevelt came to the harsh badlands to heal after a sudden tragedy. His mother and wife died within hours of each other on the same day on February 14, 1884.

His diary entry from that tragic day features a large “X “and the painfully brief inscription: “The light has gone out of my life.” Seeking solitude, Roosevelt came to the untameable western prairies to hunt bison and raise cattle. The time he spent in the wilderness impacted him profoundly.

Theodore Roosevelt is credited with saying that he wouldn’t have become President without the lessons he learned as a rancher in North Dakota. He said of the badlands: “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."

The steep cliffs, prickly cacti, and grassy prairies of the national park named for America’s 26th U.S. President still look much like they did more than one hundred years ago.

Theodore Roosevelt’s impact on environmental preservation cannot be overstated. Roosevelt doubled the number of sites within the National Park system including Crater Lake, Wind Cave, and Mesa Verde. But perhaps most significantly, he set a new precedent for future presidents by using the Antiquities Act of 1906 to protect significant sites with historic or scientific value as national monuments. He used this executive authority to protect a significant swath of the Grand Canyon from exploitation in 1908. Roosevelt’s leadership had a seismic impact on environmental policy… the reverberations of which can still be felt today.

It was truly special to be able to experience the lands that had influenced the leader responsible for protecting many of America’s most beautiful wild places.

EXPLORING THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK-

While leveling our RV at our campsite in Medora, we were startled to see a rattlesnake casually slithering along the sidewalk outside the campsite restrooms. Prairie rattlesnakes are North Dakota’s only venomous snake; we gave our visitor a wide berth. After encountering a rattler within our first 10 minutes outside the park, we fervently pledged to wear jeans on every trail, despite the heat! 

Once our rig was set-up, we decided to take a scenic sunset drive through the park. It was the best decision we ever made. We were delighted to experience incredible sightings of bison, feral horses, prairie dogs, deer, and even an owl. 

Sunset is, by far, the best time to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Within our first 90 minutes in Medora, we encountered a more diverse array of wildlife here than what we had seen in any other national park to date. Hard to have a more spectacular start to a park visit!

Theodore Roosevelt National Park is split into three parcels of land: the South Unit, Elkhorn Ranch, and the North Unit. Of these, the South Unit is the most popular and heavily visited since it is closer to the highway and urban areas. We decided to make the additional hour and a half drive to the more remote North Unit. It was definitely worth it.The most striking feature of this landscape is the layered colors of the hills and canyons. The everchanging geology of this region is complex, but generally the grey lines indicate lignite coal veins and the red lines indicate oxidized iron. Lighting can start smouldering coal bed fires that can burn for years! Early settlers used to rely on these mineral deposits to keep them warm during the snowy winters. 

In the North Unit, we enjoyed hiking the scenic Sperati trail overlooking an oxbow of the Little Missouri River… although on our hike back, we were struck by a strong pang of anxiety when we encountered a large herd of 50+ roaming bison. Although they look easygoing, buffalo are not to be messed with. These beasts can weigh as much as 1,800 lbs and run 35 mph. More deaths and injuries have been attributed to bison than to bears. Luckily, we heard the animals’ prehistoric grunts before actually seeing them, so we were able to put a healthy distance between ourselves and the herd. The male bulls stalwartly guarded the females with calves… they gave our retreating figures a withering gaze. 

On the Caprock Coulee/Buckthorn Loop trail, we were charmed by the residents of a chattering prairie dog town. We spent at least an hour observing them foraging around and barking signals to one another. These social creatures are a delight to watch.

In the South Unit, we hiked through a large petrified forest and down steep canyons on two additional trails. A portion of the scenic driving loop was closed due to road damage, but we were able to see quite a few beautiful overlooks. Sunset at Buck Hill is breathtaking as it overlooks both the badlands and gently rolling hills.

MUSINGS AT DUSK-

In terms of topography, the North Unit is younger and more rugged than the South Unit. The cliffs are harsher and more exposed. The color stratification in the hills are more vivid and pronounced. The South Unit is more eroded and weathered with time… the colors have faded and the sharp lines of the cliffs have turned into gentler, more rounded grassy hills. Geologists say that the North Unit will eventually look more like the South Unit, as the forces of wind, water, and snow do their work.

One could say that this unusual geography is a fine metaphor for grief.

When it is new, pain is like the harsh and broken landscape of sheer cliff outcroppings.

But as time passes, the aching slowly subsidizes and becomes softer. Gradually, the hard exposed clay is cautiously colonized by pioneering grasses, then silver sage, then juniper trees. Some semblance of life returns and becomes rooted there. Evidence of the hurt is still apparent in the bumpy hills and valleys, but eventually it all erodes away. The indefatigable march of time wears away all scars… even ones that you don’t want to heal.

OUR FAVORITE PLACES-

#1: Sperati (North Unit: 1.5 mile portion of the Achenbach Trail through the grasslands and overlooking an Oxbow of the Little Missouri River)

#2: Petrified Forest (South Unit: 10.4 mile loop through expansive wildflower prairies, colorful rock outcroppings, steep cliffs, and a dry petrified forest)

#3: Caprock Coulee/Buckhorn Loop (North Unit: 11.4 mile hike through a few prairie dog towns and around some interesting rock formations)

#4: Buck Hill (South Unit: 0.1 mile path overlooking a scenic view of the park’s rolling grassy hills... fantastic place to watch the sunset)

#5: Painted Canyon (South Unit: 0.9 mile steep path into the bottom of the canyon and back up again)

MISADVENTURES-

One morning when we turned the key to start our truck’s ignition, we heard the heart-sinking, whinnying sound of a battery failing to start. A phantom energy drain killed the battery overnight. Luckily, we had a portable battery jumpstart kit. At only 75% charge, our little portable battery was able to revive and jumpstart our F150’s v8 engine! Our truck electrical system was a bit confused even after the jumpstart, so the truck went into “limp home mode.” In this setting, the truck will make weird noises and won’t drive in higher gears (we couldn’t get above 10 mph for a few minutes)!

Don’t be alarmed if this occurs to your truck--this is a factory safety mechanism Ford uses to protect your mechanical system from incurring damage, while still allowing you to drive to a mechanic to address the issue. In our situation, our sensors had misfired because of the low battery, which scrambled the computer. Thankfully, we were able to pull over and restart the engine. This restart cleared the error codes and allowed our truck to function like normal again. It was a smooth and easy fix!

Other highlights in the Medora area include watching a historical reenactment of Theodore Roosebelt at the town theater and trying delicious huckleberry ice cream from a small shop. (We also tried Pitchfork Steak Fondue but were quite disappointed. Like many overly promoted tourist attractions, the experience didn’t live up to the billboard hype!)

TAKEAWAYS-

If you intend on driving through remote areas, we highly recommend purchasing a portable battery jumpstart kit. My in-laws gave us a Cycmia jumpstarter as a handy gift one year, but there are plenty of choices out there. The portable device can be charged using a standard micro-USB cable and it features miniature jumper cables. The external battery can also be used to recharge cell phones and other electronics. (We’ve owned this device for ~3 years now and have used it on at least five occasions!) 

Carrying a OBD II Scanner/Fault Code Reader is also wise. This inexpensive device allows you to quickly decode vehicle computer error codes and troubleshoot issues with your vehicle. For small things, you can avoid the time/money of going to a mechanic; and for big things, at least you can educate yourself on possible causes. There are a bunch of error code readers on the market, we bought this one from Amazon for like $34. Or if you’re in a bind, most auto parts stores will also let you use theirs for free (in the hopes that you will buy components from them). Any time a strange error light chimes on our dashboard, we use our code reader to decrypt it. 

Familiarizing yourself with your vehicle’s Owner Manual/Maintenance schedule and being able to conduct some basic diagnostic measures can save you a lot of headaches. Particularly when you’re trying to interpret the long and very expensive “these are all the things that could be wrong with your vehicle” laundry list you typically get from any mechanical check-up! Most auto mechanics will be honest with you, but there are tons of unscrupulous shops that don’t mind talking you into replacing systems that ain’t broken. Uninformed consumers are frequently prey to these sorts of misleading scams. As a woman, I’ve found that the script changes when I walk in with my husband or if I rattle off the right keywords. You will learn a lot throughout life when things inevitably break, but it’s invaluable to take the time to learn some auto basics from someone you trust and be as educated as you can. 

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THEODORE ROOSEVELT NATIONAL PARK STATS:

Established: November 1978      /      Size: 70,447 acres

Annual Visitors: 580,000     /       Location: North Dakota

~Safe Travels, Nathalie

2,400 miles traveled and 4 national parks explored