The Badlands of North Dakota

06/18/2022 – 06/24/2022

The Journey West 2022 – Leg 8

Continuing west we head to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in the badlands of North Dakota. I’ve been to the badlands of South Dakota but never realized North Dakota had their own. I always thought North Dakota was flat plains land. And…it is…mostly.

Red Trail Vineyard

Roosevelt National Park was only about 6 hours away, but we decided to take 2 days to get there. We overnighted at a Harvest Host in Buffalo ND, our first winery. What is it about wineries? They are all always beautiful and peaceful. We rolled up to the softest, greenest grass ever! The afternoon was relaxing and view enjoyable. At dinner time we headed over to the tasting room and dined on some delicious red curry scallops and broiled salmon. We returned to the coach, sat outside and did a little stargazing. It was so nice out and the grass was so soft we thought, hey why don’t we just sleep outside under the stars? We grabbed all the quilts and that’s just what we did… for a few hours… until the ground started to get hard and uncomfortable. LOL Thank goodness we have a nice comfy mattress inside.

The next morning wake up to high winds and a 3 hour drive. The host offered us another night if we didn’t feel safe on the road. Bill decided it would be okay but we would turn around if it got to bad. The forecast was for 30mph winds with 40-50mph gusts. Off we go.

New Salem Sue

Bill fought the wind the whole way as we drove across ND on I-94. Fortunately, I guess, it was a steady wind with no gusts so he was able to hold the coach steady, but it was a constant battle. We stopped in to fill up in a little town called New Salem. What do we see up on the hill? A HUGE cow! Okay, we are unhooking and checking this out.

New Salem Sue is the worlds largest Holstein cow. She was built in 1974 by the local Lions Club in honor of the local dairy farming industry. She is 50’ tall and 38’long and weighs a hefty 12,000 pounds. Another great roadside find!

Medora ND

After a long, hot and windy 3-hour drive we arrived at our campsite in Medora. There are only 2 parks in town and we stayed at the Medora Campground (what an original name, huh?) It’s basically a camp to pull in, hook-up, stay a couple of days and move on. In fact, when I was checking us in, the host was surprised at how long we were staying. I looked at her worriedly and said, 5 nights, right? She made it sound like we were going to be there a month. The sites were very close together and there wasn’t really anything special about it. The one plus, it was very close to town. We rode our bikes into town, got some ice cream and rode around.

Medora has a population of 112 yet they are a tourist destination, thanks to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The entrance to the park is right in town. There are several motels, restaurants, shops, a city pool and splash park, and mini golf. Plenty to keep you entertained when you are finished exploring the park. Speaking of entertainment, a must see is the Medora Musical.

 Medora Musical

Tucked into the side of a hill is The Burning Hills Amphitheater, overlooking the beautiful valley. Every night the Burning Hills Singers and Coal Diggers Band put on a country-western variety show while telling the history of Medora and of Teddy Roosevelt’s legacies. Truly entertaining and worth the ticket price and there is not a bad seat in the house.

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Teddy Roosevelt came to the Dakota Territory to hunt bison in 1883 when he was 25 years old. A year later, after the loss of both his wife and his mother on the same day, Teddy returned to the area to heal. He became a cattle rancher and found adventure, purpose and wholeness again. He credited his experiences in the bad lands of North Dakota as the basis for his preservation efforts. As President he established the US Forest Service and worked with Congress to create five national parks, 18 national monuments, 150 national forests and dozens of federal reserves. He protected over 230 million acres and is now commemorated at six units of the National Park System, Theodore Roosevelt National Park being one of them.

The park is divided into three units; the North Unit, the South Unit and Elkhorn Ranch unit.

  The South Unit

The entrance to the South Unit is right in Medora and ½ mile from camp. The first stop was the visitor center. Inside are some natural history displays and some of Roosevelt’s personal items, such as the guns he used to hunt with and the gear he and his horse wore on the ranch. There is also a short film highlighting the history of the badlands and Roosevelt’s time here.

  Maltese Cross Cabin

Behind the visitor center is the Maltese Cross Cabin. This was a temporary home for Roosevelt when he split his time between New York and the Dakotas. Empty rifle casings were used to make the shape of the Maltese Cross on the end of a log.

In 1904 the cabin was dismantled and shipped to St Louis to be displayed at the World’s Fair. In 1905 the exhibit travelled to Portland OR for display at the Lewis and Clark Centennial Exposition, then in 1906 it travelled to Fargo ND for display at the State Fair. It was then moved to the capitol grounds and remained there until it was moved to the National Park in 1960. It now rests 7 miles from its original location. What a trip.

  The Scenic Loop Drive

We set out on the 36-mile scenic loop drive, but due to road work, part of the loop was closed. Now it is a 24-mile one way out and back drive. We climbed up the hills out of Medora and arrived at our first prairie dog town at the top. On both sides of the road were acres of mounds and cute little prairie dogs barking and scurrying around. They were absolutely adorable and fun to watch.

The road continued down into the valley and along the Little Missouri River and then wound back up into the hills. Around every corner was a breathtaking view. The prairie grass was so green against the rocky brown and orange hills. We passed by a few more prairie dog towns and kept our eyes peeled for buffalo. No such luck.

Most of the hikes in the park are pretty long and I’m sorry but hiking thru dry rocky terrain on a hot day is not my idea of fun. We did walk out to Biocourt Overlook and the view was phenomenal. Scoria Point Overlook was the turn-around point and the perfect place to have a little lunch and take in some more gorgeous view. As pretty as this is, I can’t imagine travelling thru here on horse back in the pioneering days. Those were some hearty people.

  Buffalo, Wild Horses and Sunsets

The best time to visit the park is in the evening. After the workday was over, we drove into the park to search for wildlife and watch the sunset. We were rewarded both times. Buffalo, feral horses, deer and even a couple of elk were spotted. I called the horses wild, but in actuality they are feral. What’s the difference, I wondered. Feral refers to animals that were once domesticated and wild, is well… wild. The horses in the park are descendants of ranch stock which now roam free. There you go. Watching the sun set and the colors change on the rocks was beautiful and so peaceful. Not that I have much stress in my life anymore, but here, or anywhere for that matter, when I sit and look out over a scenic landscape and watch the day come to an end, I can feel all of life’s troubles slip away and peace fills my soul.

The North Unit

The North Unit is a 68-mile drive from the South Unit. With the cost of fuel being what it is, we debated driving over there. Would it be worth $80 and 4 hours to drive there and back? Only one way to find out. Nothing else to do and we may not get back this way again, decision made.

And a good decision it was. The drive north, took us thru some of the oil patches and we saw oil rigs and the little towns built up to support them. The road was mostly straight and flat until we got close to the park. Once again, the plains ended and the badlands began. We dropped down into the valley, pulled into the park and began our 14-mile scenic journey.

  Slump Blocks

The first sight we came to were the Slump Blocks. At one time, a long long time ago, the Little Missouri flowed along the cliff faces. The water cut into the base of the cliff and the unsupported rock mass gave way and slid down the side of the cliff, coming to a rest in the river. When the rivers course shifted across the valley, rainwater eroded the cliff face and widened the gap between the cliff and the slump block. So in this picture, at one time, the cliff face in the background was next to the slump block. Some things make you stand there and just go, hmmm.

  Cannonball Concretions

Another piece of landscape that makes me go, hmmmm. These smooth cannonball like rocks are formed when sand grains from ancient river deposits were cemented together by minerals dissolved in groundwater. Erosion slowly exposes these unique smooth rocks in the rugged, jagged landscape.

  Riverbend Overlook

The road starts its climb out of the valley and up onto the prairie. The Civilian Conservation Corps built this stone shelter in the 1930’s and the view of the Little Missouri is fantastic. Along the trail and throughout the park were little clumps of these beautiful, sweet smelling pink flowers. They are North Dakota’s state flower, the Prairie Rose. As we drove by patches alongside the road we would take a big whiff of the fragrant air. 😊

  Oxbow Overlook

The road continues across the prairie overlooking the badlands and the river. We spot a large herd of buffalo in the distance on our way out to Oxbow Overlook. Oxbow is the end of the road. The Little Missouri takes a turn to the east here. At one time the river continued north but the last ice age left a glacier that blocked its way and left it no choice but to go east.

While we were taking in the view we could see a storm brewing and coming our way. As we were walking to the jeep, Bill spotted some Buffalo running across the road. We quickly hopped in and took off to find them. By the time we caught up to them they were in the distance a little bit, but not too far that I couldn’t capture them running on video. Watching these magnificent beasts run across the grassland was spectacular!

North Unit vs South Unit

Which was our favorite? When we were there, I’d say it was the North Unit. As I’m writing this entry, I honestly have to say I like them both for different reasons. The North Unit had much better views of the Little Missouri River, more geological oddities and the beautiful Prairie Rose. The South Unit had better views across the badlands, gorgeous sunsets and the wild horses. If you can, experience both units.

Earlier I mentioned there were three units to the park. We did not go to the third unit, Elkhorn Ranch. The unit was another 1 ½ hour, one-way drive from camp and there wasn’t really much there. None of the buildings are there, only stones mark the house’s foundation. It didn’t seem like it was worth the time or dollars.

This park is a gem and I am happy we had the opportunity to visit but now we are ready to hit the road and head for the Pacific Northwest and see our boys!