Theodore Roosevelt first visited the Dakota Territory in 1883 to hunt bison, but a personal tragedy a year later led him back here to re-center. He built a ranch, which ultimately failed, but the rugged beauty brought him back again and again for the rest of his life. More importantly, Roosevelt credited his experiences in the badlands for shaping his character and his preservation policies. As president, he established the U.S. Forest Service and signed the 1906 Antiquities Act, under which he proclaimed 18 national monuments. He worked with Congress to create 5 national parks, 150 national forests and dozens of federal preserves resulting in over 230 million acres of protected land. Needless to say, he drastically expanded the national park system. He championed it and it has served as a model for other countries preserving land around the world. To honor Roosevelt, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park was established in 1947.
This park is comprised of 3 separate units – the South Unit, the North Unit and Elkhorn Ranch (Roosevelt’s ranch). Since the buildings no longer exist at Elkhorn Ranch and the unpaved roads can be steep and easily washed out by storms, we did not visit this area.
Here are areas we visited during our 3 days in the park and would recommend to you when you visit.
DAY 1 – South Unit
From the Cottonwood Campground, we drove the 36-mile Scenic Loop Drive, stopping mid-way to hike the Coal Vein Trail. Bison criss-crossed us on this short (less than a mile) walk. Be sure to stop at some of the overlooks to get a better look at the badlands.
DAY 2 – North Unit
From the Juniper Campground, we drove to the Caprock Coulee Nature Trail. This hike goes up along a ridgeline/ contour. River Bend Overlook can be accessed from this trail before it loops back around. It’s just over 5 miles and mostly flat once up on the ridge.
The 28-mile (14 mile out and then back) scenic drive in the North Unit is also great.
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DAY 3 – Maah Daah Hey Trail
From the Bennet Campground, there are several pretty sunset hikes and there’s an access road from the campground to the multi-use Maah Daah Hey Trail. This 144-mile trail traverses both the North and South Units of Theodore Roosevelt Park as well as the Little Missouri National Grasslands. Doug took an epic, 18-mile, mountain bike ride along this trail.
Throughout the park, look for wild horses, bison, bighorn sheep, longhorn steers, prairie dogs, elk, deer, coyotes and songbirds.
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There’s something magical about rock formations. It could be that it’s just hard to imagine the many, many years that it took the Little Missouri River and its tributaries to cut through the layers and the erosion that continues from water, wind and ice. It could also be that the formations change when viewed from different angles and in different light. Whatever it is, places like this (Badlands of South Dakota, Bryce Canyon in Utah, the Grand Canyon in Arizona) keep us, like Roosevelt, coming back.
