Theodore Roosevelt National Park: North Unit

09Jul18

Rain dogged us the entire time we were in North Dakota to visit the Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

But even the wet weather couldn’t dampen the experience Carole and I had at the North Unit of the park.

Located approximately an hour north of the South Unit, the North Unit is even more remote than its counterpart. There are other differences. While the South Unit has a loop road, the North Unit’s main park road is 14 miles one-way and then you return back the same way.

And instead of wild horses, the park maintains longhorn steers in the North Unit.

There are several similarities, chief among them the sheer beauty of the park.

From the very moment we entered the North Unit, we were met with a steady drizzle that got us wet if we ventured outside our car for too long. Despite that, we couldn’t resist exploring as much of the park as weather permitted.

Our first stop came before we actually hit an overlook or official stopping place along the scenic drive. A large group of bison blocked our path and “forced” us to stay put until the herd moved on. We took advantage of this delay to snap several photos of the bison before we heading back on our way.

We drove past most of the pullouts but we couldn’t resist two overlooks that rivaled anything we saw in the South Unit. The first was the River Bend Overlook where a gravel path leads you to a stone viewing shelter constructed by the Civil Conservation Crops in the 1930s.

The National Park Service brochure calls this overlook “the most iconic view in the park” and I would have to agree with that statement. The view of the Little Missouri River is spectacular no matter which direction you look.

 

Our final stop in the North Unit was at the end of the 14-mile scenic drive. The Oxbow Overlook gives you more looks of the Little Missouri River. While not as interesting or spectacular as the River Bend Overlook, it is nonetheless worth the drive to the end of the North Unit.

My only disappointment with the North Unit was the weather. The rain limited our hikes to just the short walks at the overlooks. There are several longer hikes in the park we would have liked to have gone on.

Normally I would say the remoteness of the North Unit would forgo another visit. But the incredible beauty of both parks may necessitate a return trip. Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate.

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