Visiting the Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit from the North Unit also involves a bit of time travel. The Units are an hour apart. The North Unit operates on Mountain Time. The South Unit operates on Central Time. I arrived the same time I left. Whoa. Mind blown!
Theodore Roosevelt
Behind the Visitor’s Center is Theodore Roosevelt’s Maltese Cabin, a small structure he called home in his early days in North Dakota.
His original writing desk and trunk (complete with his initials) remain.
After the tour of the cabin, it was time to check out the 36 mile scenic drive. The landscape is more diverse in the South Unit, but it’s also much more crowded as it’s not as far off the beaten path as the North Unit.
Scenic Drive in Theodore Roosevelt National Park South Unit
The Scenic Drive starts by passing through a prairie dog town.
These industrious little creatures are so rapidly expanding, that they’re even burrowing up through the road. But aside from the prairie dogs, I found it harder to see wildlife in the larger expanse of the South Unit when I first arrived.
However, I was up with the sun the next day. I saw a coyote and heard another one while I was hiking.
I drove to Buck Hill, the highest point in the park. I hiked to the top of the hill and thought, “It’s really quiet here.” Then an elk bugled. Sadly, I never saw any elk. But they’re fun to hear. I saw a few deer on Buck Hill, but no bucks, oddly.
I saw lots of bison throughout the day.
A small heard created a large traffic jam at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center that afternoon.
My favorite place in the South Unit is Wind Canyon. The effects of erosion and wind are obvious in this small canyon. A short trail leads out to the Missouri River. Even though I was camping along the Missouri River in Cottonwood Campground, the view from here was much more majestic.
 |
| View from my campsite |
 |
| Horseshoe Bend at the edge of Wind Canyon |
A Chance Encounter
On my final night in the south unit I drove the Scenic Drive again right before sunset. I pulled over when I saw this buck.
A van pulled off along with me. This van and I leapfrogged our way around the Scenic Drive. I was headed to Wind Canyon to watch and photograph the sunset. I pulled in the Wind Canyon parking lot, but stayed in my seat as I switched lenses and gathered my stuff (GoPro, headlamp, baseball cap, etc). I noticed that the van pulled up beside be, but I was focused on prepping for my hike. When I looked up, the driver asked me about what all I saw when I took the above photo. Much to everyone’s surprise, I knew the people in the van!
I met Vern and Judy Essenberg when I was touring with Silver Ring Thing eight years ago. Vern and Judy live in Michigan, were traveling to Montana in August, and stopped by Theodore Roosevelt National Park for the night. Had Vern not stopped to ask a question, we would have completely missed each other! It was great to have a quick roadside catch up on life. Unfortunately for them, I’d been camping in campgrounds without showers for a few days…
The conversation was great and the sunset that night did not disappoint.
Final Trip Around the Scenic Drive of Theodore Roosevelt National Park
I was up early the next morning and was out exploring again. Unfortunately, there was too much fog to get a good sunrise. I drove back to the top of Buck Hill hoping to see or hear some elk, but it was so socked in I didn’t even attempt to hike.
However, as I was completing my last trip around the Scenic Drive I saw a heard of wild horses and five pronghorn.
I’d been scouring fields for the past several days and couldn’t be happier to finally find some pronghorn. I think I spent nearly an hour watching these beautiful creatures.
Time to head further south…on to SouthDakota!
Go. Live.
