Park 28: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, ND:  We headed north out of South Dakota on US-85, the CAM-AM Highway, rarely turning the steering wheel for a bend in the road!  Within a few hours we were in North Dakota and turning into the Park dedicated to the memory of President Roosevelt, the President who did the most for our National Park System.  This area was where he came for peace, solitude, rejuvenation, along with his mental and physical toughening. 

Badland mounds and vegetation near
Little Missouri River

Panorama of the Badlands

This area is again known as the “Badlands”, but with a slightly different character than the Badlands in South Dakota.  Here in ND, there are not the dramatic pinnacles seen in SD.  Instead the area appears as more of a series of bumps, sculpted by the wind and waters of the Little Missouri River.  Coal seams underground have caught fire in several areas from natural causes as recently as one fire between 1955 and 1971, baking the surrounding clay and sand into a natural brick hardness.   Erosion of this ancient seabed exposed the varying colors and stratifications of rock.  Wildlife, such as bison, elk, pronghorn antelope, and prairie dog abound in this Park. At one point, we came to a stop for about 10 minutes when about a dozen bison grazed next to the road.  Eventually they crossed the road in front of us and we continued on our way.

Traffic jam on the scenic loop

There are two units to TR Park, North and South, separated by approximately 50 miles.  We visited the south unit and drove the 36 mile scenic loop, stopping along the way for the vistas and several short hikes into the country. 

We thought visiting this Park was a fitting end to our National Park journey, paying homage to one of the earliest land and resource conservationists in our country.  We now begin our eastward trek in earnest – through North Dakota, Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, until finally arriving home in Virginia.


As we’ve learned, it’s been the journey that has told our tale, and along the way, it wasn’t the great time we made getting from point A to point B, but it was the time we took to see a great country. 

Odometer: 12,267 miles!

Taking the time to experience the journey!