Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) – The Landscape

Roosevelt first came to the North Dakota badlands to hunt bison in September 1883. During that first short trip, he got his bison and fell in love with the rugged lifestyle and the “perfect freedom” of the West.

Following Theodore Roosevelt’s death in 1919, the Little Missouri Badlands were explored to determine possible park sites. Civilian Conservation Corps camps were established in both of the future park units from 1934 to 1941, and they developed roads and other structures in use today.   President Truman established the Theodore Roosevelt National Memorial Park on April 25, 1947, the only National Memorial Park ever established. In 1978, in addition to boundary adjustments and the establishment of 29,920 acres of the Theodore Roosevelt Wilderness, the park’s designation was changed to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. -wikipedia

I recently had the pleasure of spending 3 nights/4 days in TRNP with two other photog friends.  My goal was to photograph the wild horses in the park as well as capture a sunrise and sunset.  I also wanted to photograph the Elk and Bison in the park.  We accomplished all of that an more.

Sunset along East River Road, South of Wind Canyon Trail Head

Sunrise at Badlands Overlook

We arrived late afternoon on a Tuesday in early October.  It was windy and cold.  Watching the forecast leading up to the trip was interesting to say the least.  Weather, though, can change at any moment; it did.  There was no freezing rain to speak of and only a dusting of snow on the first and last morning we were there – all of which added to the already incredible beauty around us.  The frost on the second morning was epic.  At 19 degrees in the a.m., it stuck around for a long while even after sunrise.

A truly rugged and beautiful landscape awaits you at TRNP.  The vast open expanses of land inspire awe and wonder to those that gaze upon it.  Looking out across the land today it is hard to imagine the forests and swamps that used to be there.  [More on the geologic formations]

TRNP – South Unit

We spent the majority of our time in the South Unit looking for the wild horses.  There was plenty of time between sightings given the weather to take in the scenery.  So much beauty; so many acres.

There are coal veins burning in the park.  They were hard to detect the first few days because of the wind.  Once things calmed down some, the smoke was easy to see.  We first noticed it at sunrise on day 3 when it was 19 degrees.  We didn’t realize what it was until we got closer and could smell it; then we saw exactly where it was coming from.

I saw a smaller coal vein burning pretty close to the road

TRNP – North Unit

We took a short [long] break from the South Unit and headed to the North Unit.  It’s a quick one-hour jaunt one-way through the grasslands.  We did find an old cabin along the road to photography along with two dandy longhorn cattle.  The pronghorn’s were laying in the field until sensed I was stopping – off they ran.

The North Unit landscape if very pretty.  It is much like the South Unit, but seemingly with more trees; especially along the river.  The road is out and back; not a loop like the North Unit.

Cannonballs

The North Unit is home to bizarre cannonball rock formations.

Mineral-rich water deposits minerals as it seeps through porous sediment layers.  The minerals act like glue, binding the sediments together and forming concretions.  Concretions form in many different shapes and sizes.  Those that are spherical are called “cannonballs.”  For now, scientists can only guess why some concretions take on such a spherical shapes.

EXTRA