Tag Archives: Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Destination, Nature, Photography, Travel, Wildlife

Theodore Roosevelt National Park – North Dakota, The Wild Horses #TRNP

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Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) – The Wild Horses

Viewing and photographing the wild horses was the primary goal of the trip in early October 2018.  We had the good fortune of a prior consultation with Deb Lee Carson before our trip.  Deb has spent a lot of time with the Wild Horses of TRNP.  Having never been to TRNP, her insights were very helpful and greatly appreciated.  TRNP - Wild Horse

“It is difficult to explain one’s love for horses, it cannot be explained, it is simply felt.” ~ Deb Lee Carson

The Wild Horses of TRNP are majestic animals to say the least.  Their unbridled beauty roaming free was amazing to witness in person and photograph.  Three days total time in the park didn’t seem near long enough.  I was grateful for the exposure and the time I had with the horses.

[Read about the background and history of horses at TRNP]

The 46000 acre South Unit of TRNP is an incredible backdrop for these beautiful creatures.  All that space does make for a lot of places to roam out of sight.  Tuesday afternoon when we arrived we did not see a single horse.  The next morning we had a dusting of snow and it was cold and windy.  We managed to find a few horses.

Our luck turned around on Thursday.  After photographing sunrise from Badlands Overlook we continued on the loop counter-clockwise and found Grey Ghost grazing by himself.

Grey Ghost

We encountered Flax and his band a few different times on Thursday.  He is a handsome stallion.  Dolly and Kat are two of his mares.

Flax

Dolly

Kat

We saw quite a few more on Thursday just after sunrise.  Lots of horses snoozing in the warm early morning sunlight.

Bad weather in Wyoming brought Deb Lee Carson to Medora late Thursday evening.  She accompanied us in the morning to photograph.  A sunrise opportunity didn’t really present itself, but the light was pretty amazing that Friday morning regardless.  The clear skies and the bright sunlight back-lit the horses and illuminated their surroundings.  What a great end to a terrific photo trip to TRNP.  We saw a nice large group of horses that morning and spend a good amount of time photographing and observing them.

Deb Lee Carson
Deb Lee Carson
Deb Lee Carson
Deb Lee Carson

See also Deb Lee Carson Photography fb page

Pleas also check out This Mustang Life and their project: Taking Back The West.

 

 

Destination, Nature, Photography, Travel, Wildlife

Theodore Roosevelt National Park – North Dakota, The Wildlife #TRNP

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Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) – The Wildlife

Wildlife – South Unit

Locating wildlife in TRNP – South Unit was challenging the first few days.  All the critters hunkered down in the cool and windy weather.   As the weather improved, so did the wildlife viewing.  We saw a Coyote hunting prairie dogs in the early a.m.; must to dark for a photograph.  We also met a porcupine in the early morning hours crossing the road.  Plenty of Cottontail Rabbits in the early a.m. too.

Bison

Bison roam around all over the place; there are plenty to see throughout the park.  Large herds congregated by the campground by the river on the West side of the park.

Prairie Dogs

Prairie Dogs were plentiful as well.  There are three really large towns right along side the road.  They are fun to watch.

Pronghorns

Pronghorns in park were sparse.  We happened upon two bucks that had just finished a battle.  They were noticeably fatigued and bloody.

Mule Deer

Mule Deer are plentiful.  They were everywhere and ran around like squirrels in the park.  We saw mostly does, but did manage to locate two nice bucks and one spike buck.

Whitetail Deer

The Whitetail Deer were very elusive.  Most of the sightings were along the river by the campground.  We did spot a nice buck by the Jones Creek Trail Head.  I was shooting out the passenger window and the temp different between the vehicle and the outside was significant which softens the image considerably.

ELK

We saw two different bull Elk just outside of Medora the first afternoon when we arrived, but did not stop to photograph.  I was surprised to see them so close to the road, but thought photographing them would be a snap – WRONG.  ELK in the park are very elusive.  We didn’t see a single Elk – cow or bull – until the last morning we were there.  Two full days of exploring the park and not even a glimpse.  When we did manage to find them, they were a good 1/2 mile off on top of a butte.  The light was low and the photos grainy.  I was just happy to see them and hear them.  There were three different bulls bugling at one point; it was pretty fantastic.

Destination, Nature, Photography, Travel

Theodore Roosevelt National Park – North Dakota, The Landscape #TRNP

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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