A Day In Theodore Roosevelt National Park

North Dakota Badlands And The Little Missouri Valley

(Author's Note: This is another of my Trips posts I'm migrating from my off-line web journal. I've been busy this week and haven't had time to write anything new or prowl around the Blogiverse. Please feel free to ignore this entry. -- RDS)

In western North Dakota, just off Interstate 94 in Medora, lies Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Some years ago, I happen to read about it and it sounded interesting. Thus, on a trip to Glacier National Park, we detoured slightly northeast in order to spend three days exploring it. Suffice it to say, I'm glad we did and TRNP is on the list of "Mandatory Longer Return Visits" in the Sherman household.

Prairie Vista, Paddock Creel Trail,
Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

The park is divided into two units approximately fifty miles apart and connected by the Little Missouri River. Both units preserve grass covered "badlands" topography along with wildlife habitat for plants and animals indigenous to the Great Plains, i.e. bison, antelope, deer, elk and wild horses.

The Little Missouri River

The park nominally receives a fair number of visitors, but most of those stop at a rest area on I-94, snap a few pictures and leave. As with any of these places, one needs to get off the road net and explore away from the rest of humanity. What follows is a description of a hike with the Official Daughter on her fourteenth birthday which is one of those days which will stick in my memory forever.

Typical Park Topography

On our second full day in the South Unit of the park, I had planned on taking a longer full day hike with the OD and OES. As mentioned, the Little Missouri River bisects the South Unit from generally north to south and there are a number of hikes on either side of the river in the 5 to 10 mile range. There are also longer loops which are best preserved for overnight trips. The shorter hikes are of the “point to point” variety and require either a shuttle or lovely, long-suffering spouse for pick-up at the end of the day.

Another Park Prairie Vista
I've Liked This Photo So Much, It Illustrates My Profile.
The Closest I'll Ever Get To Ansel Adams

In perusing my map (NPS brochure here; I used the National Geographic "Trails Illustrated" offering) of the park at home, I settled on the “Painted Canyon/Paddock Creek” Trail in the eastern part of the Unit. This trail begins at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center which occupies a Rest Area on I-94. The trail descends into the Paddock Creek watershed and then follows the creek downstream where it intersects with the scenic loop drive in two places, allowing for either a seven or twelve mile hike. Because OES, aged 9 at the time, was going to be coming on this one, I had settled on the seven mile option.

Prairie And Clouds

At the Medora Visitor Center on the first day, I spoke with the rangers to get an idea of trail conditions, markings, and so forth. The ranger suggested that instead of doing “Paddock Creek” we should cross the Little Missouri and do a six mile hike through similar topography in the west end. This route, however, included a walk through a petrified forest. The trail head for this hike is off a county road which passes through private land, but the ranger said it was the best hike in the park. The only downside was that at the end of the hike, one must wade the Little Missouri, normally only about two feet deep, to get back to the park road.

The Little Missouri River

I changed my mind and planned to get my feet wet.

Then nature intervened.

That night, a cold front blew through from Canada and it rained all night. Dawn broke gray, cloudy and chilly with occasional showers. I was concerned that OES would be miserable on a hike on such a day, and further, I was concerned that the River would be up preventing us getting back. Thus I went back to the original plan, this time with OD only.

Fairly Lush For A Place Called "Badlands"

(The EMBLOS and the boys spent the day at the Dakota Dinosaur Museum in Dickinson, North Dakota which the EMBLOS reports to be first rate and worth a visit. They also strolled around Medora, where the boys played in the wonderful Medora Children's Park replicating a town from the “Old West.”)

Not Another Human In Sight

The OD and I were dropped off at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center and after consulting the duty ranger about the trail conditions, described with understatement as, “a little muddy,” we took off at about 9:30 AM.

From The Rim Of Painted Canyon

The trail heads east from the parking lot along the rim of Painted Canyon for about a half mile before descending steeply to floor of the valley. Trail conditions were not good because of the previous night’s rains and we took a long time picking a route down to avoid slipping. In dry conditions, the trail would be fine. Trekking poles were a definite help.

Hiking In

Once on the floor, the trail winds through the valley, past buttes and through fields of grass and wild flowers to its intersection with the Paddock Creek Trail. We saw numerous outcroppings of coal and bentonite clay (used in toothpaste) as well some small areas of petrified trees.

On The Paddock Creek Trail

We resisted the temptation to pocket any souvenirs.

At the trail junction, we took a left and proceeded to the pick up point. The trail is generally level, with occasional steep descents and climbs in and out of coulees which feed into Paddock Creek. These were muddy and required some effort to negotiate. Again, in dry weather they would be no problem. There were only two stream crossings which were no problem.

Ho Hum, More Trail

The trail was well marked at the intersections, but a map is helpful as the trail fades out in some of the grassier areas. It is frequently crossed by game trails as well. Fiberglass pylons are placed at intervals, but there are spots where you are out of sight of both the previous marker and the one purportedly ahead. One needs to keep a good look-out for these.

Bison In The Distance
Fortunately, They Remained There

The weather was a mix, chilly with occasional brief periods of light rain. We were glad for the extra layers we brought along and for the fleece caps during the chillier periods. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful hike and we were the only ones on the trail.

Trail Junction Occupied By Mule Deer

We saw all of the various forms of wild life indigenous to the park. A group of deer lounging near the trail had the courtesy to remain posed while I changed film in my camera. We also stumbled upon a solitary bull bison standing astride the trail in the bottom of a coulee. He watched us at a distance for about 15 minutes before strolling off and allowing us to proceed. Elk and wild horses were also seen frolicking in the wilderness.

Bull Bison On The Trail; Definitely Not A Pet

The total time for the seven miles was about 4.75 hours, with plenty of stops to absorb the beauty of God's creation in blessed solitude. We beat the EMBLOS to the pick-up by about twenty minutes, allowing us to lunch at the side of the road, while passersby stared at us. I commented to the OD that I wondered what these people thought about us, sitting in the drizzle by the side of the road, eating tuna and crackers. Her response?

The Fashionista

“They’re probably saying, ‘Look at that attractive girl on the side of the road with the amazing outdoor fashion sense.'”

Cheers.

R. Sherman

One of the locals did take umbrage to our presence and photography and saw fit to engage in a little "road rage" by charging our vehicle about three seconds after this photo was taken.

BTW, I've previously mentioned this hike here. Sorry for being self-referential.