Thursday, September 14, 2017

East River Road and Scenic Loop Drive Part 1 - Theodore Roosevelt National Park


Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota consists of three parcels of land connected by the Little Missouri River. Two of the parcels are imaginatively named the South Unit and the North Unit. The third parcel consists of 218 acres of Roosevelt's Elkhorn Ranch and is appropriately named the Elkhorn Ranch Unit. Nearly two-thirds of the 70,000 acre (25,500 ha) park is in the south unit. A two-way 36-mile scenic drive begins at the South Unit visitor center in Medora and loops through much of the park east of the river. Several overlooks and trailheads are located along the route. This post covers the overlooks along the southern leg of the loop as far as Buck Hill. In addition to the animals shown below, we also saw wild turkey and a single elk crossing the road north of the overpass over I-94. We visited in August 2017.


Prairie Dog Town





Second Prairie Dog Town





Scoria Point






Unnamed pullout MP 9.8





Unnamed pullout MP 10.3






Badlands Overlook







Badlands Spur Trailhead





Roadside landscape and horses





Coyote in Prairie Dog Town







An entrance fee of $25 admits all the passengers of a single vehicle for seven days to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Other entrance fee options include a Theodore Roosevelt National Park Annual Park Pass for $50, an Every Kid in a Park 4th Grade Pass for free and a variety of America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes providing access to most national park, national forest, and BLM fee areas
  • Annual Pass for $80
  • Military Pass for free
  • Lifetime Senior Pass for $80 or $20 annually for those age 62 and older
  • Access Pass for free for visitors with a permanent disability
An entrance fee is not collected at the Painted Canyon Visitor Center.

The park website is https://www.nps.gov/thro.

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