Scenic Drive North Unit part 3 - Bentonitic Clay to Oxbow Overlook - Theodore Roosevelt National Park

We continued our August 2017 visit to the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park with an auto tour of the unit on the fourteen mile Scenic Drive. To reach the North Unit from Interstate 94, take exit 42 and head north on US-85 toward Belfield and Watford City. Drive 51 miles on US-85 before turning left into the park on Scenic Drive.

We stopped at most of the named pullouts along the road and walked the short distances required, if any, to reach the overlooks. This post covers the western end of the route from the Bentonitic Clay Overlook to the Oxbow Overlook at the end of the road.

For trip planning purposes, please be aware that while the South Unit is on Mountain Time, the North Unit is on Central Time.

Bentonitic Clay (mile 9.0)

Quoting from the wayside exhibit:

The blue-black popcorn-like soil that caps the plateau 50 feet below this point is bentonitic clay. bentonite clays flow when wet. This bluish-colored layer can be traced for miles up and down the river.

Looking down an unnamed canyon

 Clay layers align across the canyon

Looking north to the edge of the badlands

Looking southeast toward Squaw Creek

Grasslands across the road

Man and Grass Overlook (mile 9.8)

Quoting again from the wayside exhibit:

Throughout history livestock growing has depended upon abundant grasslands. An unused sea of grass in this region attracted cattlemen who brought large herds here in the early 1880's. Damage from overstocking and overgrazing brought a quick decline of the open range cattle industry. Protection today is healing the effects of past abuse of the vegetation. Grass within the park now supports the native wildlife.

What the exhibit doesn't mention is that the park boundary is only ¼ mile away. Beyond the fence is the Little Missouri National Grassland. With over one million acres (400,000 ha), it is the largest grassland in the nation. It contains both long and short grass, giving it the designation of a mixed grass prairie. The grassland entirely surrounds Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Within the grassland boundaries are large tracts of state-owned and privately owned land. Much of this land is leased by cattle ranchers for grazing. The grassland is administered by the US Forest Service.

Looking beyond the park boundary to the grassland

Another view of the grassland

Grasslands in the park

A few trees are clustered along waterways

Oxbow Overlook (mile 13.9)

The road ends at a large parking area and turnaround. A short paved loop trail leads over a small hill to views of the Little Missouri River over 400 feet below. About two dozen bison were grazing near the trail on the western side, so we walked through the parking area to the other trailhead and carefully made our way to the overlook while staying much more than 25 yards from the herd. We met another group of visitors at the overlook and split time between enjoying the vista and keeping an eye on the herd of bison.

Bison near the trail

Grazing

View from atop the hill

Another group near the trail

View up the Little Missouri River valley

View down the valley

Bison grazing further down the hillside

Bands of color

Light and shadow on the badlands

One of two calves we saw

Sperati Point

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.