Directly across Scenic Drive from the Juniper Picnic Area and Campground is a pull-off for the cannonball concretions of Battleship Butte. The paved parking area has spaces for three RVs, five cars, and one handicap placarded vehicle. It is located 4.5 miles from the North Unit park entrance on US-85.
This is also where the Buckthorn Trail crosses Scenic Drive. We visited in May 2021.
From the informational sign at the parking area:
The large, round rocks littering the ground and protruding from teh butte are bizzare. They don't seem to fit with the rest of the landscape. Where did they come from?
These "cannonballs" were not carried here by flowing water or glaciers. Instead, they formed within the sediment layers of the badlands. Now, erosion is slowly exposing these buried treasures.
Notice how some cannonballs have completely eroded out of the butte while others are being exposed. Even More lie deep within the rock layers, yet to be revealed.
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| View across the Squaw Creek floodplain |
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| Another view |
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| Battleship Butte |
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| A mostly exposed cannonball |
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| Other shapes emerge |
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| Cannonball about four feet high and five feet wide |
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| Looking back at the butte with more concretions |
An entry fee of $30 per vehicle, $25 per motorcycle, or $15 per person is valid for seven consecutive days at Theodore Roosevelt National Park. Other fee payment options include the America the Beautiful - National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands passes including the Annual Pass ($80), Senior Pass ($80 for a lifetime), Access Pass (free with a documented disability), and Military Annual Pass (free for active-duty personnel). Also available is a Theodore Roosevelt National Park Annual Park Pass for $55.
The Theodore Roosevelt National Park website is https://www.nps.gov/thro/index.htm.
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