Rugged Badlands, Open Prairies and Free-Roaming Wildlife

Today, I’d like to share our visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota. We were helping my niece settle in Bismarck, where she’ll be a nurse at a local hospital. She’s just arrived from the Philippines and, without any relatives or friends nearby, we came from California to support her in getting an apartment and the essentials to start smoothly.

We also took this opportunity to explore interesting places in the area, so one day, we visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park.

The Theodore Roosevelt National Park can be found in the Badlands of North Dakota. It is dedicated to President Theodore Roosevelt who had a strong bond with the region as he used to ranch and hunt there in the 1880s which influenced his environmental conservation efforts while serving as president.

The park is famous for its badland structures and picturesque roads. Visitors can also see wildlife and explore hiking paths.

The Landscape and The Beauty of the Badlands

One of the wonders this park has is definitely the fabulous landscape it showcases. We visited the South Unit, which is the most popular area, and on our drive down through winding roads, were the sweeping views of layered Badlands with towering buttes and cliffs, sculpted by millions of years of wind and water erosion. The vibrant colors of the rock layers would go from shades of white to gray, and brown to orange.

Deep marks from water erosions over hundreds of years

Living true to its name, **Painted Canyon **is defined by its colored, multilayered rocks along the wall, likened to the strokes of an artist.

Prairie Grassland

But beyond the badlands, huge expanses of the park were taken over by a tract of apparently endless prairie grasslands. Spattered with green and brown grass and wild flowers, the region's natural beauty and diversity provided a contrast to the harsh terrains of badlands.

Colorful wild flowers

Wildlife Encounter

It's not all about the land and scenery; it is a haven for animals, too. Probably the most iconic animal here is the bison. We saw them grazing and roaming freely within the vast grasslands inside the park.

We saw some up close while they were crossing the road. We waited several minutes for them to cross safely. They seemed like they are taking their sweet time to roam and cross the road. With such huge animals, we didn’t want to antagonize or provoke them. We just waited in awe at this encounter in the wild.

Stop and give way to the king of the road

This is also home to the playful prairie dogs. The combination of their location (prairie) and their bark-like sound led to their name "prairie dog." But they belong to the squirrel family

They looked cute in front of their burrow

We had a memorable experience of the rugged landscapes and abundant wildlife. A lasting sense of wonder in the natural world and the conservation efforts for future generations to enjoy and experience.