North Dakota - Day 5 (Williston, Theodore Roosevelt NP)

Day 5 - we had a shorter day of driving (only 3 hours from hotel to hotel), however we knew we had a full day ahead of us since we were visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park. The Trading Post opened at 9am, so we planned to leave around 8:15.

We left Williston, heading to our first stop. While driving through Williston, we were privileged to meet one of Williston's finest...Officer Williams was super friendly and took pity on us (somewhat). He gave Matt the speeding ticket but reduced the infraction so that we only owed $10. Yes, you read that correctly, our speeding ticket was a whooping $10 with no ding on Matt's record. It was a sucky way to start our day, but we were thankful for the cheap price tag and kind officer. For the massive amount of miles that we've driven (between work & pleasure), it's a miracle that we haven't been pulled over more. 

The Fort Union Trading Post is located on the Montana/North Dakota border. While the park is located in North Dakota, you have to drive into Montana to get to the parking lot (which is also located in Montana not North Dakota). This gets confusing since Montana is in the Mountain Time Zone, but the park is in Central Time - Hence the sign on the drive in to the park. 

While we were walking up to the Trading Post entrance, I saw these critters scurrying through the grass. Scared the crud out of me as I thought that they were snakes (from the pattern on their backs). It truly took my heart 10 minutes to settle back to a normal heart rate!

Fort Union Trading Post was considered the most important trading post on the Upper Missouri River. From 1828-1867, this post provided a peaceful existence between the many Indian tribes in the area with local traders. Annually, over 25,000 buffalo hides were traded as well as $100,000 in merchandise traded hands.

We enjoyed the coolness & quiet of the morning while walking through the fort, trading post, the museum (wonderfully done) and the gift shop. 

A few miles down the road, we stopped at the Missouri-Yellowstone Confluence Center. We walked through the museum (lots of Lewis & Clark info!) and then walked down to the river(s). 

The water level was very low as you can tell from the boat landing here. 

After leaving the Confluence Center, we drove to the Fort Buford Historic Site, which you can see from the Center's parking lot.

Leaving Fort Buford, we had an hour of driving before arriving at the North Unit Visitor's Center for Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP). I used that time to make our PB & J sandwiches so we could eat them while driving. 

Just before getting to the park turn off, the road descends into the valley and WOW! We were blown away by the beauty surrounding us. We've driven through the Badlands multiple times and it always takes our breath away. We pulled over to take some pictures and enjoy the view for a few minutes.

We made a quick stop at the Visitor's Center and then drove the Cedar Canyon Road/Scenic Drive into the park. Our first stop was Cannonball Concretions Pullout. I think you can guess why they call this Cannonball...

Also, if you look closely, you can see a buffalo in the distance in the first picture below. 

Across the road from the Cannonball Concretions Pullout, we hiked the Little Mo Nature Trail (this trail goes along the Little Missouri River...)

As we came around the loop to finish our hike, we saw a herd of buffalo in front of us (a few hundred feet). They were too busy grazing to notice us, but we took our time watching them!

River Bend Overlook Trail was the next stop - this was a stop that we spent quite a bit of time at. Hopefully you will see why from the pictures.

Oxbow Overlook was our last stop in the North Unit (end of the road, literally). We then turned around and headed back the 14 miles to the visitor center. 

A super quick stop to take our picture by the TRNP Sign and then an hour drive to the South Unit of TRNP. 

We were shocked by the mass amount of hay bales throughout North Dakota. I read up on the Why (of so many bales in the state) and found that they do produce a large amount of the U.S. hay . . . but also read about Bale Grazing, which is a practice of farmers leaving the hay bales IN the field for the winter, allowing livestock to graze as needed.

We pulled into Medora (the South Unit of TRNP) and couldn't believe the HUGE crowds! After spending time at the North Unit (we could count how many people we saw)...we were shocked by the tourist town. We had no idea! We stopped to clean off the windshield and then made our way to the park entrance. 

We made a quick stop at the visitor center and (walking around the back of the center) took a look at the Maltese Cross Cabin. We then drove into the park to drive the 24 mile Scenic Loop Drive.

Skyline Vista Trail

Wind Canyon Trail

We saw this lone buffalo on the bluff, very majestic (esp against the backdrop!)

We noticed these wild horses as we were driving along Scenic Loop Drive.

Boicourt Overlook Trail

Buck Hill Trail

One of the highest points in the park. A steep climb to the top, but very much worth it! The view was spectacular and we could see for miles!

Notice my shadow...

We knew that a part of Scenic Loop Drive was closed for construction so we turned back north (instead of continuing south) after this stop, to head back to the entrance/exit. We were bummed to miss out on the last few miles of the scenic drive.  

They are in the process of building the Teddy Roosevelt Library in Medora, which is supposed to open in 2026. If we are ever back in that area (Interstate 94 near the Montana border), we will stop at the library as well as watch the Medora Musical. 

Leaving the park, we headed East on I-94, stopping at Painted Canyon Rest Area to search for a letterbox. 

Once Matt got to the letterbox, he noticed what looked like a bag of mulch/yard debris that had been dumped out. As it turns out it was a Western Thatch Ant nest -- right on top of the letterbox. He was so started when he realized ants were crawling all over his arms and legs that he just walked away without taking a picture (photos below are courtesy of Google).

Fortunately, the views the rest area gave more than made up for the unattainable letterbox. 

We drove an hour to our hotel in Dickinson. After grabbing a late dinner, we checked into our hotel and relaxed for a bit before heading to bed. We were so thankful to have finally visited Theodore Roosevelt National Park - it's been on our radar for quite a few years now! It was absolutely beautiful and worth the wait! 

Day 5 Favorites:

Matt: Fort Union Trading Post, North Unit & the buffalo on the bluff at Wind Canyon Trail

Becki: The North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park