The second park on my odyssey, Theodore Roosevelt, is located west of Dickinson, ND, in the western part of the state. It is possible to fly into Dickinson and drive to Medora, just outside the Park.
I spent the first day driving the roads, and the second and third days doing day hikes through the badlands of the park. The main concern is staying out of the way of bison, of which there are many. There are also wild horses, which are more curious than a problem. The Paddock and Talkington trails are good day hikes without much significant climbing, nice views, and plenty of prairie dog villages. Note: the bentonite is extremely slick if wet, so rain can make some of these hikes a lot different experiences.
The third day, I went through Petrified Forest Wilderness and did a big loop using part of the Maah Daah Hey trail. On the last day, I did a loop I hadn’t done before, drove up to the North Unit and did a few hikes to viewpoints. The North Unit is very remote and rugged, but striking in its own way.
All the National Parks are special in their own way: “Teddy” was no exception.
Tags: National Park Odyssey
Boreal B[l]og 
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