US National Parks

Theodore Roosevelt

Named after former President and all-around American badass Theodore “Teddy” Roosevelt, this National Park celebrates the rugged beauty of the American countryside with rolling green hills, herds of wild bison, and vibrantly harsh “badlands.”

Spread out across three units of protected land in western North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park both honors and celebrates its namesake by protecting and preserving the land he cherished most.

Following the death of both his wife and mother in 1884, then State Congressman Roosevelt would retreat to North Dakota and became a cowboy, herding cattle, hunting bison, and capturing outlaws. The rugged lifestyle he experienced during the next two years in the Dakotas would prove formative for Roosevelt, and he would later be quoted as saying “I would not have been President had it not been for my experience in North Dakota.”

A National Monument since 1947 and a National Park since 1978, the region is a perfect representation of everything the National Park system was designed to protect. Here are my photos from my trip:

Badlands at Sunset

Overlooking the badlands at Sunset

Wild Pony

A wild pony stops to take in his surroundings

Valley of Theodore Roosevelt

Overlooking the North Unit of the Park

Prairie Dogs

A gathering of Prairie Dogs

Cannonball Concretions

Rugged Cliffs with naturally formed “Cannonball Concretions” in the foreground

Bison

A Bison Prowls through the Prairie

House on Prairie at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Little House on the Prairie

Wild Horses at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Nothing to see here- just wild horses crossing the road

Badlands Sunset at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

More Badlands at Sunset

Weird Cliffs at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Strange Looking Cliffs

Prairie Dog at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

This little guy spent a solid 5 minutes just yelling at other Prairie dogs. I like to imagine that he’s the village elder telling the youngsters to stay off his lawn

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Categories: US National Parks