One of the last remaining states that I had never visited was North Dakota. As I couldn’t work it into the route with Wolfie, I opted for an overnight trip up to Theodore Roosevelt National Park while I was staying in Devils Tower. I drove up the eastern edge of Wyoming where it was only me and the pronghorns. The first stop was the Painted Canyon visitor’s center in the South Unit to get familiar with the park. Despite the heat, I ventured out on the Painted Canyon Nature Trail to stretch my legs. It was then off to Chateau de Mores overlooking Medora, to get an understanding of what life was like in the Dakota Territory when Teddy lived here. Very impressed with the house and the museum.
My original plan was to get up early for a morning game drive in the park however the owners of the inn that I was staying at suggested an evening drive instead. I’m so glad I went instead in the evening as I saw so many animals. I first saw two herds of wild horses walking alongside the road. And then I became seeing lots of male bison along the road. And of course more prairie dogs than you could ever count. I was most excited to finally see a large herd of bison where the females and calves were together.
I spent the night in Medora, North Dakota which is a charming frontier town. Highly recommend the Amble Inn. The owners were really friendly and run the bookstore next door which is fantastic. The next day was another drive around the park, stopping at the overlooks. I attempted the Coal Vein hiking trail but it wasn’t well marked so I cut my hike short. I did enjoy the walk up to the top of Buck Hill which provides a fantastic view. And then it was time to drive back to Devils Tower. As I started driving on the interstate I looked over to find the large herd on the side of the interstate, I guess they were bidding me farewell.
