Trip 17: Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota

Near the entrance and visitor's center at the South Unit

Theodore Roosevelt National Park comprises three units that are distinct from each other: the North Unit, the South Unit and the Elkhorn Ranch Unit (the site of Teddy Roosevelt's second ranch). The roads to the Elkhorn Ranch Unit are unpaved, steep, and easily washed out by storms, so we stuck to visiting the North and South Units. We visited the park in late May and stayed in Medora near the South Unit of the park. In hindsight, it would have been better to visit the park in early June or later, as many of the shops and attractions in the town of Medora were not yet open for the season. The summer season for the area begins on Memorial Day weekend and runs through Labor Day.

One thing you can never control on trips that are planned in advance is the weather, and the weather was mostly unfavorable on this trip--cold, very windy and rainy almost the entire time. With such poor conditions, we opted to stick with scenic drives and short walks to overlook areas, instead of the hikes we normally do, but still felt we got a good sense of the park. We managed to see bison, prairie dogs, pronghorn, wild turkeys, and pheasants during our drives. We also checked out Teddy Roosevelt's Maltese Cross Cabin in the South Unit and the cannonball concretion formations in the North Unit. (The cannonball concretions are a geological phenomenon of large, round sediment deposits visible on the ground and on the cliffs.)

As for breweries, there were none in Medora (although several bars there carried local brews), but we found Phat Fish brewery in Dickinson, Beaver Creek Brewery in Wibaux, Montana (just over the border with North Dakota), Stonehome Brewing Company in Watford City, Buffalo Commons Brewing Co. in Mandan, and Gideon's Brewing and Laughing Sun Brewing Co. in Bismarck. Of all of these, Laughing Sun was our favorite given the broad selection and quality of the beers. (In addition, if you are a fan of bbq, brisket, and ribs, it was clear from the plates around us and the delicious smells that this is THE place to go!)