Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit: Is It Worth Visiting?
The Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit isn’t easily accessible from the South Unit. You can’t drive through from one into the other but have to drive a solid hour around. So is it worth it to visit if you’ve already seen the South Unit? Absolutely!
If you only see the South Unit, you’d still have a really great experience, but you would miss out on so much, including some of the coolest rock formations, most sprawling river views, and dramatic landscape. We’ve visited twice now and have gone to the North Unit both times.
Plan to add the North Unit to your itinerary. Read on as we share the hikes, overlooks, and features you should not miss.
If you prefer, you can watch the below video of our visit to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit.
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Visitor Center
Stop at the Visitor Center to grab any maps you need and watch a quick park video. From here, start the scenic drive through the park. The visitor center has restrooms and a small giftshop, but there are no restaurants on site. Make sure you bring a lunch and some snacks because the nearest town is a bit of a drive.
Scenic Drive
The scenic drive is a 28 mile out and back drive through the park with lots of great stops along the way. It starts out in the canyon and then moves up onto the rim.
Wildlife
There are only about 100 bison in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit which is less than the number of bison in the South Unit of Teddy Roosevelt National Park, but the day we visited a lot of them all seemed to be congregated in one spot. It made for a great view!
The bison were less active and further away during our rainy first visit with most of them laying down. However, they were close to the road and wandering around on the sunnier day during our second visit to this national park.
Weather
The weather you’ll experience could vary widely. On our first visit to Theodore Roosevelt National Park our day in the south unit was rainy, and our day in the north unit was even stormier. The heavy rain kept our hiking to a minimum, but the scenery was still spectacular! In fact, it made for a really unique experience.
Don’t be deterred if you experience rain also, just bring your rain gear and get out there. The streams that flowed from the cliffs looked like chocolate milk, making really fascinating designs along the trails.
Much of the flatland next to the roads was flooded.
On the other hand, during our second visit we had a fantastically sunny day, but it was also incredibly hot. So be prepared for anything!
Cannonball Concretions
One of the highlights of a visit to the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit is a stop at the Cannonball Concretions. The Cannonball Concretions are natural rock formations that are rounded and oval in shape. We thought they look like giant dinosaur eggs.
Some of them are lodged in the cliff face where they formed, only partially visible. Here they do look like cannonballs that were shot into the side of a castle and got stuck there.
In another spot you can stand right next to several of them and can see they are quite large in comparison to a person!
River Bend Overlook
Continue driving and you’ll drive up from the canyon to the rim where you’ll reach the River Bend Overlook. Walk the short trail down to the stone structure.
From here you have a great view over the landscape and the river below. This was one of my favorite spots. Apparently it’s the north unit’s most iconic view as well.
Ox Bow Overlook
When you reach the end of the scenic drive and your turn around point, you will be at the last overlook called the Ox Bow Overlook.
Here the river makes a dramatic bend in the direction that it flows. This is due to the Little Missouri River being blocked from its original course by glaciers in the last ice age and beginning to flow east instead of north.
It Is So Worth It
As you see, there are several things you don’t want to miss seeing in the Theodore Roosevelt National Park North Unit. If you have the time and energy, add it to your trip plans!
