05-30-2026 Saturday, Theodore Roosevelt National Park Drive

- June 05, 2026

The first stop was the visitor center to watch the NP movie about the park and get Barry a t-shirt. We also walked through the displays since we didn't have time yesterday. Then we drove the 32-mile Scenic Loop Drive. Again, we used GuideAlong and enjoyed the commentary about the park and Teddy Roosevelt.

Our first stop was Skyline Vista. Yesterday, we were informed we could see the new Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library from there. It’s on the other side of the freeway. Afterward, we made numerous stops at overlooks and pullouts. The views are vast and beautiful. The prairies are still green. It rained until about 2:00 PM, when we stopped for lunch at Boicourt Overlook. Great view while we ate our sandwiches. We did see lots of Bison and Prairie Dogs during our drive.

Another stop we made was at the Badlands Spur Trail. Barry saw a Bison in the dry river bed, and at first it looked like it was dead. I got out the binoculars and took a closer look, and to me, it looked like he was stuck in the mud. You could also see his ribs. He was not moving but blinking his left eye. Per GuideAlong, there is quicksand in the park. Barry got out the NP map, found a number to call, and reported it to the rangers. They were very thankful and had rangers on this side of the park, and would let them know. Not something we wanted to see or think about the rest of the day.

The best stop of the day was at the Wind Canyon Trail. Since the rain stopped and the weather warmed up a little, we decided to take the trail. What a great decision on our part. On the way there, I looked down a canyon ravine and in the Cottonwood I saw some movement. I had the binoculars and took a look. OMG....it was an owl. The trees were pretty far down the ravine. I ended up taking a photo with my phone, and it turned out enough for a woman I met on the trail to tell me it was a baby Great Horned Owl. How exciting is that!

We walked to the end of the trail, only a quarter of a mile, to a deck overlooking the valley with the Little Missouri River running through it. A gentleman on his way down told us we could see horses from the deck, but we would need our binoculars. The one thing we wanted to see, wild horses. I located them. There were two on a hillside overlooking a herd of about eight. I could not see any colts. As I shifted my gaze to the left, I saw a larger herd emerging from the trees near the river. We observed them for about thirty minutes. I was so happy. As we headed back down the trail, we shared with each person we met about the horses, well, it was only two other people. The owl was still in the tree, and I stopped to observe it again. What a treat.

Our last stop was at the Peaceful Valley Ranch. It used to be a dude ranch and one of the oldest in North Dakota, per GuideAlong. It was first owned by Benjamin Lamb in 1885. He built the first buildings. I’m sure there’s more history related to this.

We left the park and decided to drive into town and have a drink. We ended up at the Little Missouri Saloon. We decided to order a small bison pepperoni pizza and drinks. You can see by the photos below what a fun place this is. Yes, we did put our name and date on a dollar bill and hang it from one of the ceiling braces. The only complaint I have is that the pizza only had one piece of bison pepperoni per slice, very disappointing. Our drinks were great, and the ambiance was enjoyable. By the time we left, it was packed.