teddy roosevelt np [2023]

Theodore Roosevelt National Park

October 19-21, 2023

pre-trip

It's midterms week at college, and between preparing for this upcoming trip and balancing studying my mind is constantly racing. We've planned out the route and investigated where to stash water, what food to bring, and what trail conditions to expect.

the drive

Leaving for a 14 hour drive at 7 pm on Wednesday, we planned to arrive at roughly 9 am Thursday. We would drive through the night, making our way from Milwaukee to the western edge of North Dakota. 

day 1

We arrived at the park at 9:00, and after getting our permit, we began our hike. We hiked south, until we reached the little missouri river, where we crossed and shortly after had lunch. Shortly therafter, we encountered our first bison blocking the trail. After a bit of waiting and detouring, we made it past the bison. We checked out achenbach spring, but as we were carrying all our water, we didn't collect any. We continued on until we climbed the second mesa of the day, were we found a ridge to sleep on. We set up camp, ate dinner, and then went to bed.

day 2

The stars were out all night, and every time I woke up, staring at the sky was mesmerizing. We woke up to a gorgeous sunrise over the horizon, and soonafter began our hike. We crossed the little missouri river once again, refilled our water, and continued on. We walked right above a herd of mule deer, and soon had to take a substatial break and detour due to approximately 10 bison blocking our path. After the bison cleared far enough away, we hiked up caprock coulee, and took in the views. We continued down into the valley adjacent to the little missouri. We found camp just underneath oxbow overlook, and a bit of a sweat as we watched a pair of bison walking up the trail very near to us. We knew we were hiking up the trail the following morning in the dark, and worried that the bison may have blocked the trail. Regardless, we went to sleep, and once again, the stars were incredible.

day 3 

We started our day in the dark, and immediately began hiking up the finale of our loop. We did encounter the bison from the night previous, and literally ran up the hill after spotting them via headlamp, just off trail. We made it safely to the top, and took in the last few sunrise views before heading out in the car. As soon as we began driving the 14 miles back to the ranger station, we began seeing bison. We counted over 200 on our short drive, it was truly incredible.

post-trip

I couldn't be happier to have taken on this trip. The scenery was unlike anything I've been to recently, the trail was difficult, but very enjoyable. Cowboy camping was an incredible experience and is pushing me closer to committing to a bivy full time. I would definitely reccomend this loop to anyone who is considering it, but be prepared with GPS maps, as it is very challenging to follow the trail otherwise.