You know those chill horses you often see at a farm or ranch, just slowly grazing and doing their thing? Yeah, the wild horses of Theodore Roosevelt National Park are nothing like that. For some reason though, I thought they might be.
On one of the first major bends of the Park, we spotted a decent sized herd grazing upon the hill, so we pulled over to investigate. I quickly hopped out of the car to snap some pics, and instantly felt like I was someplace I wasn’t quite welcome. Those chill horses at a ranch rarely even acknowledge your presence, even if you try to get their attention – these horses, were like some high-end surveillance system with those lasers that rapidly lock onto your forehead. The atmosphere shifted hard as every head in the herd looked up, and you could feel their muscles tense as their leader stepped a few feet forward towards the car.
I’d say that wild horses couldn’t stop me, but they can make me slowly get back into the car.
Shortly after my retreat, the herd took off into the badlands as though they were on to find the next group of tourists to intimidate. What an exciting rush to begin our visit to this rarely visited but gorgeously wild National Park.
Located in southwestern North Dakota, Theodore Roosevelt National Park isn’t on the way to anywhere – but is reason enough to make the trek here from other locales. It is almost as if the Park is an island of rocky badlands in the midst of an inland sea made of grass. Those grasslands intermix throughout the Park, and are a home to roaming herds of Bison, the before mentioned terrifying wild horses, and almost as aggressive prairie dogs who have no problem with reminding you to stay out of their massive towns.
The herds of bison, which somehow manage to surprise you with how they will seemingly appear out of nowhere and then fill the field, also show no fear or concern about us humans. Grazing in a valley, they lazily wandered across the road, bringing traffic to a joyous stop. Thankfully, everyone seemed to know that these fluffy cows (as a Parks PSA recently jokingly referred to them) were best viewed from the relative safety inside of their cars.
We visited in early June, and the skies and temps were gorgeous. I could see how this is not a place I’d like to visit during the colder months though as there are few trees and next to nothing to slow down the wind racing across the Great Plains.
The Park itself is split between a North and South expanse, and we only made it through the Southern one before we needed to start our journey back, but I do hope to one day visit and continue to explore this remote and interesting place. President Theodore Roosevelt was a larger than life individual, and is responsible for starting the National Parks system, so it feels perfect that this Park was named after him. While it is remote, compared to most Parks, this one is worth the drive if you’re looking to encounter the Wild and the freedom that this place has in abundance.