An unexpected gem: What travelers will find at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Many people are surprised by Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

“First of all, they're surprised there's a national park,” said the park’s Deputy Superintendent Maureen McGee-Ballinger.

“They'll be on their way to Glacier National Park or Yellowstone, and they're driving down the highway and they see the Park Service arrowhead. ‘There’s a national park!’” she said. “When they get to the park, they're surprised that this has to do with Theodore Roosevelt – ‘Theodore Roosevelt? That should be New York. What's he doing in North Dakota?’ Then they're also surprised about just how beautiful and how varied the park is. I think everything surprises them. It's a gem that they just didn't expect.”

Here’s what travelers should expect at Theodore Roosevelt, the latest national park in USA TODAY’s yearlong series.

What is the story behind Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

“This is where Theodore Roosevelt first came out for a bison hunt. It spoke to him,” McGee-Ballinger said. “After he lost his wife and mother, he came out for healing and in that healing process, when he built his ranch, kind of formed his conservation ethic that would continue throughout his presidency.”

​​What is special about Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

“It is the cradle of conservation,” McGee-Ballinger said. “That alone is an amazing reason to come to Theodore Roosevelt National Park. But there's also bison and the Little Missouri River and geology and fossils and vegetation, so it's got everything.”

One warning about those bison: “While they look big and lumbering and cumbersome, they're also very fast … Give them plenty of room. They can be very unpredictable,” she said.

Are there bears in Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

No. Although many people associate Teddy Roosevelt with bears, McGee-Ballinger said, “We don’t really have a good habitat for them.”

What city is closest to Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

The South Unit is right beside Medora, North Dakota. The North Unit is about 15 minutes from Watford City, North Dakota. Bismarck Airport is the nearest airport served by multiple airlines.

“But most people are driving in, they're not flying in,” McGee-Ballinger said.

How long does it take to see Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

“Ten or 15 years to get a really good feel,” McGee-Ballinger said with a laugh.

She recommends a minimum of two to three hours in the park’s South Unit, one-and-a-half to two hours in the North Unit, and an hour of travel between the two since they aren’t congruous. But ideally, she suggested spending a few days in the park.

Can you just drive through Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

Yes. Each unit has a scenic drive. “The majority of people will drive through,” McGee-Ballinger said. “They can see wildlife from their vehicle. They might stop and do a short hike or stop at an overlook.”

But she adds, “It's so much more than that, and you want to allow yourself the time to enjoy it.”

When to visit Theodore Roosevelt National Park

McGee-Ballinger said every season can be incredible, but if she had to pick one, it would be fall.

“The reason for that is the weather is usually kind of mild, and I'm talking September, October,” she said. “The predominant tree along the river, the cottonwoods, turn this golden yellow, and to see that strip of the Little Missouri River bound on both sides by these golden yellow trees, it's pretty spectacular.”

What not to miss at Theodore Roosevelt National Park

McGee-Ballinger highly recommends visiting Elkhorn Ranch.

“That is where Theodore Roosevelt actually built his ranch and lived,” she said. But be aware the ranch itself is long gone and the property is not easy to get to. “You have to drive back roads that are rock roads. If it's really rainy, the roads can get pretty muddy, but it's right on the Little Missouri River. There are beautiful cottonwood trees, the rolling hills that are found throughout the Badlands and hopefully, it gives people a feeling of that peace and healing that Theodore Roosevelt found when he came to the Dakota territory.”

Who are the Native people of the land?

“Lands within the park are a part of the traditional bison hunting and eagle trapping grounds of the Hidatsa and Mandan tribes,” according to the National Parks Conservation Association. “The Arikara, Crow, Blackfeet, Gros Ventre, Chippewa, Cree, Sioux and Rocky Boy tribes are all associated with lands within the park.”

What else should people know about Theodore Roosevelt National Park?

“It's a place of change,” McGee-Ballinger said. “ You look at it and you see these hills and buttes, and people kind of think of that as rock, but a lot of it is actually clay soil and so this is a very dynamic place. We get heavy rain, stuff shifts around. Hillsides will slide. It'll be different. So don't assume ‘I've seen it once that I've seen everything.’”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Theodore Roosevelt National Park is surprising gem: What to expect