I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate that when you pan a scene, you do it at a rate that the brain can tolerate. So many amateur photogs pan so rapidly that the brain goes into tilt. :-)
I pan too quickly all the time. It's hard to get right. When you're filming it in person, it doesn't seem fast at all. But then you get back to your computer and you're editing and realize only then that you panned a bit too fast. I've learned that you have to REALLY slow it down in person. Thanks for watching!
@@SUVRVing I was also thinking that I am not so sure that your opinion is so controversial. Different people have different standards with which they judge things. I would be quick to agree with your assessment between the two parks, as I am a lot more interested in places where there are NOT the 'thundering hordes' as I not-too-affectionately refer to them. Since my niche in the outdoors pursuits is solely hiking, and hiking to lakes to be more specific, and I also use goats as my pack helper (I am almost 80), I judiciously avoid those locations where there are lots of people. In Idaho specifically where I spent the last 17 years, I have used Margaret Fuller's guide books exclusively, and she rates destinations in three categories: 1) likely to be overcrowded; 2) moderately trafficked; and 3) seldom visited. As you might guess, my target has always been: seldom visited. The goats prefer that as well.
Boy was I glad you showed TR's first cabin; TR is one probably my favorite president. He did so much for preservation of natural sites, forests, bird refuges etc. For readers, 'Wilderness Warrior' by Douglas Brinkley gives a great overview of his accomplishments. One part of that book really resonated with me. TR, along with his chief Forest ranger, Gifford Pinchott, set aside huge acreage under the Antiquities Act. After my father passed away in 2008, I found two letters he had saved. They were from Gifford Pinchott to my great grandfather thanking him for his support in the Pa governors' election (Pinchott was the only Pa governor who was elected to 2 non-consecutive terms). So, your tour of 'TR NP' meant a great deal to me. Your summation of what to see and what to avoid was informative. Many thanks.
3 words.. MAAH DAAH HEY Trail. Starts at the north unit and ends in the south unit. And has 5 or 6 little campgrounds in between. Over 100 miles of bike packing or mountain biking adventure! You will see so much of the badlands that most people never see. Great adventure and physical challenge!!! You'll know then why Teddy fell in love with the badlands. Really enjoy your videos and adventures!!
LOL at the bison: "we have movement...or not..." All the sites were interesting for differing reasons, but the ribbon of river seemed to tie them all together. Another fine video. Thanks.
The first time we visited Roosevelt NP we had just left Yellowstone......we thought Roosevelt was boring. We returned a few years later and fell in love with it. We took our time and appreciated the open space, lack of people, wildlife (especially the wild horses), the campgrounds, and trails. It’s a beautiful and peaceful National Park. Thank you for a lovely video......you do wonderful work.
Thanks Bette! It's definitely not on the same level as Yellowstone in terms of impressiveness of the sights, but thankfully it's also not on the same level as Yellowstone in terms of crowds!
Thank you for covering this park. I have never even thought about it, but now it's on my list! I have been to Badlands and I think if you there during the wrong time (summer) it can be pretty miserable. A couple of points: If you think that was a lot of bison, imagine 150 years ago when you'd probably see bison all around you, to the tune of tens of thousands, just in that area. And that free campsite you found? That's exactly the reason why we need national parks and these places protected, otherwise it would all end up like that. Trashed, shot up and torn up by OHVs going all over the place. Now more than ever, as people are increasingly looking for free camping without caring how they leave the place.
I did many of these hikes back in around 2003. I actually did the Petrified Forest loop as well, but came in from the East side via the Horse Camp and had to wade across the Little Missouri river right at the outset. Still, loved all of it. Beautifully extreme terrain... Thanks for bringing us along!
Thanks for the look and opinions of this NP. Theodore Roosevelt was a terrific writer and wrote expansively about his time there. It was a fascinating and life-shaping experience for him. BTW, I appreciate your intelligent presentations. My days of adventure are mostly over, but I can still travel with you.
If you ever get back to the region Medora is worth a short visit. It's definitely tourist trapesque, but it's a neat little frontier town. Further East in North Dakota is a chunk of ground called the Sheyenne National Grassland. It's an interesting patch of Sandhills with some sparse patches of trees and plenty of cows and sheep grazing. Very similar landscape to the Palouse in Washington, though not quite as dry. Just up the river from there is the Sheyenne State Forest, which isn't really worth visiting for someone who travels as much as you do, but just interesting to note that it has the state's only verified "waterfall" with an anticlimactic drop of about 2.5 feet. Keep following up the Sheyenne Valley and there is a scenic byway that I personally love to drive (though I happen to live on said byway). Thanks for visiting my home state.
Hi Tristan, thank you for sharing your travels. When I’m out in the road, I don’t get to do many actually walking trails as I have my dog with me, so I live vicariously through people like you. In SD once, I had a bison stop right in front of me a foot from the car. He stood there and stared at me through the windshield for awhile. One of the best photos I got in that trip. They have such soulful eyes. Really made me fall in love with them.
You missed my favorite part of the park. The third unit, that you didn't even acknowledge😂, Elkhorn Ranch Unit. It's a wonderful drive out there, several hikes in the area. We ran into 2 other people the whole day we were in that area. It was beautiful and tranquil. I highly suggest anyone making the trip out there.
Yes, it’s a long drive and there not much left of the buildings. But it is a nice drive and very interesting to see how remote TR’s ranch was. His quote “It was here that the romance of my life began” says so much of his life in NDak.
I've visited most national parks in the US but somehow I've never been to this one. Your video has forced me to add it to a road-trip for 2021 and I now know what to highlight. Great job on this video Tristan.
Hi I been watching your files for a couple of months and today I am on your most recent release. Having watched the last two to three years of your tour I feel I know the progression of your work. I backpacked and camped at the TR North Unit in 1975. During the night while camped on top of a ridge a thunderstorm rolled in and the college student group I was with being smarter than me evacuated the ridge in the middle of the night. Sort of a comedy seen falling and rolling down the bluff trail in the dark. All my photographs were stolen in 1993 so capture of images from your video allowed me to recover a file from my 1975 outing. THANKS AGAIN
Loved the video! I had to laugh that you didn't care for Painted Canyon trail that much. Too funny, but that trail is one of our favorites because it was the first hike of our 2.5-week hiking/camping adventure this past June. We got there at 6am after driving through the entire first night. My husband and I and our four little kids were just so excited to be there. We didn't know there would be a trail at that viewpoint, so it was an unexpected surprise and a great way to kickoff our adventure west!
Love visiting petrified forest. 3:32 That is a huge piece of wood and I think you are right that is trunk section. Definitely amazing. Oh to be young again and able to hike 11.5 miles. Yes there lots of wild life and thanks for sharing. 7:21 The cabin that Theodore Roosevelt stayed at is really cool. Maltese Croos cabin is a great name! Wow wind canyon is unique and that is nice view. Buck Hill is windy for sure! Great views 8:31 . So many Bison😊. 8:31 That's is an interesting stand of trees across the river. You are right that the cannonball concretion pullout is definitely interesting. Riverbend Overlook is wonderful and has great views. Oxbow Overlook is a great view point! Sperati point is worth the visit! I agree with your assessment of the spots to visit. It is more unique than Badlands. Thanks for sharing!
The shots around stops 6 and 7 were my favorites, especially the morning view of the bison against the golden leaves and river.... peacefully beautiful! Thank you!
“It’s beautiful (long pause) but WINDY!” I love seeing the animals. I saw that quick second of a wild horse...how wonderful! Also, I like that you keep the footage of the camera blowing over. Thank you for taking us along!
One thing you can miss on a short visit to this place on a day with clear, temperate weather: it can be a brutal landscape. Winters are severe, dark, and long. That wind you experienced? That's just a taste. It's not a sweet, pretty place for much of the year. Murderous mosquitos, poison oak, mud you damn-near sink to your knees in, tornadoes, floods...the general extreme remoteness, the vast surrounding Upper Plains flat as a parking lot, huge stretches with no trees, no nothing. Early settlers reported feeling tiny and vulnerable in the vastness, like the sky was going to crush them. It's so flat, the light throws up strange hallucinations on the horizon. It's a weird state in many ways. Of course the bareness has a beauty to it. And the sky is just massive. I realized after moving here from California that you can see it without even looking up; it's not above you so much as around you. If you just look straight out horizontally at the horizon, you see sky--the edge of the big blue dome coming all the way down. Very different from living among mountains, where you definitely must look UP to see sky. Might be interesting, on some of your travels, Tristan, to pull out some memoirs and literature and poetry chronicling life in a given place.
Nice video Tristan! Have visited this park ten years ago but never did the trails because of heavy winds. This video makes me want to go back. Most enjoyed everything you posted. Thanks!
Making a trip out West from Chicago in a few weeks. Going to visit Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and now I'm adding this one on the way back! Unfortunately I'll only have a few hours to spend here. Nice video!
Thank you so much for your videos. This park is so very interesting. You have inspired me to get involved in van camping. Just purchased an Explorer 4x4 that I plan to set up similar to your minimalist version. You inspire and convenience to see the natural beauty of the USA. Thank you!!
Awesome! Another great video, Tristan, thanks for all you do. I have spent a great deal of time at TRNP and the surrounding badlands/grasslands. I wholeheartedly agree that the ND badlands are much more beautiful than the SD, and that is not meant to be disparaging of the SD badlands, which certainly have their own stark, beauty. So much more color, variety and feeling of accessibility in ND, though. I love the park, but what I like even better is the USFS National Grassland areas outside the park. In the park, the bison can be a real challenge for a solo hiker like me -- they are not to be trifled with. Herds can block trails, and going off-trail to avoid them in the grass can be dangerous because of rattlesnakes. Though exceptionally beautiful, the badlands can be very dangerous, too. You MUST carry adequate water. You MUST keep an eye on the weather. Heat, cold, sun and wind exposure can be extreme, even on a good day. When it rains, hiking can become very dangerous, very quickly. When it gets wet, the bentonite clay that makes up virtually all of the ground can potentially turn a pleasant day-hike into a death-march (a bit like trying to hike in quicksand, and there can be bonafide quicksand, too, especially near the river/streams). You can easily get stuck miles from any help, cell signal, or potable water. Make sure someone knows where you are going when you strike out on your own. Roads can become impassable very quickly in the rain, too. It pays to think of it like traveling in the desert -- have plenty of extra water, food, and shelter, just in case. Any water you find there is likely un-filterable. (Say goodbye to your Sawyer if you run silt-laden water through it without pre-filtering it somehow.) Despite all of the challenges, I still love the area, and consider it my second home. If you love solitude, there are few better places to find it, and the landscape and views are unending and breathtaking at every turn. I've hiked hundreds of miles in the area over the last 10 years or so, and I can't wait to get back and finish my last section of the 150 mile Maah Daah Hey trail, which I think is an overlooked gem that more hikers should take notice of. If you see a lone hiker with the largest straw hat you've ever seen and a big golf umbrella for portable shade out there in the middle of nowhere, it is probably me -- say hello! :) See you on the trail!
All good points! And the Maa Daah Hey Trail looks great. I'd love to bike that sometime in the next couple of years. I've heard the ticks are bad out there.
@@SUVRVing I've heard that about the ticks, as well, but I think that is mostly in the spring. I've been there in all 4 seasons, and never had a tick on me, but I haven't spent all that much time there in the spring. Most of the people who use the trail do it by bicycle or horseback -- in all the years I've been going there I've only run into hikers on the trail 3 or 4 times (except in the park on the more popular trails).
Hi Tristan, found your channel recently and enjoy your videos. I am from Northeast Nebraska originally (I live in Kansas now), and I have been to the SW North Dakota area several times in mid-late October to assist my Dad and brother in purchasing calves from the area ranchers and trucking them back to Nebraska to finish feeding them out. Painted Canyon at sunrise is breathtaking when I viewed it from the visitor’s center east of Medora, and while there at the visitor’s center, I saw a huge herd of elk stampeding on the canyon’s floor. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity, for sure. If you go back and want a strenuous hike, call the Bully Pulpit Golf Course south of Medora and ask if you can walk the golf cart paths on the Back 9. The course is built right into the landscape of the Badlands. It is incredible! The Front 9 is rather flat, it’s in the river valley, but that Back 9...oh, my! It was so steep at points, I had the brakes locked up on the golf cart and we were still going downhill. I played it on a weekday in October just before they closed for the season and I was the only person out there (it was 40 degrees and windy). I definitely want to play that course again before I die.
Being from Utah, I agree with you about Badlands national park. My theory is that easterners are easily amazed by the scenery in Badlands. Basically, we're spoiled by amazing natural scenery here.
We are from NW Ohio and it is flat here, if you look west you can see next week rolling in. Scenery....Corn, wheat, and soy beans, which has its own beauty ,but it’s no Utah. We visited Utah a few years back and was astounded at its beauty. Lucky you!
Tristan, I always laugh when you leave the camera dump shots. They get me every time. 🤣 Thank you for cute sense of humor. I know it may not be always funny for you and your camera 😱💵💵
The Painted Canyon at sunset is beautiful. The colors are quite magical. Before I visited the park, I kinda thought that Teddy Roosevelt got gipped with getting this park as a namesake. Then I went there (this is an under appreciated park) and of course, learned the history. Made way more sense to me.
I loved all the Bison in the Park! They are preserving them! Liked the Canonballs! And last but not least The Petrified Wood! Thank you for this hike!❤️😀🇺🇸🚙🌏
The wind does blow there ! I remember the grasses and the huge prairie dog populations there. You nailed it, when you said it was a pretty laid back place. From what others say in the comments here, sunrises and sunsets will change the landscape to magic. I didn’t see this place in at those times . Now I need to go back and do that. Nice video Tristan !
Great video. Thanks for the tour around the park. I've lived in the Fargo area most of my life and have been there several times. North Dakota is as flat as pool table in the east and progressively turns into that in the west, but the wind is brutal throughout.
I’m happy you did this video. I was there this past July and nope; just way too hot to walk around so I’m definitely going back there this year. September looks good. Thanks for a great tour.
Great video! We were there for the first time earlier this year. Loved it and want to explore it extensively when there's NO wind!! I agree relentless. Appreciate your list, very helpful. We want to do the 10 mile hike. Thank you for taking me back there again today!
Thanks for another great video. The view from Sperati Point is stunning. I appreciate and admire your commitment of sharing your travels and adventures with the world. Keep doing good.
Trying to imagine any current high level politician spending time in a crude cabin. 😅 I had not even heard of this park! Thanks for introducing it! I live about 15 miles from the Missouri River, so it was nice to see the Little Missouri!
Nice treks. We may not be seeing the level of beauty present, through that lens. I have to look up what created the petrified wood and how old those were. If you could include that detail, in the future I'd prefer it. 👍
I agree with you regarding Theodore Roosevelt N.P. vs. Badlands in South Dakota. It's wilder, more remote, and less crowded, although it is a long way from most places! Which, I suppose, is why it's wilder and less crowded. The North Unit of the park even moreso, for the same reason(s). The wind out on the plains really is pretty relentless!
Great video as usual, Tristan...thanks! I see no controversy, you're just expressing a preference of one park over the other. If I have the chance, I'll visit both.
Absolutely agree, Bandlands NP in S. D. is interesting but not all that special. Haven't been to T. Roosevelt NP but it looks much more diverse and scenic. Really enjoy your videos. We've been to some of the same places but your are always introducing us to new ones, thanks.
I was there in 2019 and what caught my then and in you video was the black soil at River Bend Overlook. It really stands out against the rest of the view. I never did find out why it is so different than the rest. Good job staying upright in that wind.
By sure to check out my video from earlier this week about winter camping accessories: th-cam.com/video/jgkrCBNgQzU/w-d-xo.html And here's a reminder that the GPS tracks of my hikes in this video will be up on Adventure Know-How by the end of the day today: adventureknowhow.com/ -Tristan
Every national park is different. This is why they are the treasures of America. I agree TR does offer a lot more than Badlands. But, Badlands is a place to understand nature and the way it was formed is pretty amazing. When we hiked the Petrified Loop Trail it was a hot day. We stopped for a drink under a tree. That was my first rattlesnake encounter. It warned me not to move as it was only a few inches from my foot. My wife took off running but I watched it slither away into the grass and slowly walked away. The wild animals in TR are a nice addition to the views. Thanks for showing all you did there.
Thanks for the tip, will check out that website for the 8 things. Those cannonballs are so odd and interesting. I liked the cabin, neat to see what was inside and the Petrified Forest Loop!! Oh that wind there sure is crazy!! Still on my list, I'll add some of these places. I've been to The Badland and it was cool, but might like this place better too.
I'm glad that you didn't go see the Medora Show/ Tourist trap while visiting the area. I was there some years ago on a CANDISC, ( Cycling Across North Dakota In Sakakawea Country) bicycle tour. I bicycled the entire southern loop road and finished in time to miss the supper that was prepared for the group. Camped out in that big campground in Medora. One thing that kind of spoiled the experience for me was that the park management decided to spray herbicide on the invasive plants in the park on a day when several hundred heavy breathing bicyclists would be riding through the park. It was otherwise a nice ride. Encountered a bison from a distance of about ten feet from the side of the road. Not really comfortable with that but it was the bison that moved towards the road, not the cyclist that moved toward the bison. The bison are wild animals and must be treated with due caution.
We didn't get to see the cabin. We did go through the visitor center. That was really cool. Did walk a couple out and back short trails. Drove the 36 mile loop through the lower unit. Didn't make it to the upper unit. We do plan on going back, as I thought this park was really nice and Yellowstone, GTNP are so crowded and busy.
I think you can see most of what the park has to offer by just doing the scenic drives. And I agree, it was great how uncrowded the park was! Thanks James.
I share your sentiment. Badlands was one of my least favorite parks (not to say it's bad; I don't think any of the parks are "bad"). It just wasn't on my list of favorites. But I really enjoyed Theodore Roosevelt. I agree that there is more variety, or at least I experienced more variety than in Badlands. One of my favorite memories is walking alone through a huge open area between the hills with what I remember as a dozen or so bison on either side of the trail. They didn't pay much attention to me, but I was somewhat nervous walking between them, not knowing what might set them off. Obviously things ended well. Thanks for another great video.
Funny you said that about the Painted Canyon trail... That was a trail I really wanted to do when my family was out there a couple years ago - we got about half way through and thought, 'I don't know if this is worth it,' and turned around. We do a lot of hiking so we're not the type to bail on a trail. It had just rained and the kids kept falling in the mud, so that might have had something to do with it, lol.
It's not a terrible trail, it's just kind of... meh. I think it's one you can miss and not feel too bad about! Thanks for watching and commenting, Joe.
Glad you were able to enjoy this park. You may enjoy Isle Royale after Labor Day weekend. Another little visited park. They advertise fewer visit there in one year than visit Yellowstone in one day. You won't be able to take your car and are at the mercy of the weather Gods as you travel back and forth across Lake Superior. Most the time, uneventful. When it's rough and can still cross, get a spot at the rail, you'll probably need it.
I totally love this park, the campground was small but very good...some of the trails had Bison on the trail so I had to turn around, also enjoyed the cannon balls and the wild horses that was really cool. Really enjoyed your highlights safe travels.
TRNP is one of my favorites! The horse on your video is one of several wild horses in TRNP. Well, technically they are “feral” horses that are descendants of domesticated horses. I still find them interesting especially in the spring with the new born colts. Occasionally they have to thin the herd and have an adoption program. The town of Medora has much to offer too! I lived in ND and MT for years and drove by Medora, until finally in 2015 stopped in on a motorcycle trip. It immediately became a favorite go to place. Although I am a hiker, I also enjoy the Medora Musical, Pitchfork Steak Fondue, museums and Teddy Roosevelt impersonators in Medora. Thanks for the video!
It's not technically in the park, but some of the touristy things in Medora are a MUST IMO. The pitchfork fondue and Medora Musical are WAY too much fun!
I'm glad you made it to Theodore Roosevelt NP. When I went a couple years ago I loved it. On that trip I also stopped at Badlands NP and I agree with you that Theodore was a better park. I also think it is the variety that it has to offer. I did everything you did except for the petrified forest, it was all great. Next time you are there I suggest you take the full Caprock Coulee Trail in the north unit. It is 4.3 miles and has a very varied landscape. Thanks for the great videos and great trip ideals.
Beautiful!! I had a couple good laughs when the camera fell over. I had the idea that the camera was saying to itself “oh my god this wind is horrible I got to lay down“. I know silly, right? LOL By the way, Your website is amazing and well worth the visit!
A fantastic park, very well presented, I had no idea that there was any petrified forest other than the one in Arizona, and the potential for wildlife viewing seems endless.
I was surprised by how much wildlife I saw. Probably more there than any other park I've been to other than Yellowstone and maybe Grand Teton. There are petrified forests in Utah, California, Washington, and Wyoming, too. Thanks for watching, Mike.
Those bison were hilarious. I've been to a few of those parks on a road trip with my brother. Unfortunately, he has a disability, so he can't hike. I'd love to go back and do some of the easier hikes.
I love that park as well and agree that it's better than Badlands. And I preferred the northern part of the park to the southern. Great video! Thank you!
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I just wanted to tell you how much I appreciate that when you pan a scene, you do it at a rate that the brain can tolerate. So many amateur photogs pan so rapidly that the brain goes into tilt. :-)
I pan too quickly all the time. It's hard to get right. When you're filming it in person, it doesn't seem fast at all. But then you get back to your computer and you're editing and realize only then that you panned a bit too fast. I've learned that you have to REALLY slow it down in person. Thanks for watching!
@@SUVRVing I was also thinking that I am not so sure that your opinion is so controversial. Different people have different standards with which they judge things. I would be quick to agree with your assessment between the two parks, as I am a lot more interested in places where there are NOT the 'thundering hordes' as I not-too-affectionately refer to them. Since my niche in the outdoors pursuits is solely hiking, and hiking to lakes to be more specific, and I also use goats as my pack helper (I am almost 80), I judiciously avoid those locations where there are lots of people. In Idaho specifically where I spent the last 17 years, I have used Margaret Fuller's guide books exclusively, and she rates destinations in three categories: 1) likely to be overcrowded; 2) moderately trafficked; and 3) seldom visited. As you might guess, my target has always been: seldom visited. The goats prefer that as well.
Instablaster.
Boy was I glad you showed TR's first cabin; TR is one probably my favorite president. He did so much for preservation of natural sites, forests, bird refuges etc. For readers, 'Wilderness Warrior' by Douglas Brinkley gives a great overview of his accomplishments. One part of that book really resonated with me. TR, along with his chief Forest ranger, Gifford Pinchott, set aside huge acreage under the Antiquities Act. After my father passed away in 2008, I found two letters he had saved. They were from Gifford Pinchott to my great grandfather thanking him for his support in the Pa governors' election (Pinchott was the only Pa governor who was elected to 2 non-consecutive terms). So, your tour of 'TR NP' meant a great deal to me. Your summation of what to see and what to avoid was informative. Many thanks.
I'll have to check out that book, for sure. Thanks for the recommendation. I hope you get to visit the park before too long. It's a great place!
3 words.. MAAH DAAH HEY Trail. Starts at the north unit and ends in the south unit. And has 5 or 6 little campgrounds in between. Over 100 miles of bike packing or mountain biking adventure! You will see so much of the badlands that most people never see. Great adventure and physical challenge!!! You'll know then why Teddy fell in love with the badlands. Really enjoy your videos and adventures!!
The nice thing about the wind, is that it keeps the bugs down.
Thanks for sharing.
I enjoy your channel the most out of all the travel channels I watch. You're a great tour guide. Thank you. 🌲🌲🌲
I appreciate that! Thanks Daniel.
LOL at the bison: "we have movement...or not..." All the sites were interesting for differing reasons, but the ribbon of river seemed to tie them all together. Another fine video. Thanks.
Thanks for watching! I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
The first time we visited Roosevelt NP we had just left Yellowstone......we thought Roosevelt was boring. We returned a few years later and fell in love with it. We took our time and appreciated the open space, lack of people, wildlife (especially the wild horses), the campgrounds, and trails. It’s a beautiful and peaceful National Park. Thank you for a lovely video......you do wonderful work.
Thanks Bette! It's definitely not on the same level as Yellowstone in terms of impressiveness of the sights, but thankfully it's also not on the same level as Yellowstone in terms of crowds!
Thank you for covering this park. I have never even thought about it, but now it's on my list! I have been to Badlands and I think if you there during the wrong time (summer) it can be pretty miserable.
A couple of points: If you think that was a lot of bison, imagine 150 years ago when you'd probably see bison all around you, to the tune of tens of thousands, just in that area. And that free campsite you found? That's exactly the reason why we need national parks and these places protected, otherwise it would all end up like that. Trashed, shot up and torn up by OHVs going all over the place. Now more than ever, as people are increasingly looking for free camping without caring how they leave the place.
Nice slow pan on the viewpoint shot. Also impressed by the sound quality with all the wind. Thanks for taking us here!
I did many of these hikes back in around 2003. I actually did the Petrified Forest loop as well, but came in from the East side via the Horse Camp and had to wade across the Little Missouri river right at the outset. Still, loved all of it. Beautifully extreme terrain... Thanks for bringing us along!
Wading the river must have been fun! Thanks for watching.
Thanks for the look and opinions of this NP. Theodore Roosevelt was a terrific writer and wrote expansively about his time there. It was a fascinating and life-shaping experience for him. BTW, I appreciate your intelligent presentations. My days of adventure are mostly over, but I can still travel with you.
Thank you! I really enjoy your video adventures. They are refreshing. The cannonball concretions are fascinating.
Aren't they neat? I don't think I've seen anything like that before. Thanks Mari.
If you ever get back to the region Medora is worth a short visit. It's definitely tourist trapesque, but it's a neat little frontier town.
Further East in North Dakota is a chunk of ground called the Sheyenne National Grassland. It's an interesting patch of Sandhills with some sparse patches of trees and plenty of cows and sheep grazing. Very similar landscape to the Palouse in Washington, though not quite as dry.
Just up the river from there is the Sheyenne State Forest, which isn't really worth visiting for someone who travels as much as you do, but just interesting to note that it has the state's only verified "waterfall" with an anticlimactic drop of about 2.5 feet.
Keep following up the Sheyenne Valley and there is a scenic byway that I personally love to drive (though I happen to live on said byway).
Thanks for visiting my home state.
Do you know any interesting hwys or roads to take through western ND and eastern Montana?
Tristan, I just love the pace of your travel videos. So relaxing and informative. Definitely one of your top 10 videos. So peaceful.
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate you watching and commenting.
I couldn’t agree more! 😀👍
Thanks! We haven't been to this one yet. Laughed at the camera falling over! Realistic viewing at its best! 🙂
It's a hard one to visit because it's not really on the way to anything. You really have to go out of your way to see it! Thanks for watching, Tina.
Hi Tristan, thank you for sharing your travels. When I’m out in the road, I don’t get to do many actually walking trails as I have my dog with me, so I live vicariously through people like you. In SD once, I had a bison stop right in front of me a foot from the car. He stood there and stared at me through the windshield for awhile. One of the best photos I got in that trip. They have such soulful eyes. Really made me fall in love with them.
Sounds like an amazing experience! I'm always surprised by how huge they are. Thanks Mary.
You missed my favorite part of the park. The third unit, that you didn't even acknowledge😂, Elkhorn Ranch Unit. It's a wonderful drive out there, several hikes in the area. We ran into 2 other people the whole day we were in that area. It was beautiful and tranquil. I highly suggest anyone making the trip out there.
Thanks 😊
Yes, it’s a long drive and there not much left of the buildings. But it is a nice drive and very interesting to see how remote TR’s ranch was. His quote “It was here that the romance of my life began” says so much of his life in NDak.
Camera falling over was pretty hilarious
Gorgeous views! Very cool to see all the plant life with the badlands, nice contrast :)
I liked seeing that too. Thanks for watching DPC!
I've visited most national parks in the US but somehow I've never been to this one. Your video has forced me to add it to a road-trip for 2021 and I now know what to highlight. Great job on this video Tristan.
It's not really on the way to anything else, so you really have to go out of your way to see it! Thanks for watching, Stan.
Hi I been watching your files for a couple of months and today I am on your most recent release. Having watched the last two to three years of your tour I feel I know the progression of your work. I backpacked and camped at the TR North Unit in 1975. During the night while camped on top of a ridge a thunderstorm rolled in and the college student group I was with being smarter than me evacuated the ridge in the middle of the night. Sort of a comedy seen falling and rolling down the bluff trail in the dark. All my photographs were stolen in 1993 so capture of images from your video allowed me to recover a file from my 1975 outing. THANKS AGAIN
Sounds like it was a fun adventure, though! Thanks for watching and commenting, Joseph.
Loved the video! I had to laugh that you didn't care for Painted Canyon trail that much. Too funny, but that trail is one of our favorites because it was the first hike of our 2.5-week hiking/camping adventure this past June. We got there at 6am after driving through the entire first night. My husband and I and our four little kids were just so excited to be there. We didn't know there would be a trail at that viewpoint, so it was an unexpected surprise and a great way to kickoff our adventure west!
Love visiting petrified forest. 3:32 That is a huge piece of wood and I think you are right that is trunk section. Definitely amazing. Oh to be young again and able to hike 11.5 miles. Yes there lots of wild life and thanks for sharing. 7:21 The cabin that Theodore Roosevelt stayed at is really cool. Maltese Croos cabin is a great name! Wow wind canyon is unique and that is nice view. Buck Hill is windy for sure! Great views 8:31 . So many Bison😊. 8:31 That's is an interesting stand of trees across the river. You are right that the cannonball concretion pullout is definitely interesting. Riverbend Overlook is wonderful and has great views. Oxbow Overlook is a great view point! Sperati point is worth the visit! I agree with your assessment of the spots to visit. It is more unique than Badlands. Thanks for sharing!
The shots around stops 6 and 7 were my favorites, especially the morning view of the bison against the golden leaves and river.... peacefully beautiful! Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching.
Truly, wasn't that a breath taking shot.
My favorite too. Hope to see it myself someday. Lord willing.
I'm a little embarrassed to say I laugh out loud EVERY time your camera topples and goes "thump." I'm such a child, lol.
Lol I think it's funny too 😁 Thanks for watching!
Me, too. Lol.
@@freedomdove Hahaha, Sweet!
Same! Please don’t edit those out. 😂
“It’s beautiful (long pause) but WINDY!” I love seeing the animals. I saw that quick second of a wild horse...how wonderful! Also, I like that you keep the footage of the camera blowing over. Thank you for taking us along!
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the video!
One thing you can miss on a short visit to this place on a day with clear, temperate weather: it can be a brutal landscape. Winters are severe, dark, and long. That wind you experienced? That's just a taste. It's not a sweet, pretty place for much of the year. Murderous mosquitos, poison oak, mud you damn-near sink to your knees in, tornadoes, floods...the general extreme remoteness, the vast surrounding Upper Plains flat as a parking lot, huge stretches with no trees, no nothing. Early settlers reported feeling tiny and vulnerable in the vastness, like the sky was going to crush them. It's so flat, the light throws up strange hallucinations on the horizon. It's a weird state in many ways.
Of course the bareness has a beauty to it. And the sky is just massive. I realized after moving here from California that you can see it without even looking up; it's not above you so much as around you. If you just look straight out horizontally at the horizon, you see sky--the edge of the big blue dome coming all the way down. Very different from living among mountains, where you definitely must look UP to see sky.
Might be interesting, on some of your travels, Tristan, to pull out some memoirs and literature and poetry chronicling life in a given place.
The autumn views of the river (Little Mo trail) from the hilltop are fantastic. A beautiful place.
Nice video Tristan! Have visited this park ten years ago but never did the trails because of heavy winds. This video makes me want to go back. Most enjoyed everything you posted. Thanks!
Making a trip out West from Chicago in a few weeks. Going to visit Badlands, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and now I'm adding this one on the way back! Unfortunately I'll only have a few hours to spend here. Nice video!
Thank you so much for your videos. This park is so very interesting. You have inspired me to get involved in van camping. Just purchased an Explorer 4x4 that I plan to set up similar to your minimalist version. You inspire and convenience to see the natural beauty of the USA. Thank you!!
Another fantastic video Tristin! I especially loved (and made me laugh!) that you kept the shots of the camera falling over in the wind!
Awesome! Another great video, Tristan, thanks for all you do.
I have spent a great deal of time at TRNP and the surrounding badlands/grasslands. I wholeheartedly agree that the ND badlands are much more beautiful than the SD, and that is not meant to be disparaging of the SD badlands, which certainly have their own stark, beauty. So much more color, variety and feeling of accessibility in ND, though.
I love the park, but what I like even better is the USFS National Grassland areas outside the park. In the park, the bison can be a real challenge for a solo hiker like me -- they are not to be trifled with. Herds can block trails, and going off-trail to avoid them in the grass can be dangerous because of rattlesnakes. Though exceptionally beautiful, the badlands can be very dangerous, too. You MUST carry adequate water. You MUST keep an eye on the weather. Heat, cold, sun and wind exposure can be extreme, even on a good day. When it rains, hiking can become very dangerous, very quickly. When it gets wet, the bentonite clay that makes up virtually all of the ground can potentially turn a pleasant day-hike into a death-march (a bit like trying to hike in quicksand, and there can be bonafide quicksand, too, especially near the river/streams). You can easily get stuck miles from any help, cell signal, or potable water. Make sure someone knows where you are going when you strike out on your own. Roads can become impassable very quickly in the rain, too. It pays to think of it like traveling in the desert -- have plenty of extra water, food, and shelter, just in case. Any water you find there is likely un-filterable. (Say goodbye to your Sawyer if you run silt-laden water through it without pre-filtering it somehow.)
Despite all of the challenges, I still love the area, and consider it my second home. If you love solitude, there are few better places to find it, and the landscape and views are unending and breathtaking at every turn. I've hiked hundreds of miles in the area over the last 10 years or so, and I can't wait to get back and finish my last section of the 150 mile Maah Daah Hey trail, which I think is an overlooked gem that more hikers should take notice of. If you see a lone hiker with the largest straw hat you've ever seen and a big golf umbrella for portable shade out there in the middle of nowhere, it is probably me -- say hello! :) See you on the trail!
All good points! And the Maa Daah Hey Trail looks great. I'd love to bike that sometime in the next couple of years. I've heard the ticks are bad out there.
@@SUVRVing I've heard that about the ticks, as well, but I think that is mostly in the spring. I've been there in all 4 seasons, and never had a tick on me, but I haven't spent all that much time there in the spring. Most of the people who use the trail do it by bicycle or horseback -- in all the years I've been going there I've only run into hikers on the trail 3 or 4 times (except in the park on the more popular trails).
I love the rolling hills on your hike. Beautiful. Sorry it was so windy.
I just expect everywhere I go to be windy now.
Really love your vids....insightful, entertaining and my style...."laid-back". One of my favorite channels to watch.
Thanks, I appreciate that!
Hi Tristan, found your channel recently and enjoy your videos. I am from Northeast Nebraska originally (I live in Kansas now), and I have been to the SW North Dakota area several times in mid-late October to assist my Dad and brother in purchasing calves from the area ranchers and trucking them back to Nebraska to finish feeding them out. Painted Canyon at sunrise is breathtaking when I viewed it from the visitor’s center east of Medora, and while there at the visitor’s center, I saw a huge herd of elk stampeding on the canyon’s floor. That was a once in a lifetime opportunity, for sure. If you go back and want a strenuous hike, call the Bully Pulpit Golf Course south of Medora and ask if you can walk the golf cart paths on the Back 9. The course is built right into the landscape of the Badlands. It is incredible! The Front 9 is rather flat, it’s in the river valley, but that Back 9...oh, my! It was so steep at points, I had the brakes locked up on the golf cart and we were still going downhill. I played it on a weekday in October just before they closed for the season and I was the only person out there (it was 40 degrees and windy). I definitely want to play that course again before I die.
Being from Utah, I agree with you about Badlands national park. My theory is that easterners are easily amazed by the scenery in Badlands. Basically, we're spoiled by amazing natural scenery here.
We are from NW Ohio and it is flat here, if you look west you can see next week rolling in. Scenery....Corn, wheat, and soy beans, which has its own beauty ,but it’s no Utah. We visited Utah a few years back and was astounded at its beauty. Lucky you!
Tristan, I always laugh when you leave the camera dump shots. They get me every time. 🤣 Thank you for cute sense of humor. I know it may not be always funny for you and your camera 😱💵💵
Lol I think it's funny too 😁 Thanks for watching!
The Painted Canyon at sunset is beautiful. The colors are quite magical. Before I visited the park, I kinda thought that Teddy Roosevelt got gipped with getting this park as a namesake. Then I went there (this is an under appreciated park) and of course, learned the history. Made way more sense to me.
Since this was his old stomping grounds, I think it's appropriate that this park was named after him. Thanks for watching!
Another excellent video! I agree, the fossilized trees and the canon balls sound like a must-see stop indeed. Thank you very much!
Definitely worth seeing! Thanks Adriana.
So thankful for your video!! Can't hike any more, so never would have been able to see these views. 💖😊💞
Thanks for watching, Barbara!
I loved all the Bison in the Park! They are preserving them! Liked the Canonballs! And last but not least The Petrified Wood! Thank you for this hike!❤️😀🇺🇸🚙🌏
The wind does blow there ! I remember the grasses and the huge prairie dog populations there. You nailed it, when you said it was a pretty laid back place. From what others say in the comments here, sunrises and sunsets will change the landscape to magic. I didn’t see this place in at those times . Now I need to go back and do that. Nice video Tristan !
Yep, lots of prairie dogs, for sure! Thanks for watching, K.
Great video. Thanks for the tour around the park. I've lived in the Fargo area most of my life and have been there several times. North Dakota is as flat as pool table in the east and progressively turns into that in the west, but the wind is brutal throughout.
It's a beautiful part of the state, for sure! And yeah, the wind... Yikes! Thanks for watching, Craig.
Loved this video. Thank you as always Tristan! The Bison and the views were awesome!
I’m happy you did this video. I was there this past July and nope; just way too hot to walk around so I’m definitely going back there this year. September looks good. Thanks for a great tour.
The weather in September was great, apart from the wind. Thanks for watching.
Great video! We were there for the first time earlier this year. Loved it and want to explore it extensively when there's NO wind!! I agree relentless. Appreciate your list, very helpful. We want to do the 10 mile hike. Thank you for taking me back there again today!
The 10 mile hike is great. Definitely worth doing! Thanks Donna.
Thanks for another great video. The view from Sperati Point is stunning. I appreciate and admire your commitment of sharing your travels and adventures with the world. Keep doing good.
Thanks for the kind words, Peggy!
👍👍 Beautiful light at the river bend location.
I got one for ya... Turkey Run State Park in Indiana. You would be surprised.
Looks like a beautiful place. Thanks for watching 👍
One of my favorite places!
I agree, Tristan. Turkey Run is very popular. Nearby Shades State Park gets far fewer visitors and it is also beautiful.
Turkey Run and Shades are great! There is also a natural preserve by Shades
I love Turkey Run and Shades!
Trying to imagine any current high level politician spending time in a crude cabin.
😅
I had not even heard of this park! Thanks for introducing it! I live about 15 miles from the Missouri River, so it was nice to see the Little Missouri!
I'd say it's got to be one of the two least known national parks in the West along with Wind Cave National Park. Thanks for watching, Joan!
Great video ...on my list. Thanks for the tour. An interesting read is Theodore Roosevelt in the Badlands.
Thanks for watching, Jack. I'll add that to my list, for sure.
Nice treks. We may not be seeing the level of beauty present, through that lens. I have to look up what created the petrified wood and how old those were. If you could include that detail, in the future I'd prefer it. 👍
I agree with you regarding Theodore Roosevelt N.P. vs. Badlands in South Dakota. It's wilder, more remote, and less crowded, although it is a long way from most places! Which, I suppose, is why it's wilder and less crowded. The North Unit of the park even moreso, for the same reason(s). The wind out on the plains really is pretty relentless!
I enjoy your video. I love the views. I love to hear the history behind everything. Thanks keep the videos coming 👍. Have a great Christmas 🎄
Thanks, you too!
I’m looking forward to your further adventures. Most enjoyable!
Thanks Patrick!
Great video as usual, Tristan...thanks! I see no controversy, you're just expressing a preference of one park over the other. If I have the chance, I'll visit both.
Both are worth a visit, for sure. Thanks David!
Absolutely agree, Bandlands NP in S. D. is interesting but not all that special. Haven't been to T. Roosevelt NP but it looks much more diverse and scenic. Really enjoy your videos. We've been to some of the same places but your are always introducing us to new ones, thanks.
Thanks Shari, I appreciate you watching!
I was there in 2019 and what caught my then and in you video was the black soil at River Bend Overlook. It really stands out against the rest of the view. I never did find out why it is so different than the rest. Good job staying upright in that wind.
Good question! But I can't answer it. Thanks for watching, Larry.
Really enjoyed this video, glad I stumbled upon your channel! Definitely saved for future reference😄
By sure to check out my video from earlier this week about winter camping accessories: th-cam.com/video/jgkrCBNgQzU/w-d-xo.html And here's a reminder that the GPS tracks of my hikes in this video will be up on Adventure Know-How by the end of the day today: adventureknowhow.com/ -Tristan
We also enjoyed Theodore Roosevelt much more than badlands. We stayed a week and had a very good visit to both halves of the park.
OK, it's an overcast morning in Medora but thanks to your video I now have a day's activities planned! Excellent.
I have the official plans from the park service for that writing desk in the cabin
Every national park is different. This is why they are the treasures of America. I agree TR does offer a lot more than Badlands. But, Badlands is a place to understand nature and the way it was formed is pretty amazing. When we hiked the Petrified Loop Trail it was a hot day. We stopped for a drink under a tree. That was my first rattlesnake encounter. It warned me not to move as it was only a few inches from my foot. My wife took off running but I watched it slither away into the grass and slowly walked away. The wild animals in TR are a nice addition to the views. Thanks for showing all you did there.
I agree, it's a great place for wildlife viewing!
Dang. Now I need to add another one to my list. That was beautiful.
It's definitely worth visiting. You won't regret it. Thanks for watching.
Very interesting! Where were the wild horses?
Thanks for the tip, will check out that website for the 8 things. Those cannonballs are so odd and interesting. I liked the cabin, neat to see what was inside and the Petrified Forest Loop!! Oh that wind there sure is crazy!! Still on my list, I'll add some of these places. I've been to The Badland and it was cool, but might like this place better too.
Nothing wrong with Badlands, but this definitely felt more wide open and empty, and I like that! Thanks Tina.
Beautiful day for videoing....thanks for sharing the footage!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you: for this & the Badlands. If I were to choose; I liked TRNP for potential camping, but The Badlands for exploring.
Thanks again!
I'm glad that you didn't go see the Medora Show/ Tourist trap while visiting the area. I was there some years ago on a CANDISC, ( Cycling Across North Dakota In Sakakawea Country) bicycle tour. I bicycled the entire southern loop road and finished in time to miss the supper that was prepared for the group. Camped out in that big campground in Medora. One thing that kind of spoiled the experience for me was that the park management decided to spray herbicide on the invasive plants in the park on a day when several hundred heavy breathing bicyclists would be riding through the park. It was otherwise a nice ride. Encountered a bison from a distance of about ten feet from the side of the road. Not really comfortable with that but it was the bison that moved towards the road, not the cyclist that moved toward the bison. The bison are wild animals and must be treated with due caution.
This is on my list of places I really want to see in the next couple of years. Just a bit of a drive from southern AZ!
Thank you again for a beautiful adventure.
Beautiful walking zones! Love the prairies. 👍💥🦌🇨🇦
Thanks for watching, Marian!
We didn't get to see the cabin. We did go through the visitor center. That was really cool. Did walk a couple out and back short trails. Drove the 36 mile loop through the lower unit. Didn't make it to the upper unit. We do plan on going back, as I thought this park was really nice and Yellowstone, GTNP are so crowded and busy.
I think you can see most of what the park has to offer by just doing the scenic drives. And I agree, it was great how uncrowded the park was! Thanks James.
Love your energy, thanks for taking us along ☮️
Thanks for watching!
I share your sentiment.
Badlands was one of my least favorite parks (not to say it's bad; I don't think any of the parks are "bad"). It just wasn't on my list of favorites. But I really enjoyed Theodore Roosevelt. I agree that there is more variety, or at least I experienced more variety than in Badlands. One of my favorite memories is walking alone through a huge open area between the hills with what I remember as a dozen or so bison on either side of the trail. They didn't pay much attention to me, but I was somewhat nervous walking between them, not knowing what might set them off. Obviously things ended well.
Thanks for another great video.
Beautiful spots! Well done as usual!
Thanks!
Funny you said that about the Painted Canyon trail... That was a trail I really wanted to do when my family was out there a couple years ago - we got about half way through and thought, 'I don't know if this is worth it,' and turned around. We do a lot of hiking so we're not the type to bail on a trail. It had just rained and the kids kept falling in the mud, so that might have had something to do with it, lol.
It's not a terrible trail, it's just kind of... meh. I think it's one you can miss and not feel too bad about! Thanks for watching and commenting, Joe.
Glad you were able to enjoy this park. You may enjoy Isle Royale after Labor Day weekend. Another little visited park. They advertise fewer visit there in one year than visit Yellowstone in one day. You won't be able to take your car and are at the mercy of the weather Gods as you travel back and forth across Lake Superior. Most the time, uneventful. When it's rough and can still cross, get a spot at the rail, you'll probably need it.
That one is definitely on my list!
Nice autumn colors in the badlands. Just like in the western movies I watched as a child.
It was a beautiful time of year to be there, for sure!
Hahaha, I grew up in North Dakota, seems like the wind never stops blowing. Love the western part of the state.
I totally love this park, the campground was small but very good...some of the trails had Bison on the trail so I had to turn around, also enjoyed the cannon balls and the wild horses that was really cool. Really enjoyed your highlights safe travels.
It's a great park, for sure! Thanks for watching, Sondra.
TRNP is one of my favorites! The horse on your video is one of several wild horses in TRNP. Well, technically they are “feral” horses that are descendants of domesticated horses. I still find them interesting especially in the spring with the new born colts. Occasionally they have to thin the herd and have an adoption program. The town of Medora has much to offer too! I lived in ND and MT for years and drove by Medora, until finally in 2015 stopped in on a motorcycle trip. It immediately became a favorite go to place. Although I am a hiker, I also enjoy the Medora Musical, Pitchfork Steak Fondue, museums and Teddy Roosevelt impersonators in Medora. Thanks for the video!
Do you know any interesting hwys or roads to take through western ND and eastern Montana?
It's not technically in the park, but some of the touristy things in Medora are a MUST IMO. The pitchfork fondue and Medora Musical are WAY too much fun!
I'm glad you made it to Theodore Roosevelt NP. When I went a couple years ago I loved it. On that trip I also stopped at Badlands NP and I agree with you that Theodore was a better park. I also think it is the variety that it has to offer. I did everything you did except for the petrified forest, it was all great. Next time you are there I suggest you take the full Caprock Coulee Trail in the north unit. It is 4.3 miles and has a very varied landscape. Thanks for the great videos and great trip ideals.
The Bad Lands are so unique because of being in the Great Plains. Love the Grass Lands. No one can sneak up on you 🙂
😎👍 Great information... TR is a favorite Presidents of mine so this park is on my bucket list!
It's worth visiting, for sure! Thanks for watching and commenting, Scott.
Beautiful!! I had a couple good laughs when the camera fell over. I had the idea that the camera was saying to itself “oh my god this wind is horrible I got to lay down“. I know silly, right? LOL By the way, Your website is amazing and well worth the visit!
Lol yep, it just had enough and was ready to take a break!
A fantastic park, very well presented, I had no idea that there was any petrified forest other than the one in Arizona, and the potential for wildlife viewing seems endless.
I was surprised by how much wildlife I saw. Probably more there than any other park I've been to other than Yellowstone and maybe Grand Teton. There are petrified forests in Utah, California, Washington, and Wyoming, too. Thanks for watching, Mike.
Thanks so much, nice trip!
Those bison were hilarious. I've been to a few of those parks on a road trip with my brother. Unfortunately, he has a disability, so he can't hike. I'd love to go back and do some of the easier hikes.
I think it's probably one of the better parks for just driving around, so don't worry too much about the hikes you missed. Thanks for watching!
man those cannonball things were weeeeird :)
I agree with you on this park compared to Badlands. There is much to see at TR - and the town of Medora.
Another place you can see petrified tree stumps is Florissant Fossil Beds NM, west of Colorado Springs CO.
I like your geology input and Love your climbing videos.
Painted Canyon at SUNSET may change your mind.
Maybe so. Thanks for watching.
I love that park as well and agree that it's better than Badlands. And I preferred the northern part of the park to the southern. Great video! Thank you!
I think I enjoyed both parts equally, but maybe if I went on some longer hikes in that northern section I'd like it more. Thanks Laree!
Bison seem reasonably chill. They don't get upset too easily.
Moose are batshit crazy, though.
Wow, that's a Nice Park. Ok, added to the bucket list. Love those lesser known gems.
It's definitely one of those. Thanks Richie!