Our national parks always reveal something wondrously unexpected. On a warm August morning in 2015, my wife and I were hiking across the prairie on Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s Upper Talkington Trail. It was the last day of a five-day trip to the park. It was our first visit, and we’d already seen a great variety of wildlife: bison, wild horses, pronghorn, prairie dogs, a porcupine, a great horned owl, a horned lizard, and three different kinds of snakes, to name just a few. Earlier in the week, we’d spotted a prairie rattlesnake warming itself on the asphalt of the park loop road at night. That sighting was from the safety of the car, but on our last-day hike, we had a much closer encounter. My wife was in the lead on the trail when she heard a quick rattle, and a beautiful prairie rattler zoomed across the path in front of her and into the tall grass on the other side of the trail. We retreated some distance and I captured this photo – a wonderful reminder of an incredible trip.
Sincerely,
Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Long before Theodore Roosevelt became America’s 26th president, he spent years as a rancher in the rugged lands preserved by this national park.
State(s): North Dakota
Established: 1947
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Greetings from Theodore Roosevelt National Park
Bison & Wild Horses Under Aurora Borealis— I was born in North Dakota during the blizzard of 50/51. Since I’ve never been back to Riverdale, I decided to take my wife to see the sites of my home state. “You want to take me to North Dakota in March?!” Well…
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Greetings from Theodore Roosevelt National Park
TRNP was my 84th park when I visited it in September 2021. The golden cottonwood trees, rolling hills, and the angry sky made for a moment I'll never forget.
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