Scenic Loop at Theodore Roosevelt National Park Reopens

(Photo courtesy of Sen. John Hoeven’s Office via the North Dakota Monitor)

(North Dakota Monitor) -The scenic loop drive at Theodore Roosevelt National Park’s South Unit reopened to the public amid North Dakota’s first major snow of the winter.

The scenic loop was under construction for more than two years. About $51 million in federal funding was dedicated to the project through the Restore Our Parks Act, which became part of the Great American Outdoors Act that was signed into law by President Donald Trump in August 2020.

In 2019, sections of a 4-mile stretch of the scenic loop slid down the steep embankment causing the road to close. Upon further inspection, an additional 2 miles of the scenic loop were also deemed unsafe and forced drivers to turn around on the loop, limiting the scenic viewing along the roadway.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., a co-sponsor of the Restore Our Parks Act, said the park sees about 700,000 people each year and people want to drive through it, not just for the beauty of the Badlands, but the wildlife.

“You got the prairie dog towns that come right up to the road and you see all those little guys popping their heads out, and of course, the kids go crazy for that,” Hoeven said.