We spent the day at Theodore Roosevelt National Park with its many animal inhabitants. The wildlife density here is crazy—it always feels like there is a buffalo, prairie dog, or some other creature around every corner.

Caught in the act!

The park is split into two sections: north and south, and about an hour’s drive separates them. We visited both, although they’re similar enough that either one would have probably been enough. Both sections are presented as scenic drives with many overlooks and short hikes throughout.

I think the multiple “prairie dog towns” of the park were the most interesting feature for me. These are plains littered with seemingly endless burrows, each with several prairie dogs hanging around. The larger “towns” seem to house thousands of the little guys, all sitting around making their distinctive squeeky-toy noises continuously (edit 10/04: posted some videos of the little guys here and here).

Buffalo are everywhere throughout the park, including on the roads and hiking trails. They mostly ignore people, although they will stop and stare if you’re getting too close to them. Several times we had to stop the car and wait because a herd was blocking the road.

I took a few hundred photos over the course of the day. I haven’t had a chance to really go through them, but here are a few that stood out at first glance (click for larger images):

Tomorrow, Montana!