Theodore Roosevelt National Park's Scenic Loop Road Finally Reopens After 6-Year Closure
Riding along a 36-mile scenic loop road in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, there is Scoria Point, a favorite sightseeing location that many love to visit. These seemingly ordinary formations of reddish, bubbly-textured rocks and pancake-like sediment stacks materialize out of a whole metamorphosis of heat churning in the underbelly of Earth for thousands of years. The lignite beds imprisoned in this dark belly come in contact with lightning strikes, which agitate the volcanic material and trigger tailspins of mudflows, ash fountains, and sand slurries, according to ICR.
Over the years, this recurring event has caused the trails of scorching coal veins to rise to the surface into the flat top buttes people see today. Since 2019, however, a construction project on the road has hindered visitors from enjoying Scoria, nicknamed “clinker.” On Tuesday, November 25, the road reopened, and the park’s South Unit is up and alive once again, as shared by the National Park Service (NPS).
This picturesque loop road is not just a road; it’s a bridge overlaid on the sides of the buttes, with gullies that guide the visitors towards the Scoria and the cowboy town of Medora, which sits at the southern entrance. With asphalt formations looming along the corridors and welcoming green hills rolling with wild animals, the road is one of the top things that attracts millions of visitors who come to explore the park’s South Unit each year. In 2019, the road had to be blocked due to their experience. Although the park may not have suffered significant revenue shrinkage, the road closure had a substantial impact on visitors' experiences.
The barrier was initiated after a 150-foot section of the roadway slumped into depressions and sinkholes, prompted by pressures of rain damage and environmental stressors. Officials had two choices, as they shared with the news outlets. They could “either do it fast or do it right.” Good that they chose to “do it right.” It took them six long years to repair the road before they could finally open it yesterday. The happy occasion was marked by a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by all these officials. And although the roadway is officially open, visitors are advised to come here after the snowfall has reduced.
The six-year-long project repaired the section of the South Unit Scenic Loop from the East River Road intersection to the Old East Entrance Station pull-off, which means visitors can enjoy the entire landscape that encircles the colorful bluffs, petrified forests, and rolling, rugged Badlands invaded by prairie dogs, wild horses, and bison. In the 1880s, President Roosevelt visited the stark landscape and initiated several conservation projects.
While attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, Park Superintendent Rachel Daniels remarked that this picturesque drive has provided memorable experiences for generations of park visitors. “We are excited that the public can once again enjoy the spectacular vistas, recreational outlets, and wildlife viewing opportunities of this classic route and grateful for the champions who made this project possible, including our long-standing partners at the Federal Highways Administration, Office of Federal Lands Program, for their collaboration on the completion of this important Great American Outdoors Act project."
Daniels and his colleagues were able to complete the project thanks to the funds contributed by the Great American Outdoors Act Legacy Restoration Fund (GAOA). The funds were procured to address issues related to erosion, drainage, safety, stabilization of banks, degrading slopes, and enhancing overall visitor experience after the rains of 2019. The 51-million-dollar project is expected to spur a steep rise in tourism, per The Dickinson Press. Until then, the sunlit Scoria Point, the proud canyons, the moody Badlands, and the seething coal trails are extending a heartfelt invitation to the visitors with the message, “See you on the road!”
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