The Chattahoochee River is Atlanta’s unofficial playground. Run by the National Park Service, the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area operates several units. The Cochran Shoals Unit at Interstate North lies just off of the top end of I-285 (Atlanta’s beltway affectionately called the Perimeter). Although close to a major interstate, the area allows visitors to feel miles away from civilization.
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We had blown through North and South Dakota in five days, but we still had two days left before our flight out of Denver. Looking at a map, Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) in Estes Park, Colorado called our name. The decision was two-fold. It was close to Denver and we had always planned to return to RMNP after visiting the park for only a few hours back in 2016.
After an afternoon tour of Jewel Cave National Monument in South Dakota, we arrived late in the evening at Estes Park, the gateway town of RMNP. Although we knew snow flurries were predicted (even in late May), we woke up to a winter wonderland. Over five inches of snow covered everything in sight!
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While on our vacation to the Black Hills, we made an overnight detour to North Dakota. After all, we were nearby — relatively speaking. Plus I didn’t want North Dakota to be our 50th state as it is for many travelers. Surely, there’s something to see in our country’s least visited state?
Fortunately, Theodore Roosevelt National Park (TRNP) sits on land that President Teddy Roosevelt owned when he ran two cattle ranches in North Dakota after losing his wife and mother in 1884. The park, which gained national park status in 1978, consists of 70,000 acres in the North Unit, South Unit, and Elkhorn Ranch Unit. Part One covered our half-day visit to the North Unit while this post covers the afternoon visit to the South Unit.
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To give you an idea of the lay of the land of the Black Hills, the town of Hot Springs, Wind Cave National Park, Custer State Park, and Jewel Cave…