North Unit Scenic Drive: Concretions to Oxbow

Without stops, the one-way drive takes about half an hour, but set aside at least one hour and fifteen minutes if you plan to visit the pullouts and overlooks. The road is paved apart from one stretch of gravel.

The Cannonball Concretion pullout lies about five miles into the drive, on the north side, directly across the road from the campground entrance. Large round boulders stand out from the soft cliffs here. Minerals carried by seeping water bound the sediment together, forming each rounded stone. Parking has room for cars and recreational vehicles, including accessible spaces, and the 11.4-mile Buckhorn trail can be reached from this pullout. Leave the stones where you find them, since taking anything from a national park is against the law.

The road winds down into the badlands beside the Little Missouri River and passes prairie dog towns. Bison are quite likely to appear along the way, and you may also spot mule deer, pronghorns, coyotes and golden eagles.

Midway, the road climbs out of the canyon to River Bend Overlook. A stone shelter stands on the spot with the most dramatic view, and it makes a good place to photograph the river and badlands. A packed gravel trail reaches the viewing deck. The Slump Block and Longhorn Steer pullouts each have a sidewalk and an exhibit.

Past River Bend, the road follows the rim of the badlands to its end at Oxbow Overlook. A paved path runs along the rim there, with exhibits, and the viewpoint looks down on an oxbow bend of the Little Missouri River. The overlook also serves as an entrance to the wilderness area below. Then turn around and retrace the same road to the entrance.