The scenic route section at North Dakota’s Theodore Roosevelt National Park has been closed since 2019 and has undergone hefty infrastructure work to make it accessible to visitors once again.
On 25 November 2025, the Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota celebrated a major milestone. Since 2019, part of its scenic route loop had been closed due to the collapse of a 45-metre section of the roadway.
The park’s direction said storms, erosion, and ageing infrastructure were to blame for the incident, which was quickly followed by damage to other parts of the road. While only part of the scenic route was no longer usable, this had major consequences for those visiting the area. Well-known sights, such as the Scoria Point Overlook, were cut off from the rest of the park.
The Scenic Loop Road at @TRooseveltNPS is officially reopened! Thanks to this $51M multi-year reconstruction, visitors now have safer, more reliable access to one of the park’s most iconic routes. pic.twitter.com/rqk1Dw1k5m
— Senator John Hoeven (@SenJohnHoeven) November 25, 2025
Costly construction works
In order to make the scenic loop accessible and safe once again, allowing visitors to explore the park as Theodore Roosevelt reportedly did during his youth in the 1880s, major construction works were needed. According to the Park Service, full road reconstruction, drainage improvements, slope reconstruction, grading, and pavement resurfacing were needed on a 10-kilometre stretch of the road dating back to the Great Depression.
However, due to the park’s particular geology, those works took a lot of effort and time. Continuing failures of the soil under the road, budget errors, erosion, and long winters heavily delayed the construction. Moreover, the renewed road had to be blended into the natural landscape as much as possible.
“There’s just an incredible amount of engineering that’s gone into it because you’re building this road on the side of these steep bluffs”, US Senator John Hoeven explained.
Overall, the total cost of the project amounted to $51 million. That budget was almost entirely funded by the Great American Outdoors Act, supporting national parks and public lands that need maintenance.
The end of the construction works is great news for outdoor lovers visiting the area. The Theodore Roosevelt National Park is known for its dramatic, rugged landscapes, its panoramic views, and its ancient petrified tree stumps. The park also boasts a rich wildlife, including wild horses, bison, and prairie dogs.
The reopening of the road on 25 November 2025 comes just in time for the upcoming inauguration of the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library on 4 July 2026, located nearby. Officials expect hundreds of thousands of people to visit the new landmark, many of whom could potentially also stop at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park while visiting the area.
