Rocky Mountain Elk…in Pennsylvania?

I’ve never been a fan of Pennsylvania. The only basis for that fact is that every time I have to drive through the state every freakin’ road is under construction! This past weekend my view of the state completely changed. The whole state is still under construction, but once we got to where we were going things improved. We spent two nights in a town called Benezette. What’s so special about that place with the funny name, you ask? They have a herd of elk there. Yes, elk! Rocky Mountain Elk to be exact.

Elk were native to the area years ago but humans killed them all off by 1867. Beginning in 1913, 177 Rocky Mountain elk were relocated to the area and they flourished – today there are around 600 in the herd.

Benezette is right in the middle of the action, and there are plenty of elk to be seen. It’s filled with rental cabins and lodges, and becomes packed with tourists in the fall during the foliage season and the rut (when the bulls fight for territorial rights). We found the summer to be perfect though – 80 degree temps during the day and 50s at night. Our rental lodge, Elk Terrace Lodge, was located on a gated dirt road – quiet and secluded.

Plenty of elk and deer visited us right on the front lawn, and good hiking trails left right from the lodge. The town also has established viewing areas that overlook the elk territory, so it’s nearly impossible to visit Benezette and not see any wildlife. We had about 30 elk viewings during the weekend, plus several deer and a red fox.


The most magical encounter we had was our last morning. We got up early and took a short walk to a nearby field where we knew elk to be plentiful. Just as we arrived at the mist-covered meadow, a herd of 8 cows and youngsters and one bull emerged from the forest.