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Lone Elk Park
Rating Details »
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
6 reviews for Lone Elk Park
I used to run on the Chubb Trail which is actually right at the park entrance. Park on the right hand side and then follow the fire trail. The Chubb Trail is 7 miles to West Tyson County Park which is also a great park. The trail is beautiful and for the most part I got away with having my dogs off leash.
The best part is when you get to the bottom of the hill and take a right under the railroad tracks. There is a three mile loop that is an off leash dog running heaven. It goes by the river, there's a fabulous field, I once saw an eagle flying low, and the trees are very cool to look at. This is really a great trail. Of course being Missouri, there are ticks galore but I gave it five stars because it is Missouri and they have the highest tick population in the US. It is a beautiful trail in every season.
Whenever you see commercials on television of people in parks where the animals come right up to the cars, you usually think, yea, like that happens in real life. Animals never come up to the cars directly.
But it totally does happen, and it has happened to me, more than once, at Lone Elk Park. In fact, I remember a time that an Elk came right up to my friend's convertible and started gnawing on the roof...that story still gets laughs and that was YEARS ago now.
Aside from the elks, this park is gorgeous and holds a ton of wildlife. You can see everything from birds to bison in this place, and they are really able to wander free. There is seemingly nothing holding these animals back. This is nature at it's very best.
This is generally not the type of park where you want to get out of your car and have a picnic, but it's great to drive through, and always a hit with kids. After all, the animals get much closer than they do at any zoo, and what other wildlife preserve do we have here that's this awesome?
I once thought it was cool that there was a fenced-in prairie at a park in my hometown where you could see buffalo off in the distance and maybe within thirty feet of the fence once in a blue moon.
Then, I was introduced to Lone Elk Park. How I managed never to hear about it my first two years here I have no idea, but how glad I am to know about it now! Ahhh!
For one, it's just a pleasant place for a nice afternoon drive (especially in the fall) with loverly pastoral vistas and narrow roads winding through the hills. If that's not enough for you, the place is like Jurassic Park, except its inhabitants are 21st century Midwest natives and not dinosaurs. If THAT'S not enough for you, I probably wouldn't care to know you.
The elk are almost always present soon after you drive in. The bison are more hit and miss. With seeing them, that is. If you hit a bison with your car, you'd likely die. Miss the bison.
We went up in the observation tower near the entrance once. Kind of nice views. Turns out it was built during World War II for shooting practice. Seems lots of people piss up there, because bitch is dank.
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Lone Elk Park is a drive through park near 44 and 141 where visitors can get close views of bison, elk, deer, turkeys and more. I have been coming here since I was an infant, and I still love this place! There is a large lake where you can fish - I'm not sure if it is catch and release - and where there are always ducks and geese to see, which children love. There are picnic tables throughout the park, many of which have grills.
The story of the park was that this was once the government used the area for ammunition storage and practice, and therefore killed off the elk and other herds living in the area. After the war - I believe it was the Korean War - the land was turned into a park. The city workers developing it into a park were startled when a large male elk was spotted in the woods, and that is how the park got its name. Today the herds flourish, and you can get pretty close to them in your car.
The park is free, but there is an area for donations.
Don't ask me what exactly it is about this place that just makes my soul sigh in peace when I enter.
It could be the World Bird Sanctuary that is located in front of the park with it's rare, majestic birds tethered in a central location with little out buildings filled with various other critters and artifacts for review.
It could be the calmness of it all, even the fences that line the road are heaped in nature as vines tangle and twist their way down to the ground. The picnic tables placed here and there in exquisitely beautiful locations just beg for someone to sit down and have a picnic or enjoy a book as the birds sing in the background.
The lake in it's quaint glory shimmers in the sun and (if you're lucky) reflects the grace of elk meandering in the grass beside it. Bison frequently lay beside another small moss-covered pond further down the road.
If you're planning a trip to Lone Elk Park and are wanting to explore, have a picnic or if you're getting out of the car, remember to bring some heavy duty bug spray with you. The park is infamous for chiggers and ticks (because of the free-roaming animals), but if you've got OFF, it'll be all good.
Also, be sure to check out their Fall activity schedule. I believe they are hosting a hayride through the park for the kiddos!
It doesn't matter what it is about this place, because whatever it is, it's good for my heart. It will always be one of my favorite spots and hopefully, you'll be able to discover it as well!
This place is totally cool. I dare you to get out of your car! Just kidding...there's so much wildlife here it is kinda scary though. I love catching sight of the multitudes of deer. It's the perfect spot for a picnic, too. It's also quite beautiful in the wintertime, when the ponds are frozen.
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