Elk At The Winslow Hill Viewing Area And My First Elk Sighting On A Trail In Elk County
After a long day of hiking, almost 10 miles, without seeing an elk on Saturday, I was up again before the sunrise on Sunday morning. I was hoping to see some elk before driving home. I was staying in Saint Marys, about a 25 minute drive from the prime elk viewing areas near Beneztte and Winslow Hill. Instead of driving to Benezette, hiking, and returning to my hotel I decided to check out early, drive to Winslow Hill, hike, and then take the 3 hour drive back to my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania. 
It was partly cloudy and cooler on Sunday as I drove through the winding, woodlands to Benezette. I didn’t see any elk on the drive but on the way up to Winslow Hill I did see these white tail deer. 
I drove up to the Winslow Hill viewing area,
and took in the spectacular view of the surrounding mountains. Just seeing this beautiful scenery made the trip worthwhile. However, I still wanted to see elk, 
and I did! After taking in the view of the surrounding hill sides, I walked over to the viewing area. As I approached I saw a small group of people with binoculars and cameras fixed on the fields below. They were viewing something and I knew it had to be elk. In the fields below I saw a heard of magnificent elk that roam freely in the Pennsylvania wilds. . There were bulls, cows and calves. 
It was the first complete heard of elk I had seen in Pennsylvania. Seeing the massive bulls,
with the cows and calves was an amazing experience. It made the trip to the remote Pennsylvania wilds worth it. 
There was still one more thing I wanted to accomplish to make the trip a complete success. I wanted to see elk in the wild while walking on a trail. I knew there was no guarantee when I got here and that the chances on just one more short hike were not in my favor. I watched the elk heard for about 15 minutes, 
and drove down the gravel and rutted Dewey Road to the parking lot and trail where I hiked almost 8 miles on Saturday, without seeing an elk. 
I began my hike in the cool morning air seeing many of the same wildflowers, including the pretty common evening primrose flowers 
and birds including a lot of colorful indigo buntings as I did the previous day.
I walked past the larch and pine tree growing along the road in the old strip mining banks, 
finding a few lumps of coal, a reminder how this once devastated land was reclaimed and turned into the many fields were the elk heard now roam freely and feed in the grasses there.
I had a long drive back so I was only going to walk about 2 miles. However,
when I came to a field when I was out about a mile or so, I saw two huge bull elk in the field. It was an amazing and lucky sighting. I love seeing animals in their natural habitat on my hikes. 
It wasn’t a lengthy sighting the bulls looked and me and began prancing off toward the safety of the forest. The larger one stopped at the edge of the forest and took a glance at me before disappearing in the trees. I was satisfied now. I accomplished my mission on this trip, and saw elk in the wilds of Pennsylvania.
After the bull elk had done I noticed some whitetail deer bucks feeding in the same field. 
Now I wanted to see more. I walked another 1/2 mile to some more fields hoping to see more of these magnificent creatures.
I didn’t and began my hike back, with a desire to return again and look for some more elk in their home. 
On the walk back I came across both fresh elk tracks,
and droppings. It seem that some elk walked by after I had passed. It was an amazing morning in the mountains of north central Pennsylvania. 
I finished my 3 1/2 mile hike and stopped in for a cup of coffee at the local general store. I had a pleasant conversation about the wildlife and living in the area with the girls working in the store. I began my drive back under now blue skies. As I drove along the highway in the Quehanna Wilds I passed Beaver Run Pond where I hiked the previous afternoon.
It was a nice short hike,
but I didn’t see any more elk or other wildlife. I returned to my Jeep and took a nice ride home, planning to return soon, hopefully in the Fall when I am sure the foliage will be impressive. I know for sure there will be, God willing, many more visits to this beautiful part of our Commonwealth. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog webpage with some more photos from my morning hikes. Elk County August 23 2026. 
“If we can teach people about wildlife, they will be touched. Share my wildlife with me. Because humans want to save things that they love.”
―
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