Good morning from DuBois! 🍂 After yesterday’s Fall Fair Trail, we’re trading craft booths for something wilder. Today we’re making the drive northeast to Benezette, home of Pennsylvania’s free-roaming elk herd, and the timing could not be better.
Why Now?
September and October are the busiest months in Elk Country because two things overlap: the elk rut (mating season, when the bulls bugle) and the fall foliage. If you’ve never heard a bull elk bugle across a valley, put this on your list.
Elk Country Visitor Center
📍 134 Homestead Drive, Benezette (use 950 Winslow Hill Road in your GPS)
🕗 Open daily 8 AM – 8 PM through October
💲 Free to walk the grounds and viewing areas
The center has wheelchair-accessible viewing trails, exhibits, and a theater inside. The Game Commission also runs public viewing areas nearby at Winslow Hill and Dents Run.
🦃 Today at 4:00 PM – “Game Birds of Pennsylvania”
A free program at the visitor center about grouse, wild turkey, and the state’s hunting heritage.
Our Game Plan
Elk are most active early and late in the day, so we’re aiming to arrive mid-afternoon, catch the 4 PM program, and stay for the evening when the herd tends to come out to feed. Bring binoculars, a jacket (it cools off fast once the sun drops), and patience. And please give the elk plenty of room: these are big, wild animals, especially during the rut.
Check elkcountryvisitorcenter.com before you head out in case anything changes. See you in Elk Country! 🦌
Leave a Reply