Our excursion for the day with Maria and Franz was to look for elk in the Smoky Mountain National Park. The entrance to the park is just a short distance from our house, and the road is the most dramatically mountainous road in the area. It’s a lane and a half wide, twisting and turning over the mountain. On the way to Cataloochee Valley, we stopped at a turn in the road where there is a short climb to a viewing area. My best autumnal photo was taken as we were leaving that view.
A front shot is included to show the faces.
I would have been satisfied with spotting the elk at a distance. We were there in the middle of the day, not at prime time of dawn or dusk. We took some photos of part of the herd by zooming in.
There were numerous signs warning people to stay at least 150 feet from the animals and not to enter the meadow if they were there. After turning around, we found elk wading into the stream right beside the road. We were the first car with a ring-side seat. What a view!
One animal crossed the road, and I thought that was very special.
In a minute or so it passed right by my window. I could have sworn she was talking wordlessly and boasting that she had the law on her side, and I wasn’t allowed to get out of the car. I had news for her. I didn’t want to get in her path!
This was the documentation of our day, but the best part was unlimited talk from our morning walk to bed time. We never ran out of subjects to explore together. I admire Maria and Franz for not flagging, despite talking in English all day long.
Mehrling Muse 
Great photographs Anne. I didn’t know Elk were as big as your photos indicate. I would have gladly stayed in the car too. That last girl looks feisty…makes me smile!
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Elk are not big, not like moose. They are bigger than deer but not as solid as cows. Perhaps the one that came close to me was really trying to grin and smile at the same time.
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Lovely creatures! Interesting to see their apparent lack of fear of the cars – or people!
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That’s the danger, I think. The elk are used to having people gawk at them. What other wild animal would flaunt itself in front of a car?
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Those images are breath-taking! So happy you had such an incredible day. And now it’s documented so you can come back and re-live it in full color.
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I’m sure Franz got a fantastic photo of a buck that entered the stream near his window. His camera cable for downloading is in Vienna, so we won’t see it any time soon.
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Wow what beautiful scenery, including the elk! Isn’t it nice to be with friends who you never lag for conversation with?:)
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I think we could talk for weeks with these friends.
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The best kind!
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I just have to ask: why did the elk cross the road? To get to the other side– and show off for your visitors, I’d say. 😉
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LOL!
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Fabulous pictures Anne and what an experience to have the animals so close like that.
xxx Massive Hugs xxx
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We have never been that close to elk before. They were impressive.
xxx wild hugs xxx
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I am going to have to show these to my husband Anne! He loves mountains and he loves seeing wildlife. He just always thinks he has to go west to see those….maybe this will convince him LOL.
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Please convince him to come HERE with you. We’ll take you to Cataloochee, although we can’t promise an elk sighting.
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Really great photos. Perfect timing. Colorful fall foliage and critters too.
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It was about as perfect a day as we could wish for.
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Gorgeous view and how beautiful to be so close to those majestic animals. When my husband and I were in PEI recently, we drove into Nova Scotia and New Brunswick in search of moose. Alas, we did not see any.
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I’ve never seen a moose, but I know they are massive. Hope you get to see some.
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another beautiful day in your life-thank you for sharing. We do not have elk here.
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Elk were reintroduced to the park in 2001 and are doing well.
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Your scenery is amazing, so gorgeous, and I would have loved to have seen those elk!
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It was an amazing thing to be so close to the elk. I think it even surprised the park ranger. She felt the animals were comfortable because there were so few cars in that area on a Monday. There were probably tons of people the day before.
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Thank you so much for sharing your trip, Anne! The views are breathtaking! And I haven’t seen an elk live in the wild since the Mogollon Rim in AZ – that would be over 20 years now. Hmm… I need to change things up. <3!
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We saw lots of colorful trees that day. Now most of the leaves have fallen. It’s still beautiful, but in a different way.
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Wow! This National Park seems so picturesque, Anne! Spending a day there sounds like an awesome experience. When’s the best time of the year to enjoy this place?
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The rutting season has finished now. I think September is a good time to go to Cataloochee, but I could be wrong. I would choose October to see changing leaves. Any day is a good day to visit Smoky Mountain National Park! It’s the most visited national park in the US.
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What a fabulous adventure with wonderful friends. The photos of the elk are spectacular. A trip to remember.
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We were thrilled to get photos.
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The fall colors are gorgeous! Love the elk–witnessing any wildlife is amazing.
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Those were about the prettiest colors we saw this year, and we were so glad our Austrian friends were able to see them. The color is gone now, but daughter Lise is a colorful character. She’s adding sparkle to our lives for a couple of weeks.
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