Great Smoky Mountain National Park is one of the most visited national parks in all of the United States. Thousands flock there in the autumn to witness the vibrant and colorful changing of the leaves. They also seek to catch a glimpse of the region’s most majestic mammal – the elk.
There are currently an estimated 150-200 elk in North Carolina on public land, private land and within the national park. The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation assisted with the successful restoration of wild, free-ranging elk to their historic North Carolina range in 2001.
Go here to watch a TV news report about elk in the Great Smoky Mountains.
(Photo source: Great Smoky Mountains National Park)