https://www.stlouisco.com/parksandrecreation/parkpages/loneelk Date of Visit: June 17 2018 Lone Elk County Park is a 546-acre park located just outside St. Louis, Missouri. It is sort of like a wildlife preserve and a safari park at the same time. It opened in 1948 as Tyson Valley Park. It closed in 1951, then reopened in 1961 as Lone Elk County Park. Entrance There are several entrances to Lone Elk Park, but they all pretty much are the same. The entire property has a fence around it. You drive/walk/bike/whatever other mode of transportation you choose through a gate with hoof guards. Why all these fences and hoof guards, you ask? As soon as you enter, you have already entered a safari park. Admission is free. Elk Enclosure The entire 546-acres in ALL used up by the two enclosures the park has. The park is split down the middle for two enclosures, one for American Elk and White-Tailed Deer, the other for American Bison. I will start with the elk/deer enclosure, as that is where I entered. The enclosure is MASSIVE, COLOSSAL, and HUGE all at the same time. I don't know the exact acreage, but I know the elk enclosure is about the same size as the bison one. Keeping in mind that the entire park is made up of two enclosures. This means it is ~273 acres. In the elk enclosure, one is allowed to get out of your vehicle. Take a walk through the woods. Get on your bike. Pretty much anything, as long you don't drive a motorcycle, get out of the park before it closes, and don't get too close to the Wapiti and Whitetails. You are even allowed to go fishing in the large pond. The enclosures are also great for birding. I didn't look too hard, but Wild Turkeys and Eastern Fox Squirrels were everywhere in both enclosures. If you rolled down the windows, you could hear various warblers singing from the forest canopy. Oh yeah, speaking of forests, the enclosure is almost completely forested. If you can't see a fence from where you are, the view into the woods is amazing. Both enclosures are filled with old concrete structures from when the army owned the land (during both World Wars and the Korean War). In addition, both enclosures have incredibly varied terrain, and lots of hills and flat areas. Bison Enclosure Pretty much the same except there are bison instead of elk and deer. The main difference is that you must stay in you vehicle at all times. Oh, and you aren't allowed to approach the bison IN YOUR CAR. There is a sign saying "Bison have damaged cars." Overall Lone Elk County Park is absolutely excellent, and I highly recommend a visit. The enclosures are very nice, and the birding is great. It is also right across the street from the World Bird Sanctuary, which I also visited. You can go see some elk, then hop across the street and see rare raptors. Conservation Efforts Lone Elk Park is a very natural area, filled with many animals. There are surprising few invasive species around the grounds, which means someone/something must be pulling/eating them. I think the only invasive plant I saw was a single Japanese Barberry bush. Also, I am not sure on this, but I am pretty sure their bison are pure. Species List: Mammals (3 species) American Bison White-Tailed Deer American Elk Birds (0 species) N/A Reptiles (0 species) N/A Amphibians (0 species) N/A Inverts (0 species) N/A Total: 3 species Awards Biggest Bison Enclosure Biggest Elk Enclosure Biggest Whitetail Enclosure The Zoo Where It Is Most Important To Obey The Signs Most Interesting History The Only Zoo Where It Can Say "The Other Zoo Across The Street Has Tawny Owls and Wedge-Tailed Eagles" Probably The Only Zoo Which Has Another Zoo Across the Street Anyway Smallest Collection
It would be interesting to learn about the free ranging wildlife in the park (outside of the wapiti, white-tailed deer and American bison)! Is there some sort of birds list (as I imagine the park will attract quite a number of bird spotters ...)? Also: do you know if the bison herd is pure-bred or not?
I believe the bison are purebred, but I may be wrong. I know that their current bison herd in decided from animals donated by the Saint Louis Zoo in 1961.
I don't think there is an official bird list, but there is the eBird hotspot details: https://ebird.org/hotspot/L1234086
