The elk rut has begun at Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado prompting park officials to enact their annual meadow closures:
“Meadow closures are in effect from September 1 through October 31 to prevent the disturbance and harassment of elk during their fall mating season.” -RMNP
Every autumn, elk descend from RMNP’s high country to montane meadows for the annual breeding season. Within the gathering herds, the larger antlered bulls, weighing up to 1,100 pounds. Bull elk compete with one another for the right to breed with a herd of females. Bull elk can be especially aggressive towards visitors at this time of year so RMNP closes sections of the park to avoid negative encounters including Horseshoe Park, Upper Beaver Meadows, Moraine Park, Harbison Meadow and Holzwarth Meadow between the hours of 5 p.m. to 10 a.m.
It seem every fall, visitors to our National Parks disregard park policy and get too close to rutting elk. The consequences of their actions can be severe.
Roads inside RMNP are open and you can park in designated parking areas and watch wildlife from your vehicle. The meadow areas themselves are closed to all travel, meaning you cannot walk from your car into a meadow to get a closer look at wildlife in the meadow.Â
Let this be a friendly reminder that you plan on exploring elk territory during the rut, to give the animals extra space for your own safety and the safety of the herd. Learn more about wildlife safety at Rocky Mountain National Park below:
Rocky Mountain National Park Wildlife Safety:
It can be hard to believe that a safe distance is as much about the animal’s welfare as it is about yours, but it’s true. Getting too close, feeding, and touching are all things that can put you and your furry, feathered, or scaled counterpart in grave danger. While Rocky Mountain National Park is a conscientious partner for visitors, it also remains continuously committed to the protection and preservation of nature and wildlife.
Despite their good intentions, some visitors love park animals to death. As wildlife become used to humans and lose their natural fear, the animals become aggressive and may be destroyed. Although they may appear harmless and even curious about you, wildlife do injure visitors every year. That’s partly why approaching, harassing, or feeding any kind of wildlife, no matter how small or familiar, is illegal in all national parks.
Wildlife viewing is one of the most popular activities that visitors come to Rocky to enjoy each fall. Remember to keep your distance and view wildlife with respect. When viewing elk, keep back at least 75 feet . These are wild animals and they can be very aggressive during the fall rut. If wildlife is reacting to you, you are too close. It is our responsibility to keep our distance.
As always, the use of elk calls, spotlights, or the use of vehicle headlights to spot wildlife is prohibited within Rocky Mountain National Park.
