I was sitting beside Sprague Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park last weekend, peacefully eating my lunch, when I noticed a commotion. Crowds of visitors had congregated on the eastern shore of the lake and were all pointing their cameras at something in the woods. I hopped up on a bench and caught sight of what they were looking at: a massive Rocky Mountain bull elk and several cow elk, clumped together. Some people were standing only a few feet from the bull, who was taller than a small sedan and had large, pointy antlers. 

When the crowds closed in, he lowered his head and pawed at the ground. I took that as my cue to leave. But the rest of the onlookers stayed put — a risky decision. “Park visitors are very excited about seeing elk during the rut and this excitement can lead to people getting too close,” said Kyle Patterson, a spokesperson for Rocky Mountain National Park.

That was only the first of several close encounters I had with elk in the park and neighboring community of Estes Park, Colorado. I also saw elk gathering on soccer fields, running across four-lane highways and walking through golf course putting greens. 

Fall is an especially active time for elk as they enter their mating season, known as “the rut,” from mid-September through mid-October, when bull elk lock antlers and battle it out for the cows. Bull elk put out loud wailing calls, called bugles, trying to locate females, and can become aggressive and unpredictable. “This is a stressful time for bull elk, with little time for them to rest or eat,” Patterson said. 

Rocky Mountain National Park staff close some meadows near roads and trails from 5 p.m. to 10 a.m. daily during this time “to prevent disturbance and harassment of elk during the fall mating period,” Patterson said. Staff like to remind visitors that viewing elk from a distance is best to “watch the dynamics of the bulls and cows play out,” Patterson said. That includes the park’s volunteer “Elk Bugle Corp,” who help share the best ways to safely view wildlife with visitors.

The rut isn’t confined to Colorado. Yellowstone visitors have also seen the elk rut in recent days, including spotting a large bull elk that shut down traffic at the north entrance near Gardiner, Montana. The Mammoth Hot Springs area of the park is a favorite spot for elk herds to gather in the fall. One particularly large elk, called Elk 24, dominates the area, and elk are known to ram cars here. 

Yellowstone Forever, the park’s official nonprofit partner, says that Officers’ Row in Mammoth Hot Springs, along the Gardner River or next to the historic Roosevelt Arch are also good places to see elk, as are along the Madison River between West Yellowstone and the Madison Junction. 

In California, a Roosevelt elk rut is underway in Redwood National and State Parks and across the Lost Coast. Meanwhile, smaller tule elk are taking part in their own rut on Point Reyes National Seashore and in several other areas. Tule elk weigh about 500 pounds, and their sharp heavy antlers can be particularly dangerous at this time. Roosevelt and Rocky Mountain elk can weigh up to 1,000 pounds, posing an even greater risk.

While there have been no incidents so far this fall at Rocky Mountain, that isn’t always the case, and people have been severely injured in Yellowstone. Visitors should give elk even more space in the fall than usual, even from inside a vehicle. Park staff suggest keeping 75 yards, or the length of two school buses, away from elk. If one approaches you, back away, and if one charges at you, find shelter or run away.