One of our favorite parks in the St. Louis metro area is Lone Elk Park. The park is located right off of highway 44 in Valley Park, and is free, making it easily accessible. Lone Elk Park is home to a variety of wildlife including buffalo, and as the name suggests elk. The park offers fishing, hiking, and a couple of shelters, as well as a variety of picnic areas, but the park is primarily known for animal viewing. There is a nice scenic drive visitors can go on and explore the park. Visitors can extend or shorten a drive based on their own preferences.

We decided to take the longest drive possible and even went along it twice because we had such a nice time. On our drive we unfortunately didn’t see any buffalo, but we saw an entire valley filled with elk, including a plethora of calves. Besides the wildlife, the park itself is beautiful with hills, a lake, fields of wild plants, and a vast array of greenery. We visited on a perfect fall day and enjoyed taking in both the wildlife and the natural views.