Elk at the Oconaluftee Village Farm

At the beginning (or end if you are going the other way) of the Blue Ridge Parkway through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park you come across the Oconaluftee Visitor Center and Farm Village near Cherokee, North Carolina. Here there is flat meadow along the Oconaluftee River and a great farm. In the late 1700’s Elk roamed freely until they were over hunted and were gone. In 2001, the National Park re-introduced 20 Elk back into the Park to roam wild. They have reproduced and now there are 200 plus and they are unfenced and often congregate in this large meadow. While walking along the river near the village I luckily came across one large 600-700# male Elk feeding along the water.