elk country visitor center

The visitor's center is extremely well done. The nature information is shared in a captivating manner. The have many local animals- taxidermy- on display. I enjoyed the short video. I purchased a number of unique items in the gift shop. There are outdoor viewing areas; we did see elk when we visited-MANY of them!

The visitor center is beautiful!We have made the status of the bull elk at the entrance the anual photo spot for our son. He was 2 months old in July and when we come back in September he will be tkaing another picture there. Can't wait!

The visitor center sits on the way up the hill to other viewing areas. I have yet to see an elk from the visitor look out point. It is interesting to browse the center and look at the various animals and read the narratives. Nice gift shop. They offer wagon rides on the grounds to view elk as well. That was fun but we didn't see very many elk. They were pretty far away. Plenty of parking - lots of ADA parking. We actually saw more elk in the town in residents yards than we ever saw at the look out point at the visitor's center. Just saying. Still enjoyed my visit.

This is a very nice, new visitor center, beautifully done. There are elk observation areas, but we didn't see anything when we arrived around 11:30 AM. The staff person at the gift shop recommended coming back around 4 PM to see the elk, but we didn't have that kind of time. We were very blessed that the neighbors of the inn we were staying at Smethport had drawn out maps for us as to where to go near the visitor center, to have a good chance of seeing some elk. This involved making a right out of the visitor center and proceeding down Winslow Hill Road, then bearing right on Dewey Road. Soon we saw a herd of elk on the right, lying down on the hillside. We then went to explore by foot an area that the Smethport neighbor had recommended, where we got pretty close to a lone male elk sitting in tall grass. When we turned around to come back, at the same area of Dewey Road but on the opposite side of the road, on another hillside, we watched a herd of elk come in to graze. This was all around 11:45 AM to 12:30 PM. It was really beautiful to see these magnificent creatures such a lovely hillside setting!

A very nice place to learn about the elk & other native animals. It was just my husband & me, but my kids would have loved it when they were younger. Several different interactive areas to learn about wildlife & a good selection of stuffed creatures to see. Gift shop has nice things and a variety of local artisans wares, which was really nice to see. Shirts are pricey, but the proceeds go to a good cause (there are some at the gas/convenient store that are less expensive, in case you really need to save $).

I just returned from "Elk Country" near Benezette, PA and had a wonderful time seeing lots of elk. These impressive animals were very easy to locate in the viewing areas set up by the state. The visitor center is nice with lots of stuffed animals native to PA on display there. It was very educational and a great place to do a little shopping in the gift store, relax by the fireplace, and look for elk out the windows or using the webcams set up close to the center to help you locate where some of the elk may be. We didn't want to spend too much of our morning at the center so we opted out of seeing the movie. We will save that for next time we visit. Dents Run and Winslow Hill viewing areas are where we saw the most elk the day we were there, but we also saw them in people's yards, along the streams, and crossing the road in front of us. How exciting! As we went in October, the bulls were bugling for the females, a sound one never forget once you hear it. Bring your camera and binoculars. These massive animals are protected and managed by the state, but there is no season on "shooting" them with your camera. Enjoy!

Displays and video are excellent, viewing of elk awesome! Going to the center is a must and it is FREE!

All five senses came to live during this visit.......There is so much to see, do, hear, smell, and my mouth watered during the time my nose was smelling the real fire in the fireplace at the pavillon on the way to the trail. The multiple rooms are filled with a vast variety of different activities for ALL ages that explain and educate the participant. I was so taken by the number of instructional strategies displayed throughout the visitor's center. HANDS ON -- Visually stimulated, free open spaces with only the most natural of smells. I have told everyone I have met about this very positive experience in PA. By the way -- we say over 100 Elk within the two hours prior to sunset on Saturday evening. There is a $3 movie....worth it if you like to know the detail, and how to's.Great use of tax dollars and monies collected and donated by special groups.

We visited Benezette several years ago before the visitor's center was open. During our most recent trip, we started at the visitor center. This was a great place to start. It has a lot of information and very interesting displays. The gift shop contains all American made items - a big plus to us. The facility is modern and very pretty. It is well worth the time to visit.

We saw over 40 elk at the Visitor Center, and got good information from the rangers. It is also well worth the time to view the video. We learned a lot in a short time.

The grounds are very clean and the building is also. They have a little gift shop, educational area and 3 viewing areas for the Elk. The Elk only showed up on Friday afternoon for us. Its hit or miss but your best chances are early morning or late afternoon. Now the staff is all fairly young and most were standing around. We asked some questions but they didn't seem to know a lot. We were new to the area and wanted to know about the Elk scenic view loop. They didn't know and we had to go adventure on our own and find it. Other than that, just plan for time to sit and wait for the Elk. The bonus is the gift shop items are all MADE IN THE USA. Huge plus for me!

A great visitor center. Lots of information. We unfortunately saw no elk. I don't think they should charge $3 for the 30 min. movie so I didn't see it. Lots of parking.

The Elk Country Visitor Center is an excellent place to start your hunt for elk in PA, even though it may not be where you usually see them. The building, staff, grounds, and store are all top-notch; the exhibits in the building detail the recovery of the elk population in PA and the people involved, the animals that inhabit the area, and the story of the visitor center itself.One thing we picked up on from the locals very quickly is that the elk "come down off the mountain" during the day, so if you're going to use the center to see elk you'll need to do it during the "dim times" of sunrise and sunset. Also, if you're lucky enough to get there during peak fall color like we did, the sunset hitting the red and gold trees across the field from the northeastern lookout is simply amazing.We were in the area for three full days, and stopped at the center at dawn twice and dusk all three days. The mornings were a bust and there was one group of elk browsing in the field right in front of one of the lookouts one evening, so we were kind of underwhelmed on that point. However, all three days we saw large numbers of elk all over the area pretty much everywhere except on the visitor center grounds... even one rainy morning in the schoolyard in Benezett and once in the water at the confluence of Dent's Run and the Bennet branch of the Sinnemahoning.If you really want to see the elk, visit the center.. then keep driving along Winslow Hill Road up the hill behind it. There are two other main viewing areas, both clearly marked, both with ample parking and port-o-potties (the first one is due to be renovated with real restrooms soon). With the exception of a couple herds so far away that they were brown specks, we saw no elk at either of these spots despite many attempts. However, we had a great deal of success driving the loop of Winslow Hill Road, Grant Hill Road, and Route 555 during the morning and evening hours. Grant Hill Road is steep, use caution if you're there during a rain or snow event. There are numerous pull-offs and state game land trail heads to explore; you will also find a few local businesses, wineries, B&Bs, etc. along this route. We often saw cars pulled over along the road, which we quickly learned meant there were elk within easy viewing distance. We even used the appropriately-named Elk View Diner's small lot twice (once there were elk IN their lot), though sadly they were closed both times.So DO visit the center for the history and souvenirs, and DO drive around the area as well... and PLEASE be respectful of the many private homes in the area. Their driveways are not public property even though you will be tempted by elk roaming in their front yards. If you see elk along the road DRIVE til you find a safe pull off and walk back (there are many of them) and don't block the road as there are NO shoulders on the roads up there.

I don’t know what it takes to be a “world class” Elk viewing center, but I am sure that this, nice, new, modern, rustic visitors center meets most of the criteria. Wonderfully landscaped. This is a truly “green” building. The 8,400-square foot Center main building is an eco-friendly structure designed and built with energy efficiency and environmental conservation in mind. The building itself features energy efficient materials and designs, solar-oriented windows for warmth and lighting, and a renewable geothermal heating and cooling system. The Center collects and recycles rainwater for use in the building restroom facilities. There are some nice walking paths that lead away from the building for viewing the herd. We did not see any elk from the center, but when we went out from the center, exploring from the local roads that lead west from the building, we saw about 14 elk, do single elk sightings, and two groups of six. My they are big animals.If you really don’t like taxidermy, don’t come here. There are many beautiful “trophy” specimens of very species on display at the visitors center. Hours of operation: – October: 7 Days a Week | 8am – 8pmNovember – December: Thursday – Monday | 9am – 5pm Closed Tuesday and Wednesday

What a wonderful day trip! We drove for 3 hours to get to the Visitor's Center, saw the movie (very worthwhile!) and drove around the area hoping to find some elk. The rangers said that there had been elk at the center when they opened at 7:30, but they had left by the time we arrived. Don't expect to see any during the day unless you are very lucky. It was fun to follow a dirt road through the woods, and we also went up to Bucktail Overlook which is a flat area on top of a mountain. You follow a narrow road up the side of the mountain for a couple of miles and are treated to a vista of the surrounding mountains and miles of countryside, which was beautiful since the leaves were turning. Late afternoon, we went to the Hicks Run Viewing Area for our first glimpse of elk. There is a blind there with a couple of benches so we could watch the elk without being seen. It was also warmer in there since the blind protected us from the wind. There were a buck and some cows grazing. After a while of waiting for some action, we decided to go back to the Visitors Center and we were thrilled that the large field was filled with elk. We were very lucky - the ranger said that they usually don't come out so early, at 3:30. We saw elk running, bugling, almost fighting. All the while, some open wagons road through, but you have to reserve your spots 24 hours in advance. That would definitely be worth it! Those wagons went right up by the groups of elk. If you are going to go, plan ahead get yourself on one of those wagons! They said that on occasion, a spot might open up last minute, but I would definitely reserve ahead next time.