Lone Elk Park — Attraction in Ballwin

Lone Elk Park is a gem in the St. Louis area. This park is over 500 acres and is is filled with wildlife. You can see elk, deer, bison, wild turkeys and other birds. It is also free to enter. (There is a donation box if you wish to give to the park.)

What makes it great is the options you have to see the wildlife. You can drive through the park or utilize the hiking trails. You can even fish there, but you need to make a reservation ahead of time. There are also shelters that you can reserve.

If you drive, be sure to take your time. (There are also spots where you can pull over, get out of your vehicle and let others pass.) It can be hit or miss on what wildlife you see. They say morning - before 8:00 am - is the best time to see the animals, because they feed the animals first thing in the morning.

However, on this trip, we went through around 11:00 am and saw elk, deer, bison and waterfowl. They were even close to the road and easy to view. (See pictures.)

Tip: You don't need all day at the park. You can drive the park in a relatively short amount of time if you wish. (20-30 minutes.) It is also close to the interstate.

Things to know: No motorcycles No pets, even if they are confined to the vehicle. Review their website for additional information

So, if you live in the area or are just passing through, be sure to make time to swing by Lone Elk Park. You won't be...

Beautiful picturesque park. Serene and gorgeous scenes of bisons, elk, deer, and raccoons. Park admission is free but they do have a sign up saying 2 dollars a car would help park and you pay by the honor system. It seems we went during the perfect time of day when there wasn't much traffic at night right before dusk (park closes at dusk)when all the animals were out feeding and grazing. Cute raccoons come up to your car expecting to be fed so you know some people break the rules and feed them. Because these raccoons are not scared of people. However they are adorable. The site on which the park sits used to be some kind of government Munitions testing facility so you can see remnants of the old buildings where they used to shoot these weapons and you get a little tour of history as you drive through and see the remnants of these old buildings. They have a shop that wasn't open on the day I went but the person I was with told me it tells you a little more about the park history. Definitely a must see! If your local and you haven't been there... you should most def check it out. The young ones enjoy it as well as the older kids and it's a great cheap experience. We had so much fun we ended up circling around again and put even more...

This place is such a beautiful hidden gem!! We drove the loop(s) through three times, and there are cute little creatures out and about everywhere in different spots each time! The elk, deer, and bison were all very active the day we were there which was very cool! You can tell they're very used to the traffic because they just do their own thing and it doesn't seem to bother them. You get in for a free-will donation, but please donate as you can tell A LOT has been put into this gorgeous place!! We parked where we were able and spent a lot of time just watching the animals. Very cool place!! The World Bird Sanctuary is within this place, and it's VERY neat as well! You can tell these birds are loved and very well taken care of! Each one has a story and a name. Some are even personable! You most definitely will not be disappointed in...