Where to See Elk in Mount Rainier National Park

Sighting map

Elk sightings in Mount Rainier

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Where Elk has been reported, from 58 sightings. Not a live tracker: animals move, and an empty area doesn’t mean there are none.

Keep this map with you offline in the Parkwolf app

Timing

When to look

12 AM2% of the busiest hour1 AM2% of the busiest hour2 AM2% of the busiest hour3 AM3% of the busiest hour4 AM11% of the busiest hour5 AM53% of the busiest hour6 AMBusiest hour7 AM89% of the busiest hour8 AM63% of the busiest hour9 AM42% of the busiest hour10 AM26% of the busiest hour11 AM21% of the busiest hourNoon16% of the busiest hour1 PM16% of the busiest hour2 PM21% of the busiest hour3 PM26% of the busiest hour4 PM37% of the busiest hour5 PM58% of the busiest hour6 PM79% of the busiest hour7 PM95% of the busiest hour8 PM74% of the busiest hour9 PM21% of the busiest hour10 PM5% of the busiest hour11 PM3% of the busiest hour

Elk is most seen 6–8 AM and 7 PM. Bars compare each hour with the busiest one.

Elk sightings by hour, as a share of the busiest hour
Hour	Share of busiest hour
12 AM	2%
1 AM	2%
2 AM	2%
3 AM	3%
4 AM	11%
5 AM	53%
6 AM	100%
7 AM	89%
8 AM	63%
9 AM	42%
10 AM	26%
11 AM	21%
Noon	16%
1 PM	16%
2 PM	21%
3 PM	26%
4 PM	37%
5 PM	58%
6 PM	79%
7 PM	95%
8 PM	74%
9 PM	21%
10 PM	5%
11 PM	3%

Audio tour

Hear about Elk on the drive.

Parkwolf’s Tour Guide plays stories like this one as you drive Mount Rainier, triggered by GPS and read through your car’s speakers.

Mount Rainier Tour Guide

An Elk's Antlers Start Over

0:00 / 0:28

“A bull elk grows a new set of antlers every year. During spring and summer, those growing antlers are covered in soft, hairy skin called velvet, which carries their blood supply.”

Plays as you drive near Deer Creek Falls in Parkwolf’s Mount Rainier Tour Guide.

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Where to look

Mount Rainier spots that mention Elk

Compare with the sightings

Places and trails whose Parkwolf guides talk about Elk. A good start, never a guarantee.

Places

SightOhanapecosh FallsTwo drops, a footbridge, and a long walk into the forest.

Trails

ChallengingIndian Bar Trail14.5 mi · 11 hrA hard ridge crossing opens into a waterfall-filled alpine basin.

ChallengingCrystal Peak Trail8 mi · 6 hrHard climb, broad views, and a former lookout site above Crystal Lakes.

ChallengingCrystal Lakes Trail6 mi · 4 hrClimb to two lakes, with a Rainier view halfway up.

ChallengingPalisades Lakes Trail7 mi · 5 hrSeven miles of alpine lakes, ending beneath the Palisades cliffs.

ModerateEastside Trail11.2 mi · 6.5 hrMeadows, waterfalls, and old growth on a long mountain traverse.

ModerateDewey Lake via Chinook Pass6 mi · 4 hrSix miles on the PCT to Dewey Lake beneath Naches Peak.

ModerateHidden Lake Spur Trail6.1 mi · 4 hrAn alpine lake tucked beneath the Palisades, with a hard climb back.

ModeratePaul Peak Trail6.2 mi · 4.5 hrA forested descent to Rainier views, then a long climb back.

Wolf sightings in Yellowstone on Parkwolf’s Find Wildlife map, brightest around Lamar Valley — Wolf sightings in Yellowstone, in the app

Find Wildlife in Parkwolf

Every sighting map, in your pocket.

16 sighting mapsfor Mount Rainier, on the same park map as your route
Works offlineout where the animals are and the signal isn’t
77 audio storiesplay as you drive Mount Rainier, wildlife included

4.7 from 8,600+ ratings

Wildlife

More wildlife in Mount Rainier

All 16 sighting maps

466 sightingsMountain GoatOreamnos americanusMost seen 6–8 AM & 7 PMSighting map

383 sightingsBlack BearUrsus americanusMost seen 6 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

10 sightingsWolverineGulo guloMost seen 6 AM & 6–8 PMSighting map

574 sightingsMule DeerOdocoileus hemionusMost seen 6–8 AM & 7 PMSighting map

1,853 sightingsHoary MarmotMarmota caligataMost seen 6–8 AM & 5–8 PMSighting map

654 sightingsPikaOchotona princepsMost seen 7 AM & 5–7 PMSighting map

87 sightingsRed FoxVulpes vulpes cascadensisMost seen 5–7 AM & 7–9 PMSighting map

200 sightingsNorthwestern SalamanderAmbystoma gracileMost seen 7 AM & 8 PMSighting map

Where to see Elk in Mount Rainier