I turned a corner on the drive loop at Lone Elk Park and stopped the car. An elk was standing in the road, not moving, maybe fifteen feet away, looking at me with an expression that communicated clearly that this was its park and I was a minor inconvenience. I rolled down the window and we stared at each other for a while. It eventually decided to step aside.
That's the deal at Lone Elk. The 546-acre park west of St. Louis in Valley Park operates as a drive-through wildlife management area — you take a slow loop through the grounds and the elk, bison, white-tailed deer, and wild turkeys go about their business around you. There are no fences between you and the animals. The signs remind you not to get out of your car, which is advice that becomes very intuitive once you've seen an elk up close.
The park has a strange history. Before it was a county park, these grounds were part of the Tyson Valley Powder Plant during World War II. After the war, the land was converted and herds were established in 1948. The bison herd is smaller than the elk population but no less impressive — these animals carry a different kind of mass than the elk, low-slung and solid, and they move through the landscape like they belong to it completely.
There are hiking trails too, including the White Bison Loop, a 3.1-mile moderate trail with some elevation. But honestly the slow loop in the car with the windows down is the experience. Give yourself more time than you think you need. Something will step into the road.