Estes Park, Colorado
Fans of the Rocky Mountains know that fall brings a beautiful golden yellow to leaves of the aspen trees throughout Colorado. In Estes Park, near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, it also brings an abundance of wildlife.
“We are known for our wildlife, and we can get a little bit crazy in fall because of it,” said Brook Burnham, director of communications, public relations and social media for Visit Estes Park. “Everything centers around the elk — our elk population is 2,000 to 3,000. From mid-September through October, you can catch a glimpse of their mating rituals.”
What visitors see most often is not an act of procreation itself but intricate social interactions that go on among the elk as they prepare to mate.
“Male elk herd up harems of cows and fight for the right to mate with them,” Burnham said. “They defend those groups from other bulls, so there’s a lot of bugling and sparring among the bulls. That’s what people come to see.”
Burnham said that it’s common to hear elk bugling throughout Estes Park and the surrounding area all through the fall. Some visitors pack picnics to take to popular wildlife spots to watch the elk sparring.
Groups that want to have a more thorough elk encounter have a number of options. The national park offers fall elk programs, and the Rocky Mountain Conservancy takes people on educational elk expeditions.
The first weekend in October brings Elk Fest.
“They have bus tours and scouts all over the community that help you get as close as safely possible to view this phenomenon,” Burnham said.
Groups that come to see the elk in Estes Park may also catch glimpses of mule deer, bobcats, foxes or coyotes.
www.visitestespark.com
Jackson Hole, Wyoming
Surrounded by the Grand Tetons and adjacent to Yellowstone National Park, the area of Wyoming known as Jackson Hole enjoys robust wildlife year-round. But fall brings a number of special opportunities.
“Fall is a wonderful time for wildlife,” said Kate Forester, communications manager for the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. “The elk are very active and noisy in the fall. It’s really a magical experience.”
But elk are just the beginning of the wildlife scene in the area. Fall visitors to Jackson Hole often see small mammals such as marmots and pikas, as well as larger species including bears, mountain lions and wolves.
“Wolves are a huge draw here,” Foster said. “They’ve been very active at the National Elk Refuge. It’s very likely to see a wolf with the elk during the fall.”
Foster said that excursions and tours originating in Jackson and exploring the natural areas in the region offer opportunities to see many more animals.
“You can do a moose float through Grand Teton National Park or do a scenic boating trip down the Snake River to see elk, moose, eagles, beavers and osprey. In the fall, you’re not going to get wet, and the trip will be very scenic. You go through the Snake River corridor and see the beautiful trees changing colors.”
Monterey, California
On California’s stunning central coast, Monterey has become a mecca for whale-watching year-round, with thousands of whales migrating through the area during different seasons. In fall, visitors have the chance to see the legendary blue whales, which begin to arrive in June and can be found through November.
“Blue whales are very popular because they’re the largest animals in the world,” said John David Van Kirk, media relations specialist at the Monterey County Convention and Visitors Bureau. “They flow through here to feed in the nutrient-rich waters in the underwater canyon in Monterey Bay. That canyon is nearly twice as deep as the Grand Canyon, so it allows for deep-water whales to be found near shore.”
In addition to the blue whales, autumn brings minke whales, humpback whales and orcas to the waters around Monterey.
Groups have a variety of options when it comes to seeing the whales and other marine life. Princess Monterey Whale Watching operates a double-decker sightseeing boat, allowing passengers to go to the upper deck for a top-down perspective on the water. Smaller, more adventurous groups will enjoy an outing with Fast Raft Ocean Safaris.
“It’s an inflatable boat for six to eight people,” Van Kirk said. “They can get into tighter spaces, in areas where the other boats can’t go. The boat is about the same size as a whale, so the whales are curious and come close to look at them. It’s a pretty intimate experience.”
