Elk Viewing

The beauty in our natural surroundings and the wildlife within it are some of the best Quality of Life amenities offered here. 

Most notable of the wildlife we share this land with is the elk population, which was restored after public interest in undertaking an elk restoration program in the state was expressed to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, now the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resouces (DWR). Since that time, Buchanan County has become the Elk Capital of Virginia.  DWR activates an Elk Cam in the field seasonly which allows Internet users the opportunity to watch the elk. 

Opportunities to see the elk in their native habitat are provided seasonally through elk viewing tours offered through a cooperative venture between Southern Gap Outdoor Adventure, the Breaks Interstate Park, the Southwest Virginia Sportsman's Club and the Coalfields Chapter Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation. Tour dates are posted for spring and fall on the websites linked above. Reservations are required.

In 2010, planning for the reintroduction of elk into Buchanan County, Va., started after an almost 100-year absence. Elk were historically found throughout eastern North America, including Virginia. However, factors such as habitat loss and unregulated hunting caused elk to become virtually extinct within eastern North America by the late 1800s.  Attempts at elk restoration in eastern states during the early to mid-1900s often failed due to a lack of suitable habitat and knowledge of elk ecology.

In Virginia, working with the coal and gas industries on reclaimed surface sites in 2012, the population was reintroduced and has thrived. The herd now numbers around 300.