If you think about places where wild elk roam free, you probably think about the western U.S. and Canada.
But there’s a place in north-central Pennsylvania where more than 1,500 elk roam across a large swath of public lands. And if you’re a bikpacker, you’re in luck. Several bike routes weave through this area, allowing bikepackers to enjoy one of the most unique outdoor adventures in the Northeast.
Wild Elk Gravel in Pennsylvania’s Cameron County is the only gravel destination in the East where cyclists can come face-to-face with a massive bull elk. The area offers a wide variety of bike routes, from short afternoon rides to an incredible 225-mile bikepacking route.
The Wild Elk Gravel network in Pennsylvania has routes ranging from 8 miles to 225 miles. (Great Outdoors Visitors Bureau of Pennsylvania Photo)
The last Eastern elk subspecies was killed in 1877. But Rocky Mountain elk were introduced in Pennsylvania in 1913, and its population is managed by the state.
The Wild Elk Gravel route network features 17 curated routes and includes everything from short 8-mile rides to 80-mile adventures to the truly epic Elk Rut Ramble 225—a 225-mile bikepacking loop traveling through some of the best elk viewing spots in the area.
While there’s no guarantee riders will spot an elk, the region’s stunnng scenery makes it worth exploring on its own. Trails take cyclists through stunning ridgelines, steep valleys, and miles of thick forests.