The Tourons of Estes Park

In 2024 I made it out to Estes Park for the tail end of the annual elk rut. During this time you get to hear the bugling of male elk, sometimes the bulls will fight one another to protect (or collect) their harems, and you may also run into a handful of tourons.

What exactly is a touron, you ask? Well to put it bluntly, it's a tourist who also happens to be a moron. These are the people who ignore all of the posted signs warning them about various dangers they could encounter and throwing common sense out the window when confronted by those dangers. Oftentimes you can find tourons in Yellowstone National Park but they tend to show up almost anywhere with wildlife.

The goal of this post isn't to shame the tourons because they have none. Instead this post is meant to help educate others about the dangers you can face while taking a stroll through a park in Estes Park. Please remember though, there are signs posted everywhere about the elk and what to do if you encounter them. You don't need to commit any of this article to memory, simply read the posted signs when you visit any location that has wildlife and you will be perfectly fine (probably).

Wildlife and dogs do not mix

In 2024 there were three separate Elk attacks over the course of eight days. At least one of those attacks happened when a lady walking her dog came too close to a cow elk. No, the lady photographed in this post was not that lady (or at least I don't think it was) but it still helps in illustrating this important lesson.

Dogs are descendants of wolves. Wolves are natural predators to elk and other wild animals (think bison, moose, deer, etc). While your dog is probably very friendly and well behaved, it doesn't change the fact that a wild animal will see it as a threat. This could turn an otherwise calm animal into a panicked one which can lead to you being attacked. Not to mention even the friendliest of dogs still have a prey drive and you have no idea how they will react to a wild animal. Oh, and don't get me started about off-leash dogs.

Truthfully this lady is more of a touron by association. She saw the threat and for the most part made the right call by walking away from the cow elk. She did return back to the area with her dog but it was largely to get her husband to leave the area.

Do it for the 'gram

Along with getting too close to wildlife or just being places they shouldn't, the touron almost always has their phone held up to their face. Instead of being present and taking in the moment, they focus on documenting their stupidity for future social media posts. Once they get cell reception again they'll post the video or photos online for their friends on Facebook to react to. Of course given the changes in the algorithm only three of their friends will even see the post, and only one will watch more than three seconds of the video.

It should go without saying but any animal with murder horns next to another one of the same species, though without the murder horns, will probably use its murder horns to protect it. To put it another way, the bull wants to get lucky with that cow and your camera is killing the vibe.

There was a news story back in 2019 where two bull elk were fighting and a man and women decided to walk near them. The man ended up being taken to the hospital and thankfully someone was able to record the act of stupidity so others can learn from it.

Decaf, grande, with an extra shot of stupid

While there are a number of rules to follow when you are in an area with wildlife, the most important one is just keep your distance. If you keep your distance you will avoid the majority of incidents that can occur between you and a wild animal. For large animals and nesting birds, maintain a minimum distance of 25 yards, which is the same length as three school buses. Then for predators like bears, mountain lions, and wolves, the distance increases to 100 yards or the length of a football field.

Of course you should also avoid harassing or feeding the animals and traveling in groups reduces the chances that you will sneak up on an animal. Keep in mind though, just because you are in a group does NOT mean you can ignore those distance rules, whether it's just you or an entire tour bus you MUST keep to those safe distances that I have outlined above.

In some situations you may find yourself between a wild animal and your parked car. Do not try to scare or move the animal. Practice some patience and enjoy the extra time you have out in nature. You can avoid putting yourself in a bad situation by giving yourself ample time between hikes or other activities so you don't feel rushed.

Read the signs and any pamphlets

The last thing I want to say is to just read the signs and any pamphlets that you receive prior to entering any area. The photos in this article were taken on the trail around Lake Estes which is a public area. Along the trails there is ample signage about the elk in this area and at the parking lots you can find additional information about these animals on bulletin boards.

If you are entering into a national park the park ranger will offer you an information pamphlet, take it and prior to leaving your vehicle make sure you read the safety information. Those pamphlets will tell you how to stay safe and if you find yourself in an unsafe situation it even says how to (probably) get out of it alive.