Wildlife: Animal Planet

Now is prime time for wildlife viewing, as critters head to warmer climes, fatten up for winter and look for mates. Our favorite fall destinations for nature lovers: There's Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park, where you can watch the elk rut. (That's when bulls bugle and lock horns to win the attention of nearby females. Kinda like football.) Ask at the gate for the day's best locations. It's $15 per family; see nps.gov/ romo. Or, in New Hampshire, drive Route 16 out of Berlin toward Canada for guaranteed moose sightings. And finally there's Hawk Ridge Nature Reserve in Duluth, Minn., where guests can gawk at more than 100,000 red-tailed hawks, osprey, peregrine falcons and other birds of prey (hawkridge.org). Can't get away? Check out thebackyard birdwatcher.com or see the superb bird documentary "Winged Migration."

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