An adult bull elk stands about 150 cm tall at the shoulder and weighs about 300-350 kg, although some large bulls approach 500 kg in late summer before the rut. Cows are substantially smaller but still have a shoulder height of 135 cm and an adult weight of around 250 kg. The colour of the elk's coat ranges from reddish brown in summer to dark brown in winter. Although it looks white from a distance, on closer inspection the rump colour is ivory to orange. In contrast to the rump, the head and neck are dark.
Elk have long, blackish hair on the neck that is referred to as a mane.
Their hooves are rounded and their tracks may be confused with those of yearling cattle in range country. Their droppings, like those of other deer, are in the form of pellets in winter, but in summer, when the animals are on new green forage, resemble those of cattle. Closer inspection, however, reveals traces of a pellet structure. Male elk are notable for their impressively large antlers. It is amazing that these large structures are grown new each year by the animals in a period of a few months in spring and summer.