National Elk Refuge

For as long as anyone can remember, elk have migrated down from the high country of the Yellowstone and Teton region to winter on the lower, gentler floor of Jackson Hole, where the snow is shallower and forage easier to reach. That ancient pattern collided with people in the late 1800s and early 1900s, as homesteads, cattle, farms, and fences spread across the valley and cut off the routes and feeding grounds the elk had always used.

The results were grim. Severe winters, shrinking habitat, and reduced forage led to the starvation of thousands of elk in the valley. In response, the United States set aside this land in 1912 as the National Elk Refuge, a place where the herd could ride out the winter, and the refuge has grown to nearly 25,000 acres of protected valley floor that keeps one of the largest elk herds on earth alive through the cold season.

The most famous way to experience the refuge is by horse-drawn sleigh in winter. The tradition goes back well over a century: as early as the late 1800s, people living in Jackson Hole hitched up sleighs to drive out and watch the gathered elk, and the outings grew so popular that in 1965 the refuge began offering public sleigh ride tours. They still run from roughly mid-December into early April.

On a ride, a guide leads you out onto the snow-covered range and often within twenty or thirty feet of the elk, close enough to hear them and watch bulls and cows move across the valley. Along the way the guide explains why the herd has wintered here for so long and how the refuge cares for it. Because the sleighs are a familiar, non-threatening presence, the elk stay calm and let visitors get remarkably close.

The refuge is far more than a single species. Wintering elk draw predators and scavengers, so a sleigh ride or a slow drive along its edge often turns up bald eagles perched in the cottonwoods, coyotes trotting the snow, and now and then a fox or a wolf. Trumpeter swans, some of the largest waterfowl in North America, winter on the refuge's open water, and bison and other animals share the range.

In the warmer months the elk scatter back to the high country and the refuge quiets, but it stays alive with pronghorn, birds, and sweeping valley views. A scenic road runs along one side, giving travelers a chance to take in the landscape year round. Together with neighboring Grand Teton National Park and the national forests around it, the refuge forms part of one of the last complete wild ecosystems left in the Lower 48.

The refuge begins right at the northern edge of the town of Jackson, so it is easy to fold into a Jackson Hole trip. Winter sleigh rides depart from a visitor center in town, where you can also learn the story of the herd and the valley before heading out, so dress in warm layers and be ready for open-air seating in the cold.

The best show is in winter, when the elk are massed on the valley floor, but the refuge rewards a visit any time of year for its birds, wildlife, and Teton views. As with all wild places, keep your distance from every animal, never feed or approach them, and let the sleigh or your vehicle be your blind. It is a rare chance to watch a genuine wild migration up close, on the doorstep of one of the West's most beautiful towns.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.