National Elk Refuge
National Wildlife Refuge · Jackson, Wyoming
A federal wildlife refuge on the northern edge of Jackson, set aside in 1912 after hard winters killed elk in large numbers when ranches and fences cut them off from their old winter range. Several thousand elk now spend each winter on its open meadows, and from mid-December to early April horse-drawn sleighs carry visitors out among them. Bighorn sheep work the cliffs of Miller Butte beside the refuge road, trumpeter swans winter on Flat Creek, and wolves and bison pass through. In summer the meadows are quiet and the elk are up in the mountains — this is a winter place. Sleigh rides for the 2025-26 season ran from 20 December to 4 April.
Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center, 532 North Cache Street, Jackson, Wyoming, 83001, United States
Refuge open year-round. Sleigh rides daily 10 AM-4 PM from about 20 December to 4 April (2025-26 season), closed Christmas Day; tickets from 9 AM at the white trailer in the Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center car park. Refuge Road beyond the first few miles closes to vehicles in winter.
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