Reviews of National Elk Refuge (Tourist Attraction)

Kara Olsen

We did see thousands of elk, a few big horned sheep and some pretty sky blue mountain blue birds. Nice little drive but we hoped to see more animal variety. This on a bike or walk would be lovely.

gamer plaz

Great nature area very little activity better in the winter

Nate Chertack

So cool to see hundreds of elk chilling right by the road (went in February). Did not take a sleigh ride, just took pictures from the pull-off near the fence. It's awesome to see these animals pretty close-up.

Brad Fowlks

Love this place. So beautiful!

Debarah Testa

We thought the "sleigh" ride would be great. Don't do it. 15 people in a wood box pulled by 2 horses struggling under the weight and ridiculous wagon. The horses were dripping in sweat in 20 degree weather. The real elk herd is well beyond where the horses can go. Should be discontinued or redesign wagon to be less weight and more aerodynamic.

Tyler Walton

Beauty in nature every way you look

Richard or Rene' Tillman

Definitely a must see, the elk were just a few feet away and they were very active, thousands of elk,we have never seen anything like this before

Rae Barnett

Best in the winter but great waterfowl watching in warm weather

Peg Jensen

First time seeing the Miller Home. Great tour guides! Very knowledgeable! Lots of history learned in one visit. Worth the stop!

Joo Chan

Not much can be seen actually

Danny Gunn

Fun ride and the driver was really informative

Daniela Di Marco

Great places to view all kinds of animals. We saw elk, big horn sheep, eagles and wolves from the road. The sleigh ride looks like a great option if there's visibility that day but it's not neccessary to experience all kinds of animals if you're patient.

Kathleen Johnston

Great place for a nice long walk. In winter great for animal watching.

Catherine Norton

Must go to the Miller House! Guides are very knowledgeable and it was great fun to see you Homesteading life was 100 years ago!

Sussana Bouchard

Good hunting! Shot my cow elk in the face there last year! Meat has been great!

Jon Yan

Big Horn sheep viewing. Very cool

Steve Hadden

Don't miss the Grand Titons on a clear day! Rent an e-bike in town.

Snazz

The experience was great. The guide was super friendly and knowledgeable, and the location was beautiful.

Kealohanui Baclayon

Wonderful experience..took my bride on our 45th Anniversary.. Majestic, magnificent animals..we saw herds of Elk up close.

Amber Howard

This was such a great experience!! Our driver was so friendly and knowledge and our boys loved it. First time seeing so many Elk up close

John M

Amazing display of nature

Dan Conner

Great place to take the kids! Great being on a horse drawn sleigh.

Kathy Adair

It was night time when we were going through. Didn't see any animals but the stars and the mountains silhouetted by the bright moon were amazing. So beautiful. I've been there during the day and saw several wildlife species and I will be going back once more before I leave here. Fantastic place to visit!

Janet Pickerd

So must fun to see the beautiful elk up close

joe deppe

Never got to see the wlk

Brian C

Amazing animals. Ranger station is full of great information and terrific staff. Blue goose/junior ranger is terrific for kids. Mounted animal display is awesome.

Retro Fox

Damn, thats alot of pelts you could farm

Lynn Joubert

The view from the miller house is amazing

CAROLYN ROBINSON

First we saw the three large Elk. Then a huge Black bear, and a large elk with rings around it antlers. So beautiful.

Traci Parker

Beautiful, scenic sleigh ride. Friendly, knowledgeable guide. I loved seeing the elk so up close and personal. We will be back!

Sudarshan Rammurthy

Beautiful place ...

Yaroslav Golubev

The elk refuge is beautiful during the winter, if your staying in jacksonhole drive around the area for beautiful wildlife.

snakeidaho

What a great place to visit

Alicia Renae'

Although I did not see elk, the refuge is beautiful

Jeff Smith

Awesome learning experience with breathtaking views of the elk and the Grand Tetons. I was impressed to say the least.

jeff birmingham

Lots of fun. It a great way to see the elk up close just wear plenty of warm close it can get cold!!!!

Judy Sprouse

Amazing experience being right out among the elk. An American bald eagle waited in a tree for us to get plenty of photos before taking flight. The mountains were a perfect back-drop.

Eric Mercer

This tour is VERY good! Well worth the $25.00 per person! The guide Clint is very knowledgeable and delivers an overall wonderful experience! A must see and PLEASE do not forget to tip these gentleman!

K C

Still have only scene a couple elk on it.. was very very surprised that hunters were literally everywhere hunting.. being an out of towner when you hear "ELK REFUGE" that its is a place to save them... NOPE... it is just the land that was saved.... ?HMMM? It almost felt to me they were baiting them in to that refuge and... well you know the rest..

Jonathan Beaulieu

If you’re going to be in Jackson Hole, take a sleigh ride at the Elk Refuge. It’s a one of a kind experience. The location is beautiful, the tour guides are very knowledgeable, and the elk are fascinating. The sleigh allows you to get unbelievably close to these incredible animals. The proceeds of the ride go directly to the Elk Refuge and its works. It is certainly worth a visit!

Nell Sullivan

We biked this trail and it was awesome. Walking was nice too, but you can cover more ground in a bike. You really miss a lot when you drive. The views are spectacular. We watched birds dive through the bridges over rocky riverbeds, shadows change on the mountains, and furry somethings swim across the river. There's a great place to stop for lunch, and the path is mostly flat with some small climbs.

Laura Sheets

A lot of rich history here, along with TONS of wildlife and gorgeous scenery. Adjacent to Jackson Hole & Grand Teton National Park, this refuge serves as a historic stopping point for elk & bison, as well as trumpeter swans, big horn sheep, birds of prey, wolves & coyotes, bears, moose, deer & more! The sleigh rides in the winter are so special and seeing animals up close is a real treat. Please be a courteous visitor & obey the rules, give wildlife space, and don't let the animals lick the salt off your car!!

Laura Hooter

Beautiful scenery!

Jacob Miskin

Cold! Close up views of elk and coyotes

George Robertson

Awesome place with great views of the Tetons. Didn't actually see any elk, but it is a nice drive. I would recommend it!

Jacob Authement

Really cool place. You can get really close to the elk.

Liz Templeman

We visited during the summer, so no elk were there. We really wanted to see Trumpeter swans. After driving all around the refuge, we realized that the best place to see them was right next to the Jackson visitors center. It was a pleasant drive with lots of raptors if you're into birding. Not a good place to take a walk, except on the main road.

cindy porter

Love the open land wildlife

Amber McArthur

Best free camp this side of Wyoming

Renuka Dickason

Very nice place. Rooms are very rustic with all modern amenities. Restaurant also is good.

Me, Myself, & I

Elk are magnificent, but hard to find this time of year. Summer high, winter low.

Steven Hayes

Good fun and relaxing usually tons of elk to see

Erin Hudepohl

Amazing experience!! I HIGHLY recommend this adventure.

Octavia Felis

Great opportunity for wildlife viewing. If you don't have a spotting scope, you can usually find a nice group who will let you take a peek through theirs. It's very much WILD... We got to observe a cougar feasting on an elk she had taken down. There's warnings about the sheep coming down to lick the salt off the cars in winter, but they all stayed on the ridge while we were there.

benjamin wilson

Great time up at the ski club cabin

Zachary Lowery

Absolutely Beautiful place. See wildlife that you could only see coming out west. Guides were great and had great information. Wear warm, windproof cloths.

Bill Parker Jr

Extremely knowledgeable and informative. Very friendly and personable and accommodating.

Adrian Solis

Didnt really see any elk.

Rong Chen

The scenery is beautiful. There are a lot of big horn sheep (I guess).

Tony Furr

Great time we enjoyed watching all the elk

Savino Occhionorelli

Very nice reserve. It was possible to observe numerous animals such as ducks and birds of prey. more difficult to see deer or swan. there are also numerous qualities of plants along the way.

Steve Edmunds

Beautiful... you must visit in winter, when the Elk are in the Meadow.

Chris Saccardi

A beautiful undisturbed area closed off to almost all human activity to protect the elk. One of the only ways to access the area is by sleigh rides, which is a lot of fun. When we went, there wasn't much snow so we took a horse-drawn wagon with an excellent driver who had a lot of interesting information about the area and the Elk. We went very close to the elk and took some great photos. Bring warm clothes, the wind is intense!

Christopher Cronan

I love the little museum visitor center. Great gift shop!

Jeff Garner

Just drove through. Was beautiful.

Todd Dustin

This place is awesome. I have the opportunity to be one of the sleigh guides and see what really goes on out here. Getting up close and personal with these Elk is truly an incredible experience. These animals are wild and you get to see them in their natural winter environment. It is a must for anyone coming to the Jackson Hole area. Dress warm and come on over. you are in for a ride of a lifetime.

Laura Hansen

My favorite thing to do in Jackson Hole. It is awesome to go out among the Elk and the guides are super knowledgeable. You learn a lot!

Scott Lancaster

Clean air... best view of Tetons

cody kirsch

Had a great time with the family awesome guides as well!!

Adrian Donlan

Fantastic short trip. You get really close to the elk. We also saw coyote, bald eagles, mule deer.

Connie Porter

Amazing experience seeing about 1000 Elk all in one place.

vanessa zaragoza

This place is really beautiful but do not expect to readily see elk here... we did however see a herd of deer

Brian Tuck

Great time learning about the Elk and the Refuge. Our guide was very experienced and knowledgeable. They were accommodating with my 93 year old grandma.

Elaine Tobias

This is always a beautiful place. Fewer elk visible this year, but it's still early in the season. A group of majestic males sitting near the road was a great photo OP.

Jason Jackson

We have toured the refuge twice, and have enjoyed it both times. This weekend we got to see a few sets of bulls ay fighting. It is an amazing experience that I would recommend to anyone.

Ericka Cooper

Wonderful experience, got super close to the elk and this year they're beautiful! Today was also nice weather and that helps. It's fun to imagine what it would have been like 100 years ago on a horse drawn sleigh out in the wilderness.

Frank Peron

Mother nature at it very best. thank you Lord for your creations.

Brian Toungette

Incredibly beautiful place. Words can't do it justice.

Mark Hunter

Great place to see wildlife. Took grandchildren on the loop past the hospital. Saw elk, swans, geese, ducks, badger, big horn sheep, and we never left the car!

Timothy Elkins

Beauty...at it finest

Russ Carr

No elk yet. They are still up high. Good to see this much area set aside for the elk.

zohre nemati

We were here in July and we didn't see any elks. It turns out the elks migrate to cooler places in April and come back in winter. We had a chance to visit Miller house which was nice. Milers were the first one who sold their land to the government for the Elk refuge.

Steve Law

It was a fun and learning experience.

Kim Mohr

Very informative tour guide

Patrick George

The beauty was humbling.

Javier V R.Ponce

It's a beautiful view, sadly these days it's closed

Lindi Kopecko

Amazing sleigh ride into elk herd. Great guides. Definitely recommend

Teton BCH

The Elk Refuge is a better trip in the winter as you can take the Sleigh Ride and get really close to the elk to get good pictures. In the summer, you only see the grass being watered as the Elk gave moved up high to stay out of the heat.

Cristina King

Great close experience with Elks. Lots of info given by the tour guy. Loved the kids activity in which my son got a bingo card and he had to cross out the pic of the animal or thing that he saw during the tour. Surely made fun and challenging the tour for him. Highly recommended.

Phil Leichtweis

Established in 1912 this elk refuge covers over 25,000 acres and offers a safe haven for approximately 20,000 elk. This huge refuge is easily accessed from the town of Jackson on the towns south east side. The short drive has plenty of accessible areas to pull off and view the elk. During the winter months a horse drawn sleigh ride is available for those who want an up close look at the elk. Also on the elk refuge is a Waterfowl Habitat which is also easily viewed from the road.

Wh Ba

Beautiful weather and amazing to be that close to wildlife, listening them talk to each other. Helpful and knowledgeable guides! Highly recommend

Korinne Rasmussen

This is a experience of a lifetime do it! Don't pass it by.

Tami Johnson White

Great place to bird watch too.

Jordan Taylor

Beautiful elk, great guide, wonderful trip!

Tom Kelly

What a wonderful endeavor, majestic animals!

Tim Chan

Beautiful drive. Highly recommend you bring a 4X4 vehicle to enter parts of the reserve. We came in the middle of June and just about all of the elk have left. Watch out for the prairie dogs!

Sylwia Vaclavek

Fantastic place, lots of wildlife. Tucked in on the side of Jackson Hole town, many ppl dont know about it

Ahmedullah Aziz

Breathtaking! Outstanding experience.

Ebin Barnett

Amazing sleigh ride because of the elk, they provide blankets but you will STILL be cold! Dress warm and dont expect a lot of traveling in the sleigh. 80% of the time you are sitting still learning about the elk and the refuge from the guide. Dress warm, did I mention that?

Paula Johnson

Some Elk seen but not many!

john doran

Somewhat nice in a way but not as well. But the Elk"Wow .

tom wuthrich

Goats and Big Horn sheep just off the road...

Hans-Viktor P

It was great to take a sleigh ride and get up close to the elk.

Allison Plummer

Fun and interesting tour of the elk refuge. It was cold, but blankets kept us warm. Our guide was knowledgeable.

Michael Leegstra

Get out here and see this! Pictures will never do. The outdoors never seemed so crisp. There are endless sights to be seen. And of course Elk

stephanie secor

A must-see when visiting Jackson. You can enter the Preserve and drive along the edge for free. There you will see bighorn sheep along the side of the road, as well as the elk from a distance. For an up-close-and-personal view of the elk, take the sleigh ride (on wheels when the snow cover is low) through the Preserve. Pick-up is at the Jackson Hole and Yellowstone Visitor’s Center. A shuttle bus takes you on a short ride to the Preserve entrance, where you are met by staff who hand you blankets and load you onto a sleigh/wagon drawn by beautiful draft horses (ours were Percherons, and they were gorgeous and huge!). The ride takes you out into the Preserve with a knowledgeable guide who explains all about the elks’ life stages, migration patterns, behavior, etc. It lasts about an hour, and you get very close to the herds. Cost is $15 for adults. Call for reservations. Insider tips: Go in the mid to late afternoon when the elk are active, and you will see lots of males “sparring” for fun. Earlier in the day, they tend to hunker down. Also, be sure to dress warm (hat, gloves, scarves and layers) because it gets really cold out in the wind on the Preserve.

Jeff Bernhard

Well kept refugee with elk and eagles

R Scott Weaver

A place of majestic beauty both in the landscape and the wildlife present! We saw lots of bison, elk, mountain bluebirds and pronghorn during our travels through the refuge in the shadow of the Tetons. Tremendous!

Tom Jackson

All the Elk had left. Just saw big horned sheep.

Melisa Robinson

We had an amazing time. Our hostess was very knowledgeable, nice and fun. The information center was fun and educational as well. They had multiple live, wild birds on display including an owl and a bald eagle. Soo fun for all ages!

Cheryl Kaufman

No Elk here in the 4 days we were here. My favorite understanding is that they flock here in the winter when there are more elk in this area. In the summer most of the elk hang out in Yellowstone.

Alex Wilson

Incredible. A must fo stop in Jackson

Clyde Miller

It is simply a magnificent place!

Karen

The Elk refuge is a large flat basin. We did not see one Elk there during our 2 week stay in Jackson. There are a few houses and a ranch. There are hills and woods and a campsite.

Scott Hendrix

Lovely place to visit

Andrew Latrelle

The town of Jackson hole is pretty sweet, very touristy and fun feel to it. The elk were great but it was a pricey experience for what you get on the ride (we spent $220 for a group of 9 of us, roughly a 45 minute experience and they make you show up and wait for about 1 hr for your number to be called). We were told that typically there are a couple thousand elk but on our trip there were only about 20. Additionally, the sleigh ride is more of a glorified trailer pulled by horses, which is fine but it was insanely cold (-6 farenheit) so just make sure you dress warm! The guide was knowledgeable but extremely hard to hear from the back of the sleigh (only about 5 feet away), so sit in the front if you want to hear anything at all. They do have padded seats and blankets in the sleigh as well so don't worry about bringing extras.

Cody Bateman

Tremendous place to view Wyoming's wildlife.

John Seymour

Must see - very educational and fun

Jennifer Law

This is an amazing experience for anyone that comes out here. I highly recommend this at such a reasonable price. You can get tickets at the visitor's center. The tour guide was friendly and knowledgeable. We were encouraged to ask as many questions as we wanted. It was a fun experience. The horses were also amazing.

David King

Keep your eyes open for wildlife and drive safe/slow

Sherry Mulford

One of most wonerful places on earth. Nice to be away from city and enjoy mother nature. An Elk ran up & stopped just off side of the road. Shocking and thrilling to see this handsome animal up close. Just WOW.

Tim Brooks

This is a great place to walk your dog on leash. the best part about this road is that it is maintained well throughout the winter which is nice for getting out and doing a long run a jog I'm just a walk together because the road is pretty well ice-free.

Forest Barber

Awesome. Must go see

J

The tour guidea are what make this place amazing!Come with a list of questions they will have the answers.

Beth Phipps

Wonderful afternoon on the back side of Miller's Butte viewing the big horn sheep! Drive pass the hospital and take a left at the dead end. You'll be glad you did!

Rob Call

This was a good time for my family. I brought 4 kids ages 11 down to 3. I was worried about the 3 year old but the sleigh ride put him to sleep. My kids still talk about it everyday and it's been about a month since we went.

DP Alesna

A"WONDERFUL" way to celebrate our 45th Wedding Anniversary. The spiritual experience being amongst these magnificent animals, the Elk. Definitely a family outing for all ages.

Melanie Eldridge

A beautiful place to camp! Amazing views of the Tetons. Magical! I'll definitely be back. Would have stayed longer, but there are employees of Jackson that need the area to camp while they are working in town. At least that's what the ranger told me. Sad they don't have enough affordable housing for seasonal workers, but I guess that's seems to be the direction most similar towns are going. Hope it changes. The visitor center was lovely.

Cooper Cowart

Very informative sleigh driver, lots of fun, and if you visit jackson hole its something you should do at least one time.

Bill Tosney

Scenery is beyond amazing. Fishing is good too. The Grand Tetons in the background are a photographer's dream.

Sarah S

You are spending $25 a person for about an hour worth of activity. With that said I think it is worth it. This was probably a once in a life time trip so we did a lot of the things we wanted. This was one of them. The guide encouraged all of us to ask questions and we learned so much about the town and elks. It was amazing how they wouldn’t run off or really seem to be bothered by us. A reminder it is really cold there. When we went on the ride I believe it was still below zero. They have blankets on the sleigh but even with those it was very cold so come prepared and bundled up! Also remember that the poor guides are out in that weather all day. I know our guide had just finished a ride and had another as soon as we finished. There was a sign mentioning a tip and we did give one. This is just something to think about since we did not know about this ahead of time. Great experience and absolutely loved it!!

Larry Isaac

Biked into the refuge from Jackson Hole. Beautiful and peaceful. Go in past the first butte, and get another awesome view of the Tetons.

Wing Ka Lam

saw elk even when we were travelling at noon under the scorching sun

Kelly Franich

Definitely a place to visit, beautiful scenery nice drive to take. Also there's the Miller homestead, it's a historical thing, I recommend visiting the Miller house too.

Tristan Kolb

Fact: There's no elk here in the winter.

monica zurn

Didn't get to see Elk

Judy Brink

Beautiful vistas! No elk today, though.

Katheryn T

I wish we had been there in winter.

Elizabeth Shepard

This was a beautiful and serene sleigh ride into the elk refuge.

Russell Gill

Empty. Timing was not right.

Furiantl

Beautiful area with a view of the Tetons. Great place to view Deer, Elk, Antelope, and birds.

karson thompson

Really Fun! I think the elk were gone for the season but we saw over 20 mountain goats hopping along the cliff edges.

Daxton Valyear

Pretty awesome. Lots of elk to see

Ken and Alicia Lund

Beyond the elk you see there, it is a stunning area with 360 degree gorgeous views year round. Beautiful abundantly watered meadows surrounded by mountains.

Nick S

Gorgeous area, what more can I say? Do yourself a favor and look up the history of the National Elk Refuge and why it was created. Fascinating piece of history. My visit during late October was filled with various wildlife spotting and I have heard that there are sleigh rides available during the winter months that you can experience the elk up close.

Tyler Durden

Went the day after Christmas and enjoyed this time tested ride. Was good to be back and enjoy mother Nature. ($15) Be sure to drive the back side of the refuge and see the Bighorn Sheep licking the salt off the cars, its a *tip* from our guide Michael. Incredibly close up and wife took some great photos. Our guide was Michael and with proper clothing and blankets you will be warm enough. Recommend if you like nature when your in the area. Video of the (barely) sparring Elk on the YouTube Channel. Thanks for reading.

James Boone

Beautiful ride, knowledgeable sleigh drivers and great up close views of Elk. Highly recommend, especially for visitors that may have never seen elk and can't grasp the size of an elk or the size of an elk herd.

Chad Wertz

The sleigh ride is a very imformative and relaxing ride. They took us right up next to a big herd of elk which was awesome!

Austin Wolf

Great place to spot elk!

Rebecca s

Ha! This was the best!!! So educational

Jeff Lawi

Be sure to stop by the Miller House - highly educational! No elk in summer but thousands during winter.

Jay Bean

We had such a fun weekend with family and this is one of the many places we visited

Mathew Burnham

Lots of great History to learn here. The Sliegh ride was a lot of fun, and our tour guide was very informative and entertaining. Would recommend for anyone who has a free afternoon, and not to mention a great photography opportunity.

Isaac Larsen

Really cool place to go take a look at some beautiful animals you might not get to see everyday.

Diane Allegro

Great way to see the elk and support this effort to preserve them.

Kathy Baldwin

The views are awesome. Start working tomorrow with Historicorp as volunteers!

Fluffmom02 S

Really cool to get so close to the elk. Take multiple layers and goggles (esp for face and hands), it can be very windy out there in the open!!

Carlos Alemany

I went on a hiking tour & we trekked about 3 1/2 miles. Though I didn't see any big wildlife, the place is absolutely magical & has a ton of splendor. It was quiet although I hear it can get busy at times. Definitely alot of cars parked when we left at 3pm. It is worth your time to visit & commune with nature...