National Elk Refuge Sleigh Rides Overview
National elk refuge sleigh rides offer a rare chance to glide through the winter range of thousands of migrating elk, just minutes from Jackson. Horse-drawn sleighs carry visitors across the snowy refuge, where herds gather each winter under the Teton Range. This national elk refuge sleigh rides tour provides close encounters with wildlife in their protected habitat, guided by knowledgeable refuge staff.
Each winter, up to 7,500 elk descend from the surrounding mountains to the 24,700-acre feeding grounds below the Teton Range, creating North America's largest concentration of wintering elk.
Established in 1912 after severe winters decimated local herds, the National Elk Refuge represents one of the earliest federal wildlife conservation efforts in the United States. The refuge's supplemental feeding program, initiated to prevent starvation and reduce conflicts with ranchers, transformed Jackson Hole into a destination where visitors could witness a natural phenomenon that once stretched across the entire Intermountain West.
Horse-drawn sleigh rides across the refuge have operated since 1965, offering the only permitted close-range access to the elk herd during their November-to-April residency. The concession, managed by the Double H Bar, runs a fleet of large sleighs that carry visitors within yards of the animals. Unlike summer observation, when elk scatter across alpine meadows, winter concentrates the herd into visible clusters along the willows and sagebrush flats. Adult bulls carry antlers that span five feet; cows and calves huddle in maternal groups. The sleighs follow designated routes that minimize disturbance, allowing the animals to continue feeding on alfalfa pellets distributed by refuge staff.
The refuge sits at the southern edge of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, bordered by the National Elk Refuge Visitor Center on Cache Street in Jackson. Beyond elk, the winter range shelters bison, bighorn sheep, coyotes, and over 175 bird species. Bald eagles and rough-legged hawks circle above, drawn by carrion and small mammals. The landscape itself—flat bottomland hemmed by the abrupt rise of the Gros Ventre Range to the east and the Tetons to the west—offers unobstructed views that stretch for miles. Morning light catches the frost on the elk's coats; afternoon sun turns the mountains pink. National Elk Refuge sleigh rides tickets grant access to a scene unchanged since the Pleistocene, preserved through deliberate federal intervention and regulated human presence.
8 hr
