The National Elk Refuge occupies 10,000 hectares immediately east of the town of Jackson, and in winter it hosts one of the most spectacular wildlife spectacles in the American West: a herd of up to 7,500 elk that winters in the valley before migrating to summer range in the Yellowstone ecosystem. The US Fish and Wildlife Service runs horse-drawn sleigh rides through the herd from late December through March — you pass within metres of hundreds of elk in the snow-covered meadows.
In summer, the refuge is open for hiking and wildlife watching. Pronghorn, coyotes, bald eagles, and trumpeter swans are regulars. The refuge visitor centre on Broadway Street in Jackson has displays on the elk migration and the broader Jackson Hole ecosystem. The famous elk antler arches on Jackson's town square are made from antlers shed naturally by the refuge herd and collected by local Boy Scouts — a tradition going back to 1963.