Elk Refuge - Jackson, WY

During the winter months, thousands of elk make their way to the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, WY. On the refuge, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service provides about 1/3 of the feed the elk need to get through the winter. During years with a lot of snow, as many as 12,000 elk come into the refuge. This year, there is very little snow, so there are only a couple thousand elk.

You can take a sleigh ride (or in the absence of snow, a wagon ride) right into the refuge to get an up close and personal view of the elk and other wildlife. Which brings me to the point of this post. We spent Christmas in Idaho with my family. On the Monday after Christmas, we drove to Jackson to take a wagon ride into the refuge. It was FREEZING, but we did our best to bundle up.


The mountain in the background is called Sleeping Indian Mountain.



While we were cruising through the refuge, two of the male elk started sparring, trying to impress the ladies.
We had a great time, and the scenery was gorgeous.