Some winter mornings in Jackson Hole stay with you forever. A horse-drawn sleigh gliding slowly through a herd of thousands of wintering elk, steam rising in the cold air, with the white, silent Teton Range rising above—this is one of them.

Each winter, up to 8,000 elk descend from the high country to gather on the National Elk Refuge, creating one of the largest wintering elk herds in North America. This 5–6 hour private safari combines the best of Grand Teton’s winter wildlife corridors with an iconic sleigh ride across the refuge—paired with a delicious warm lunch. It is one of the most complete, unforgettable winter experiences in Jackson Hole.

Your private naturalist guide picks you up from your Jackson Hole lodging and spends the morning working the valley’s key winter wildlife corridors — the willow flats and river bends of Grand Teton National Park, the open snowfields where coyotes hunt, the cottonwood lines where bald eagles perch, and the rocky buttresses where bighorn sheep winter above the valley floor.

Then comes the sleigh ride. A horse-drawn sleigh takes you out across the refuge and into the elk herd — thousands of animals against a backdrop of snow-covered peaks. Your sleigh driver narrates throughout, sharing the ecology, behavior, and extraordinary story of this refuge and its animals.