🏛️ CulturalDay trip · from Jackson, WY

National Museum of Wildlife Art & National Elk Refuge

Jackson's two most important cultural destinations sit 3 miles apart on the National Elk Refuge road north of town. The National Museum of Wildlife Art is the most significant collection of wildlife-focused art in the United States — 14 galleries in a building designed to blend into the hillside above the refuge, holding 5,000 works including Carl Rungius's monumental Western wildlife paintings, Robert Bateman's contemporary wildlife realism, and the historic Western art of Charles Russell and Frederic Remington. The National Elk Refuge immediately below the museum shelters 6,000-7,000 elk from October through May in the largest elk winter range managed by the US Fish & Wildlife Service; horse-drawn sleigh rides through the herd operate from December through April. In summer the refuge is a wetland meadow with nesting waterfowl. The Jackson Town Square with its iconic antler arches and the Teton County Historical Museum complete the cultural day.

Day 1 — Jackson: National Museum of Wildlife Art (5,000 works, Carl Rungius collection), National Elk Refuge, Jackson Town Square
Day 1 — Jackson, WY

Day 1 — Jackson, WY

🚗 5 min driving📍 4 stops
🌅
Morning
National Museum of Wildlife Art
National Museum of Wildlife Art
★ 4.8
The most significant collection of wildlife-focused fine art in the United States — 5,000 works in 14 galleries housed in a building designed by Peter Murdoch to blend into the red sandstone hillside above the National Elk Refuge. The permanent collection includes Carl Rungius's monumental Western wildlife paintings (the founding collection, considered the finest wildlife painting in American art history), Robert Bateman's contemporary realism, historic Western art by Charles Russell and Frederic Remington, and a comprehensive collection of wildlife bronzes. The building's design integrates stone, steel, and glass into the hillside with south-facing views across the refuge and the Teton Range.
8:00 AM📍 See location
🍽️
Lunch
National Elk Refuge — Visitor Overlook
National Elk Refuge — Visitor Overlook
★ 4.7
A 25,000-acre federal wildlife refuge established in 1912 — the winter range for 6,000-7,500 elk that descend from Yellowstone and the surrounding mountains October through May. The refuge meadows below the museum are visible from the north boundary road; elk are present from October through April, with the peak herd concentration in December-March when horse-drawn sleigh rides through the herd operate daily. In summer the meadows support nesting trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes, and Canada geese.
9:00 AM📍 See location
☀️
Afternoon
Jackson Town Square — Antler Arches
Jackson Town Square — Antler Arches
★ 4.7
The center of Jackson — a shaded town square framed by four enormous arches made of naturally shed elk antlers collected annually from the National Elk Refuge. The square is surrounded by independent galleries, outfitters, restaurants, and Western-wear shops; the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar anchors the southwest corner. Jackson retains an authentic Western resort character built around ranching, hunting, and outdoor recreation rather than pure tourism simulation.
12:00 PM📍 See location
Teton County Historical Center
Teton County Historical Center
★ 4.8
A small but well-organized museum covering the human history of Jackson Hole — from the Shoshone and Bannock people who used the valley as a summer hunting ground through the fur trade era, homesteading, dude ranching, and the political battles over the creation of Grand Teton National Park (vigorously opposed by local ranchers through the 1940s). The museum's collections on the All-Girl Town Government of 1920 (Jackson elected the first all-female municipal government in US history) are particularly engaging.
1:00 PM📍 See location
🌙
Evening
🚗
Drive
Jackson Town Square → Jackson, WY
5 min5:00 PM → 5:05 PM
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