Spectacular Elk Migration - Grand Teton National Park

Moose, WY (36 degrees, blue skies, chilly)

During the early spring the thousands of elk who have wintered here in Jackson Hole leave the valley and head up into the mountains.  Many  of them travel over 65 miles  to Yellowstone National Park for the summer and fall.  

It's a spectacular sight watching hundreds of them move in single file across the sage meadows not far from our campground.  They are very shy and would stop and start suddenly if cars approached. We saw a long line of elk heading up to the  high country as far as we could see.

Which way do we go??

In the winter they come back down again and spend it at the National Elk Refuge (over 25,000 acres) in Jackson Hole during the cold and sometimes brutal winters. The refuge feeds them if necessary and the herd is managed by Fish and Wildlife. This program was started in 1912 and bison and big horn sheep also stay here.  

We visited the beautiful Jackson Hole and Greater Yellowstone Visitor Center in Jackson when we first arrived.  The Elk Refuge, Chamber of Commerce,  and one of the book stores we work for co-use this nice facility.  There are interesting displays telling you about the elk and the staff are very helpful. We picked up lots of brochures and phone book which come in handy when you are staying for an extended time.  Our friends from Ding Darling, Patsy and Bob, volunteer here and will be arriving in June.  They love volunteering here and this will be their fifth season.  

On the second floor there is a walk out area where you can see the beautiful valley surrounding the center. 

We saw a Canada Goose laying on her nest on the roof below.  

The male elk shed their massive horns in the winter.  The staff, volunteers, and Boy Scouts collect them and this weekend there will be a big auction selling the antlers at the ElkFest.  We are looking forward to attending. The Boy Scouts keep 25% of the profits for their programs and the remainder is used to care for the herd each wither.  

Here is a picture of an elk we saw this weekend.  Look carefully and you can see  he is working on a new set.

Being here in the early spring has some amazing benefits.