National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States in Jackson

The National Museum of Wildlife Art is an art museum overlooking the National Elk Refuge, north of central Jackson. The museum stands at 2820 Rungius Road, on a butte about 2.5 miles north of Jackson Town Square.

Founded in 1987, it first opened on Jackson’s Town Square as the Wildlife of the American West Art Museum. Congress designated it the “National Museum of Wildlife Art of the United States” in 2008. The current building opened in September 1994.

For a stop in town before or after the museum, Jackson Town Square’s landmarks and places to see offer a look at the heart of town.

The collection contains more than 5,000 cataloged items by over 550 artists, with works dating from 2500 B.C.E. to the present. Paintings, sculpture and works on paper are displayed across 14 galleries.

The building, made of Idaho quartzite, was designed by C.W. Fentress, J.H. Bradburn and Associates. Beyond the galleries, the museum includes a Museum Shop, Children’s Discovery Gallery and Library.

Outside, the three-quarters-of-a-mile Sculpture Trail passes more than 20 wildlife sculptures and looks out over the National Elk Refuge and Gros Ventre mountain range. Landscape architect Walter Hood designed the trail, which was completed in 2012.

The galleries and Museum Shop are open from November 1 through April 30, and from May 1 through October 31. The museum lists closures on New Year’s Day, Presidents’ Day, Independence Day, Veterans’ Day, Thanksgiving Day, the Friday after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Opening hours

• Tuesday to Sunday: 10 AM–5 PM
• Monday: closed

Last checked November 2026. Hours can change on holidays and for special events.

Admission is $18 for adults and $16 for seniors age 65 and over. The first child age 5–18 is $10, each additional child is $5, and children age 4 and under enter free.

Museum members and Museums West and American Association of Museums members also enter free; military and local discounts are available for tickets bought at the museum. You don’t need advance tickets: buy on arrival or online.

The main entrance has automatic doors for wheelchair access, and an elevator is to the right of the mezzanine. The Greene Pathways Gallery has a 3D tactile display of Robert Bateman’s Chief, designed for blind and low-vision visitors to explore through touch and sound.

The museum also lends three adult pairs and one child pair of EnChroma glasses to color-blind visitors, on a complimentary, first-come, first-served basis.

Check the official site before you go for current hours, admission and closure information.

The museum is about 2.5 miles north of Jackson Town Square, at 2820 Rungius Road. From Alpine Motel, it is about an eight-minute drive.

Palate Restaurant is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m.–2 p.m., from November 1 through April 30. From May 1 through October 31, it is open daily, 11 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Plan time for the galleries as well as the outdoor Sculpture Trail, which runs three-quarters of a mile and passes more than 20 works. The Children’s Discovery Gallery is open during regular museum hours and has an art studio, wildlife costumes, a life-sized diorama, puppet theater and reading nook.

Museum docent tours cover the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions and last about 45 minutes to one hour. The museum is also two miles from the gateway of Grand Teton National Park, and a guide to getting around Jackson can help with planning the trip between them.