Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Wildlife Visitor Center

Updated: January 30, 2026

Founded in 1984 and still headquartered in Missoula, Montana, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to ensuring the future of elk, other wildlife, their habitat, and our hunting heritage. Over its first 40 years, the Elk Foundation and its partners have permanently protected or enhanced more than 9 million acres of wildlife habitat across the United States, a land area more than three times as large as Yellowstone National Park. Since its founding, RMEF?supported projects have also opened or improved public access to hundreds of thousands of acres for hunting, fishing, and other outdoor recreation, including about 78,000 acres in 2023 alone and nearly 22,000 acres in 2024, with new access projects continuing into 2025 and 2026. The Elk Foundation now works through hundreds of local chapters and thousands of volunteers nationwide; membership is promoted through several levels (Team Elk, Sportsman, Heritage, and Life Memberships), with a combined membership and supporter base that numbers in the hundreds of thousands.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Elk Country Visitor Center is proud to be one of the Northwest?s key conservation education facilities. The Elk Country Visitor Center features hands?on conservation and hunting?heritage exhibits for all ages, though core exhibit areas are currently undergoing a ?restoration? upgrade to create new, modern displays about elk, elk country, and conservation. Our exhibits invite you to learn more about elk, elk country, and the role the Elk Foundation plays in conservation. Discover the diverse wildlife that calls elk country home, explore the role we all play in conserving habitat, and connect with the rich heritage that makes the outdoors so important to so many of us. Along the way, you may hear elk bugle in exhibit soundscapes, test your knowledge of wildlife, identify animal tracks, feel the weight of an elk antler, enjoy wildlife conservation films, and more, depending on which exhibit areas are open during the current renovation phase.

The Center also includes a Lewis and Clark display, an impressive collection of world?class elk mounts, a western wildlife diorama, and a conservation theater used for films and special programs, with layouts being updated as part of the ongoing exhibit refresh. Shoppers will also enjoy the Elk Country gift shop full of wildlife art, RMEF gear, and many outdoor? and Montana?themed creations, with proceeds helping support RMEF?s conservation mission. The public is welcome and admission to the Visitor Center and its nature trails remains free, though hours and access to certain exhibits can vary during construction, so visitors are encouraged to check RMEF?s website for current hours and updates.

Stretch your legs and enjoy the beautiful, wooded nature trail that winds its way around the Elk Foundation?s roughly 22?acre property on the edge of Missoula. Watch for white?tailed deer, turkeys, bald eagles, owls, trout in the nearby stream, and other wildlife that frequent the area while you walk, learn, and experience elk country up close.

Updated: January 30, 2026