Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation

I saw a collection of different elk heads and their descriptions in a room along with a video in regard to them as well as the Foundation. A part of the display in another section was closed due to some updates. A unique gift shop was in the same building having hunting items and clothing for sale. I would recommend a visit due to the large amount of taxidermy.

Exquisite visitor center and highly respected mission. Great gift shop as well. It would be great if the center was open on Saturdays as well. We are from Florida and two prior times when in the area unfortunately happened to be on a weekend when the visitor center is closed. So, this time we planned our Montana trip so we would be in town during a weekday just to visit the center. However, we were so disappointed today when we arrived to find a large portion of it closed for remodeling. We had visited the website prior to making the drive, but didn’t see any mention of the closure. However, after today’s visit we looked again and did find a small blurb that states it is being remodeled for the first time and will be open later in the summer. We hope to make it back one day to tour in its entirety.

One large room with a self guided tour. There's another area with record elk & deer mounts. And a nice gift shop. We spent close to an hour here. Everyone was friendly and the place is excellently maintained.

Really cool and informative, free entrance, gift shop, and cool taxidermy, worth a stop!

Beautiful place, with a really nice shop. Unfortunately, the exhibition is closed until late summer 25.

Amazingly wonderful place to learn about the local elk and their habit. It is free to get in and look around. There are great walking paths on the property that are also free to use. There is a small shop, but its only focus is on men with nothing for women or children. Prior to their remodel, the whole place was more family friendly in the activities as well as the shop.

Wonderful organization and a beautiful museum and grounds. The architecture of the building alone is something to see. It is one of the first places I take my friends and family who come to visit.

Diorama display was nicely done. Trophy wall display is amazing. We spent about 30 minutes here. Watched a short video on an elk study.

Great building with interesting and informative exhibits for the family. Good bathrooms and makes a great spot to bring visitors to get a better understanding of western montana. Plan on 30-45 min here, great place to stop!

If you want to learn about Elk, then this is the place to go. It's free. We stopped in here while on vacation and I really enjoyed our stop. Whether you're a hunter, conservationist, or just a nature and animal lover, you will likely appreciate the display and information here, as well as what RMEF has done for the elk population in North America. Since the Eastern elk are extinct, RMEF has helped to transplant Rocky Mountain Western elk to areas in the east, like Kentucky, where their populations have taken root and are growing. I love elk, and I especially love to hear them bugle. We just left Yellowstone and Grand Teton a few days prior, and I just loved seeing all the elk roaming the parks. You will see a lot of mounts here. They have some high scoring Boone and Crockett mounts, as well as some crazy non-typical ones. Most hunters are big conservationists and RMEF is made up of hunters. It seems a healthy elk population available to hunt is its main goal. They have been successful and are doing good work. Admittance is free here and, of course, you can donate while visiting. They have a small gift shop.

Wish it was opened but closed because of virus looks like an awesome place they do have a nice formation trail outside would be great for kids

Great beautiful place to visit!! The family had a blast learning about the variations of Elks! Thank you

Very impressive foundation and exhibit. I learned so much about Elk and migration. The map depicting the migrations of all the Elk herd in the greater Yellowstone area was most enlightening. I am not a hunter but definitely got to understand the value of herd management as people more and more encroach on their territories and remove natural predators. Definitely worth a stop.

THey was a fun little stop along the 90 in Missoula It was beautiful inside and had a wide variety of animals. Deborah was very knowledgeable and friendly! We loved her.

I am a fan of the foundation and had to talk my wife and kids into going. Once we were inside everyone was having fun. They have a number of displays where you can handle different antlers, skulls, and pelts. We ended up spending a lot in the gift shop, but it helps support a good cause.

We loved it here! Absolutely a must stop! Free! Reasonable priced souvenirs in the gift shop. We arrived just in time for some activities for kids. We did a laser bear shooting game and also got to shoot paint balls from sling shots. Really glad we stopped here. After a very disappointing stop at a not so great art museum this was much appreciated

Free to get in, donations accepted. We loved visiting and the lady working was so kind to my daughter. She brought out a hat and stickers for her and was full of enthusiasm. It was very interesting to learn about the wildlife and all of the conservation this foundation does. The gift shop was full of goodies and gear.

A great stopping point with my 8 & 9 year old boys. We loved learning about elk and other animals. We got to touch animal hide and antlers/horns. There was plenty of information about elk, conservation, hunting, etc.

First things first, I AM NOT A HUNTER. That being said, RMEF had plenty to teach me and plenty for me to learn. Still not a converted hunter but I certainly now have respect for how RMEF promotes the sport. I love that they are all about making sure the elk population is maintained or even increased. They are trying to bring back the elk population to areas where they have long since disappeared. Nice exhibits with easy understandable explanations.

We took our three kids (ages 6, 4 and 2) here and had the best time! It is free and has lots of fun little animal exhibits for the kids to look at and touch. The woman who was working today (wish I would have gotten her name!) was so wonderful to our girls, bringing them hats, stickers, scavenger hunt sheets and more. I would definitely recommend stopping here if you have young kids!!

This place had very good indoor exhibits with a couple of movies; some interactive exhibits; some reading material; and actual animal parts. In addition, there is about a 1/2 mile trail that has signs explaining various natural phenomena. We spent about 90 minutes here. One learns all about elk, what the eat, how they live, and where they live. There's even a map of all the states and where elk can be found.

We were on our way to Glacier and decided to stop in here to take a break. It was a great time passer, as the displays were quite impressive. We then decided to walk the trail on the premises, and were surprised to find a deer, woodpecker, and an owl! Plus, it was free admission with a cute shop. Definitely worth stopping by.

Great place to take the kiddos! Very impressive facility. My 2 year old now busts out a bugle when ever he hears the word ELK!

I should preface this review by disclosing that I was an intern in their legal department during law school, so take that for what you will. I am glad that this nonprofit makes its home in Missoula. The location near Grant Creek is nice for folks traveling through to stop in and look at the impressive taxidermy in the lobby. Some pretty amazing antlers from trophy animals, and a neat little gift shop to pick up souvenirs. There's also a small nature loop to walk on out back, though there are much more scenic places to get out and stretch the old legs. Bottom line: cool visitor center, worthy organization with an important mission. Somehow they manage to be pro-hunter and pro-conservation at the same time, which is a good fit for Missoula. I hope they stick around for a long time.

We stop here every time we visit family in Missoula. There is a nice exhibit that allows you to see many animals and touch a variety of furs, bones, etc... The film we watched in the theater covered reintroducing elk into Tennessee which was fascinating. There is a small gift shop and a nice walking path outside. Definitely gave my daughter a chance to run around and see some squirrels!

First and only visit was July 1996. Bought my husband a beautiful Ruana knife and sheath while visiting. Planning our travels next year and when in Montana will return.

They have a brief self guided tour area talking about Elk (naturally). They also have a fantastic gallery of taxidermy showing some truly spectacular elk harvested from various states. The gift shop is modestly sized and the staff is very friendly.

My husband loves to stare at the massive elk. The kids like learning about all the critters (there are many things other than elk here!). Admission is free and the RMEF is such a great organization to support if you enjoy the outdoors.