JACKSON HOLE, WYO – The Grand Teton Association, in conjunction with the National Elk Refuge, has selected Double H Bar, Inc. to continue providing interpretive horse-drawn sleigh rides on the National Elk Refuge. The announcement was made today and Double H Bar co-owner Chris Warburton could not have been more pleased.
“We are excited to continue the relationship with the GTA and the Refuge, and sharing our knowledge with the general public,” Warburton said. “The educational component is something we take a lot of pride in. From beginning of a sleigh ride to the end we share fact-based information about the Fish and Wildlife Service and Elk Refuge, and what they do. We talk about elk and all the other wildlife we encounter on our rides.”
Double H Bar is the same outfit that owns and operates the Bar T 5 Covered Wagon Cookout up Cache Creek. The family-run operation owns 20 teams used to pull wagons and sleighs for the chuckwagon and winter refuge rides.
Double H Bar previously held the contract from May 2007 through April 2017. The contract is valid for five years, with a renewal period of five additional years depending upon performance. An open bidding process was launched on May 15 with applications accepted through June 29. Double H again rose to the top of the pile and was selected to run the sleigh rides through 2022.
“We’re pleased to continue our working relationship with the owners and operators of Double H Bar,” said Refuge manager Brian Glaspell. “They have a professional operation and have clearly demonstrated an outstanding commitment to educational programming.”
Horse-drawn sleigh rides on the National Elk Refuge are a popular winter program offering a unique way to observe and photograph wildlife up close on the Refuge. In addition to elk, passengers routinely see coyotes, bald eagles, trumpeter swans, ravens, and other wildlife. The educational program attracts up to 30,000 people, annually. The sleigh ride season runs from mid-December through early April.
