We went for a second time! It was just as much fun as the first. We enjoyed the wolves, and being among them in such a magical way. The hosts were as knowledgeable as ever and the kids enjoyed themselves. We went with a group, and it was considerably more people then when we just went with a tour of strangers. Still, the place was large enough to accommodate everyone.
Here are a few photos of our most recent visit:
From our May 2017 visit
I have been meaning to visit this place for years. Over the years, friends said many wonderful things about it, and have longed to visit it. However, it is far from where I live, and even though I visit that area relatively often, it is usually on Mondays, just the one day a week that Lakota Wolf Preserve is closed to visitors.
When the chance came up to stop by there in the morning I jumped right on it. I was determined to make it there and am so happy that we did. We got to see how wonderfully magical it is.
The tours are from Tuesday to Sunday, one is at 10:30 am and the second one is at 4 pm. You have to come 30 minutes prior to register, and the weekday tours require a prior reservation (which was easy to do). The tour cost is affordable (as of 2017 it was $15.00 for adults, and $7.00 for kids under 11).
When you go to the Lakota Wolf Preserve Website, you see that it is recommended you see the wolves from fall to spring, and that in the summertime they shed a lot of fur. We visited in mid-May. The weather was just perfect, not too hot, as a matter of fact the spring this year was rather cool. The wolves looked fantastic, and it was cool enough to enjoy the outdoors.
When we first got there, there is a little office, gift shop and bathroom building, with a lovely front lawn. After I had signed up, the kids explored the shop, and then just hung out in the front waiting for a shuttle. There was plenty around to entertain them for a bit.
I am not a zoo person, and this most definitely is not a zoo. The wolves have plenty of natural ground to live and play in, and are much loved. They look healthy and very happy!
Once the shuttle came, and drove us about a mile up hill, we were at the preserve.
At first we got to listen and learn about the wolves. There is so much to know, and it is amazing! I can’t imagine getting this sort of experience anywhere else. We also got to learn about the two bobcats and foxes that reside on the premises. The foxes were so much fun to watch. They are just like you would imagine a fox to be from stories or cartoons. Running around with their egg and hiding it in different spots.
After the tour was over, we chose to hike back down a beautiful hiking trail, and head out.
The kids and I were so impressed with the deep knowledge and understanding that the owners of the preserve have, and that they are willing to share and educate us about these amazing animals. We walked away knowing more than we had ever imagined there was to know about wolves, foxes and bobcats.
The preserve also offers photography tours, and even though they are expensive, one day I would like to do one. First, you will not be able to see wolves like this in their natural habitat anywhere else, and second, I want to support these folks and what they do.
I highly recommend a visit there, with kids or without. We enjoyed our visit to Lakota Wolf Preserve tremendously. The kids were very impressed, and it turned out to be their favorite part of our little weekend getaway.