Lakota Wolf Preserve

Beautiful wolves! Hopefully there will be some pups next year! I went a week after a big snow storm and the shuttles were not running due to too much snow and ice. It wasn’t a long or strenuous hike, but I would recommend those going in the winter with elderly or limited mobility to call ahead to make sure the shuttles are running. The roads were indeed icy at times and I saw several people almost fall.

This is a great place. Chaperoned my daughters sixth grade trip here. The staff is so warm and welcoming. You have the option of taking the shuttle bus or a hike up to the wolves from the parking lot. We hiked up with the kids and it’s a semi-​hard way up. Takes about ten minutes. The wolves are beautiful. It’s super cool when the momma owner gets the wolves to howl for you.

Went to Lakota Wolf preserve for the first time. Learned quite a bit about the animals. We will absolutely be going again.

Went up here with two of my friends. When we made a reservation, we were informed that there was going to be a field trip full of 3^rd graders scheduled that day. It’s great that they were nice enough to let us decide if we wanted to still go or reschedule.
We decided to take the chance and it ended up working out just fine. (Seriously, these 3^rd graders were SAINTS. Perfectly quiet and well behaved, not trying to scare the animals at all. We were thoroughly impressed. Good job, chaperons!) The tour was largely catered towards the field trip kis, which was fine, since we were mostly up there to take some pictures and support a good cause.
The only drawback, as others have mentioned, is that they can be quite anal about the parking situation. Even in the off season, you have to get a permit and write down your plate number, etc. It’s really only a minor inconvenience though. Overall, the staff was very kind and they made us feel very welcomed there. The animals are very well cared for and seem happy.

What an absolutely amazing experience! I had promised my son for a long time that we’d go and it was worth the wait. I won’t, however, wait this long to go up again. The preserve is up in Columbia, NJ and isn’t easy to find, but when you do it’s absolutely awesome. This isn’t a zoo so if you come up to visit I suggest comfortable, loose clothing, hiking shoes/​sneakers, and bug spray because you are in the forest… not walking around paved sidewalks in the Bronx.
Jim and Becky have raised and care for all the animals on the preserve and have basically given their lives to making this a successful and safe place for the animals. The tour is approximately 90 minutes and you get to see and learn about (and howl with!!!) the different wolves on location as well as the foxes and bobcats. My son was so excited to be, quite literally, just a few feet from the wolves and to see how they interacted with each other and the tour guides. As an avid animal lover (no, I’m not a tree hugging crazy person) I love places like this where people can learn about and appreciate the animals in a semi-​natural environment (they do need fences) and where the animals can thrive even if they can’t reproduce — they are required to keep their wolf population at no more than a certain number.
After visiting the preserve I logged into their Facebook site (see below) and was amazed at the amount of work and time and money and most of all love that Jim and Becky pour into the preserve and the animals in their care. I can’t wait to go back next summer with the rest of the family. There are also lots of places located near the preserve if you want to grab a bite to eat before or after your adventure. If you love animals — take a drive up to the Lakota Preserve… you won’t be disappointed.
I stole the following from another Unilocaler — because it all fit and I didn’t feel like re-​writing…
TIPS:
**Read their entire website about visitor information — it’s helpful and thorough and tells you when they’re open/​closed etc. Don’t rely on other sources & call to be safe. It is ESPECIALLY important now as one of the owners is going through some medical issues and weekday tours are limited sometimes.
**You have to park in the camp parking lot and then go to the office and buy a ticket/​parking pass for your vehicle.
**There is a bus that will take you from the parking lot to the wolf area but if the weather is nice and you have proper footwear on, I recommend you walk. It’s a beautiful area — we walked there and back. The terrain is a little rough/​rocky so bear that in mind.
**Bugspray can be helpful here
**Visit the giftshop, a lot of neat stuff.

Visiting Lakota Wolf Preserve was a real treat. I brought my tween and teen nieces/​animal lovers and they loved it. One of the owners, Jim, led our tour and he was knowledgeable, entertaining and kind. I was truly, deeply moved by the dedication and humility he and his wife bring to this very special place and mission. I left better educated and thrilled. This is a delightful North Jersey trip not far from the Delaware Water Gap and other delights. Don’t miss it. Very special.
Tips: Take the shuttle up and then enjoy the .6 mile down hill stroll back to the main entrance. These are woods so be sure you’re covered in Cutter’s if visiting during the spring and summer months!

As man has hunted the wolf in this country, and on the planet to near extinction, it is refreshing to see a group of people care so much for a species. The wolf has been feared and reviled throughout history due to its competitiveness with man for food. We stayed a few days this week at the campground below the wolf preserve and visited the preserve during the week and the owner was more than informative, he cares and loves the animals in his charge. As one poster TZ tried to say that these people turn a profit from the wolves, he or she is a fool. The cost of insurance alone keeping a predator like a wolf in that state has to be ridiculous not alone the food the veterinary care and what not it’s a 24 hour a day job to care for those animals. If not kept in a preserve they would be gone from this country completely obliterated years ago just like the Bison almost disappeared from our nation. I would like to see anyone devote their entire being, their entire life to something such as that, few people have the fortitude to do so. Another uneducated person called it a zoo, so did you expect the wolves to tap dance and put on a show for you. If the wolves weren’t called to the fence with treats for all the visitors to get an up close and personal view of them we would get posters saying that «Oh I didn’t even get to see the wolves I got to see glimpses of them through the leaves», you can’t please everyone. So kudos to the owners they’re doing a fantastic job with these wonderful animals.

This place was really cool. For $ 16 you get to meet a husband and wife that have dedicated their lives to different breeds of wolves that were all super well behaved. All the wolves have been spayed and neutered. It’s not about increasing the population, but it’s also not about breeding for profit. These wolves will never be released. It’s essentially 2 people who have pet wolves and raise awareness about them by letting people come see them.
There was also 2 fox and 3 bobcats we saw. I wish the show started with the bobcats and fox to build the anticipation to see the wolves, but either way it was cool to see.
It was super hot the day we went, and they had shuttles taking us from the parking lot to the wolves. The owners drove and were friendly and happy to answer questions.

What a special experience! The owners are knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and generous with their information. The wolves, foxes, and bobcats are just amazing! If you’re a lover of animals, I highly recommend this tour.
A couple notes. We came from NYC, and found plenty of other great attractions [this area is rich in hiking, breweries, good food, and there’s a jazz inn over the border in Delaware Water Gap].
We showed up about 45 minutes early, hiked up, instead of taking the shuttle bus, and the wolves where their in their enclosure, greeting us. Lucked into an extra half hour to marvel at their utter beauty.
We’re planning on coming back in the summer, when all the the wolves and foxes have shed their coats.

I took advice from other Unilocalers to get there early however, I wouldn’t be more than a half hour early because the lady from the campground told us to leave and come back (we were an hour early). We decided to take a quick look through the gift shop before leaving and she yelled through the store about who’s car was parked out there without a tag. I said it’s ours and that she told us to leave but we wanted to browse the store first (we ended ip buying a $ 20 item so she could’ve been a little more pleasant). She really rubbed us the wrong way so we did leave and didn’t do the wolf tour. Keep reading…
We did however go back the next day and as we pulled in were greeted by Jim & Becky and they were great! They were so kind, informative and had great personalities! I purchased a fundraiser sweatshirt online cause my husband has always loved wolves. This is great for people of all ages!

so despite the Unilocal raves, i had pretty low expectations for this wolf preserve.
silly me.
read the reviews from Leo O. and Mike R. before you go– great advice, and accurate about what to expect. some of my personal tips:
— the half-​mile walk from the parking area to the wolf preserve is a bit steep, but definitely manageable. make sure you leave youself enough time if you want to make the ‘hike’, otherwise you’ll have to take the shuttle bus up. you have the option of taking either the shuttle or walking back afterward.
— there will most likely be a large group of people if you go on a weekend. for some reason, i didn’t think there would be as many. there were probably 40 people or so at 4pm on a gorgeous Saturday.
— wear sneakers or comfy shoes (no heels, wedges, flip flops). you’ll be walking on rocky areas and will be standing for the duration of the tour/​info session, which is approximately 90 minutes.
— wear bug spray. and sunscreen if it’s a sunny day.
— get excited for the foxes. they’re super adorbs. as are the bobcats. the tour spends about half the time on the wolves, and half on the bobcats/​foxes, so be ready for that.
— go to the bathroom in the shop where you buy your tix (which, btw, are $ 15/​pp plus tax– cash only). there aren’t any potty options in the wolf preserve area.
— have fun. take some pics. don’t expect to pet the wolves or anything crazy like that. be ready to learn a little bit about our local wildlife. don’t get eaten by bears that enjoy the habitat surrounding the delaware water gap area. (on that note… if you have very young children, or even older children with short attention spans, you may not want to bring them. the talking part, while interesting, is long and might be too much for some… and there are minimal distractions other than look/​listen.
— just go. the wolves howl. the bobcats are pretty. the foxes are sly. you’ll find out what they say (you know you wanna). it’s cute.

Excellent tour and well worth the money. The two owners obviously care very much for all of their animals. They are very knowledgeable and very patient with questions (from adults and even young children).
Make sure if you go during the week to call first and make a reservation. Be patient for a call back. For us if was a couple of hours, so plan at least a day in advance.
Small children will not enjoy this tour. We went with our three kids (3,6,9). They were great while we were moving from wolf pen to wolf pen but lost interest at the foxes, where we stood for quite a while.
If you are older or handicapped you may have issues getting around. The path is very rocky and uneven and you need to either walk the nature path uphill or get on the shuttle to get to the wolves. Bathrooms are only at the entrance of the camp.

We find this place by Unilocal during our small getaway 4 days trip, we wish or maybe expecting see more of what we saw. But respect the owner care so much of their animal and they (those puppy acting wolf) looks like very happy. But it was just «one time deal», not sure if we will recommend to any other friend or family. My son and his brother got bored after 10 mins. The whole tour is about 30 – 40 mins, if u take their bus to the Zoo

Came here during the summer with a group of 4. It was very easy to drive here. There is one section with a steep incline and I hope there’s another way to get here during winter because I definitely want to come back.
The preserve is actually on the same land as the campground/​park. Because of that, part of your admission (I think $ 5) goes to the park and the rest goes to the preserve. I think that’s worth it considering it’s only $ 15. Another place in Jersey that allows you to see wolf hybrids is called Howling Woods Farm and they charge more ($ 20), and that’s pure profit for them. You can either walk up to the preserve or take the free bus that they operate. The walk is very easy and takes no more than 15 min.
The preserve is heavily double fenced and they have security cameras around the premise. They have 4 areas for wolves, 1 area for the bobcats and foxes, and they are creating a new area just for the foxes in the near future.
All these wolves are HUGE! They definitely do not look like your average husky. The owners give a very educational tour and extremely patient with everyone and answering all their questions. Even though the website says not to bring dog treats, they do give them some form of dog treats =P
Towards the end of the wolf section part of the tour, they get the wolves to howl for you. It’s really amazing! It’s very difficult to take photos here because of the double fencing but every now and then, you can get a shot through one of their «windows». I assume these windows are made for when people actually pay for the photography session here. I think they just flip the wired panel up and then you can shoot through it without any obstruction. I think the price for the session is quite steep. I wish it would be a little cheaper because I might actually pay for it to come back here during the winter time when there’s snow.
The bobcat and fox section is very informative but because you don’t get to move around, it becomes a very long lecture. The experience would be more enjoyable if all of us weren’t just either sitting or standing. It was also very hard to see the animals because of the fencing and sun. If somehow they could re-​design that area, it could be more enjoyable.
I like how they don’t rush you or say things like «your time is up».
They feed their animals roadkill which is a great way to save on money and it feels like they really go out of their way to care for these animals.
I would definitely come here again and highly recommend this place for the educational experience and potential photographic opportunities. Unfortunately you don’t get to pet the wolves but that’s understandable.
*Cash/​check only*
This place is much better than Howling Farms. You can refer to my review about them as to why.

What? New Jersey isn’t completely paved? That’s right folks, we got wildlife!
The preserve is actually on land leased from a campground. When you arrive, you buy a pass (check or cash) to visit. You’ll need to remember your license plate so jot that down before you go to the main building.
You may then walk or take the van the ½ mile or so to the wolves and other critters. You’ll then enjoy about an hour of enlightening, fun guide-​talk and with any luck, get to hear the wolves howl on command.
The Lakota Wolf Preserve is a 501c (3) (non-​profit) and accepts donations — financial or otherwise. A very-​generous school teacher recently bought them a generator and more from their Amazon wish list — yay, Tara H ! ! !
A visit here is a great field trip for adults, families, etc.
Highly recommended.

Had a great experience here today!
The tour was 1 ½ hours. Wear appropriate sneakers/​boots if you plan on hiking up to the preserve (it’s .6 of a mile, but can be muddy).
The owner, Jim, was knowledgeable and entertaining. Well worth the trip!
FYI — They accept cash or checks only.

I had no idea what to expect, except to see wolves. The visit to this preserve was amazing. There was a lot of information provided, other unique animals (bobcats and foxes) and any/​all questions answered.
What a great day.

I want to give this place all the stars in the universe… but I will settle for all the stars on Unilocal.
Brought my parents here since it seemed like a great family activity. And it is — it’s perfect for kids, adults, seniors, just about anyone. I can see this being an awesome day date thing as well. The grounds (Camp Taylor) are beautiful and so serene.
At the time of my visit, the preserve had 19 wolves, 2 foxes and 3 bobcats. You will view them behind 2 rows of fencing (for obvious reasons, can’t have people sticking their fingers in) but they will come extremely close to the fence since the tour guide gives them treats. It’s all set up very well. The tour is extremely interesting — Jim did an amazing job! He told us general info about wolves including various facts about their habits in the wild, social structure and endangered status. He also talked about their specific wolves — where they are from, how they are fed, their habits, etc etc. Oh and hearing them howl was fantastic… I’d imagine they are trained to howl for the visitors.
If you are there on a regular tour, you can’t really get good photos because of the fencing. With a little patience, you can sort of «focus out» the fencing in some spots. You need a long lens (I used 75−300mm) and shoot from the furthest distance possible w/​a full zoom. In some of the shots, I managed to focus on the wolf only and omit the fencing in the foreground. Manual focus is helpful here. I also missed the start of the bobcat tour because of this ^.^ They do offer photography tours here (info/​pricing on their site) because the fences have little windows that open specifically for this. We were told that it’s nearly impossible to get photos of wolves in the wild because they are so afraid of humans so this is a great option for authentic looking wolf shots.
The bobcat & fox tour is really cool as well. Becky also did a phenomenal and fun– fact-​filled job explaining everything. I learned a lot about both animals. The foxes are really brilliant — it’s astounding. And they are adorable, jumping around, one even jumped in her arms to eat out of the bowl.
This is seriously one of my favorite experiences. The tour guides/​owners were awesome — engaging and insightful. The animals are beautiful and right in front of you. It’s stimulating on so many levels. Kudos to the owners for the hard work they do to keep these animals happy and safe. You can tell how much they love and care — they even pick up roadkill as snacks for their furry friends :)
TIPS:
**Read their entire website about visitor information — it’s helpful and thorough and tells you when they’re open/​closed etc. Don’t rely on other sources & call to be safe
**You have to park in the camp parking lot and then go to the office and buy a ticket/​parking pass for your vehicle.
**There is a bus that will take you from the parking lot to the wolf area but if the weather is nice and you have proper footwear on, I recommend you walk. It’s a beautiful area — we walked there and back. The terrain is a little rough/​rocky so bear that in mind.
**Even though I went in October, still noticed some annoying bugs — bugspray can be helpful here
**Visit the giftshop, a lot of neat stuff.
**Pick up a brochure/​coupon for Hollow Brook Winery (5 min drive) on the door of the office. Then after the wolf watch, head to the winery for the comp wine tasting.

When I first heard about this place, I was skeptical. Finally one trip out to the Delaware Water Gap my boyfriend and I decided to check it out. And I am so happy we did! THIS PLACE IS AWESOME.
They have tours two times a day, one morning and one afternoon. You definitely need to arrive early to register your car in the parking lot and get a ticket. You can either take a nature walk about a 0.6 mile walk up the hill or take a little shuttle bus driven by the owner. There are several different types of wolves and they are divided into four packs. The owners are very knowledgeable about wolves and make the tour informational and fun. They even made the wolves howl when I was there! In addition to the wolves you get to see their foxes and bobcats, and learn about them as well. It is so amazing to see these wild animals up close, even though there are two fences in between. The whole tour takes about an hour and a half.
I highly recommend tours of the Lakota Wolf Preserve to all of my friends and family. It is well worth the admission price! You have the opportunity to take a lot of great pictures and videos so bring your cameras!

The animals look really happy here, and just as excited to see us (well more like get treats) as we were to see them. This is a big deal. The owners Becky and Jim did an amazing job here.
Learned so much about wolves and foxes and bobcats — felt like I reverted back to that little girl reading national geographic. And the animals are so beautiful… wish we could pet them!
Its a nice wooded area too, natural and secluded. Worth the hour long drive.