Wolf Haven International, Washington, United States

5washingtonvisit 5:00 PM Jul 5, 2007

Great Experience
We enjoyed the Wolf Haven a lot and recommend it highly. It is really something out of the ordinary. The tour consists of an easy, short walk on a circular path, about 45 minutes with a guide. Around the path are large separate wire enclosures with different kinds of wolves inside; each enclosure has a mated pair of wolves. These are wolves that have had human contact and cannot be released into the wild. There are other wolves and some pups at the haven which are not on the tour as they will eventually be released; this is a conservation as well as a tour site. The guide explains about the different wolves as the small tour group moves together. It is clear that the guide and others at the haven have the wolves' welfare in mind. As the guide reminded us, this is not a zoo. The tour group is asked to stay together and not gesture or call to the wolves. In short, we were to intrude as little as possible. Just as we were about to leave though, as if in response to our good behavior, the wolves started to howl to one another, the ones nearby in the enclosures as well as those in the distance. It lasted about 5 minutes and was truly an amazing experience. As for other, general information, there are special events at the Wolf Haven, a howling night for children on Saturdays among other things. Also, the wolves like to sleep and hide a bit if they have just been fed, so ask ahead of time if it is feeding day/time. The gift shop is very nice and has anything you might want in the way of wolf souvenirs. You pay for your tickets in the gift shop as well, $8 per person. One thing though, be sure you use the bathroom before coming here. When asked about bathrooms, the guide said there were only "honey buckets" in the sheds near the gift shop. Overall, Wolf Haven was really a great experience and we certainly have a new understanding and respect for wolves after having been there.

4AreWeHavingFunYet 5:00 PM Jul 23, 2011

Expensive, But Great For A Special Treat
We took our 6 1/2 and 3 1/2 year old grandsons to the Wolf Haven Howl-In, and we had an awesome time. There was a short tour of the wolf enclosure which lasted just long enough for their limited attention span. It was really great to see several wolves up close. There were activities for children such as rock painting, mask making, learning about wolves and owls. There were many very nice and knowledgeable volunteers. The facility is very understated. It looks like a natural, serene park, nothing fancy. The boys loved the trail through the prairie and famous Mima Mounds to a huge "Grandfather Tree". On this evening a Native American Chief was sitting under the tree's canopy telling stories. There was a food vendor, music, and a very nice gift store with everything 'wolf'. Since this was a special treat for our grandsons, we bought them each souvenirs to remember our adventure. The highlight of the event though was the howling contest by age. It was fun and entertaining, and it got the real wolves howling which was thrilling to hear. The Howl-Ins are expensive, but it goes towards a good cause. We paid $51 for entry, spent about $25 in the gift shop, and about $20 for food. There was also some camping available and it looked like you can bring in your own picnic. We were very lucky that it was a beautiful warm evening. But beware, bring mosquito repellent. The mosquitos were HUGE. This was a very special evening that we enjoyed very much!