Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center

"Hungry Like The Wolf" - Duran Duran.One of the primary reasons we visited Colorado was a belated high-school graduation gift to our son, who is crazy about wolves. What better place to go than to Divide, Colorado all the way from Hawaii! From sunshine to snow in mid-March!We landed in Denver, drove over to Manitou Springs and spent the night before driving over to Divide, on our way to Glenwood Springs. It was the perfect itinerary, evenly spaced. There are a variety of tour options, we did both the Ultimate Alpha ($500 off-season) and the general tour (about $20); all of the money goes to the conservation, education, care, maintenance, and advocating for the wolves in congress. Many of these wolves are being killed off and are critically endangered. In the past, sharks were killed off due to fear, and now they are protected and people are big advocates for sharks. We need the same kind of advocacy for the wolves. They are apex predators who keep our ecosystem healthy. If you think wolves are the primary source of death for cattle, think again, it's disease. Wolves make up less than 2% of cattle loss. I must admit I didn't think much of wolves prior to coming to the Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center, but now I have a new-found respect for these magnificent animals with very complex and social circles, even rivaling those of humans! Our guide for the day was "Fish". He was the perfect person for the job as he was very passionate about what he was speaking of, and funny as heck too. ALPHA TOUR - do this if you can afford it, it's worth it! Our son spent 1 hour with several wolves, and two foxes. Included in the price: 50 photos taken by the resident photographer, who did a wonderful job. There's a strict dress code you can find on their webpage, so read it carefully before you show up for any kind of interactive tour. Our son said this was a bucket list of his, and he was very very happy and elated for days after the visit. The wolves actually licked his face and mouth!! GENERAL TOUR - We were given the option to leave after the Alpha Tour but we stuck around, and loved every minute of it. Our guide Fish gave us information about each fox/wolf and how they came to be rescued, and why having wolves and foxes as a pet is a bad idea. Highly recommended and affordable for anyone, unlike the Alpha Tour. They have cheaper interactive tours, but whatever tour you take, it's helping to fund the CWWC.OTHER FUN: The guide will howl, and make the group howl, and the wolves will all start howling as well! It was super cool to be 'part of the pack'.GIFT SHOP: super cool gift shop with a coffee shop (donations for coffee/tea/cider) attached to it so you can sit down and warm up by the fire place. A resident cat kept following us all around the store. It even followed us upstairs to the gallery/photo office and sat next to my husband. The cat really loved us. TOILETS: outside, enclosed porta-potty type. PARKING: outdoor, free parking. RETURN FACTOR: totally a 100% yes. Maybe when there is less snow.

Definitely a neat experience but be prepared for some pretty tough walking terrain. It wasn't a hard walk but the path is tiny rocks and slip out from under your feet. It was pretty hot while we were there and the heat and high altitude(9200 ft) made for a pretty tough tour for some folks in our group. We did the standard tour but I think the interactive tours would be really awesome. Nice little gift shop and not overly priced!

CWWF was such a treat for both of us - a powerhouse of education, information, advocacy and of course, the wolves. We had an absolute blast, learned so much and have now written several letters to our reps to advocate for relisting of our nation's wolves. Our tour guide was amazing, stopped to answer everyone's questions and was so very funny throughout the tour. She made learning about the delisting of wolves and the resultant slaughter palatable and offered many ways we can get involved. We both had no idea about this issue and have taken a few steps via social media post to help with advocacy. The wolves themselves were all amazing. As it was late summer when we visited, we didn't see them all but saw many and ended the tour with a group howl, wherein Tala and Navi joined in. What an incredible experience. We donated and also purchased a few items in the giftshop to help support. Highly recommend for animal lovers.

Very informative about wolf conservation (though they do tell some gruesome stories about animal abuse at the beginning, so be warned if you are sensitive. The staff clearly cares most about the wolves and does not force or cajole them to come up to the front of their enclosures. They come forward for treats if they want and hang back if they don't! There is a lot of walking on steep gravel trails, so I would not recommend a stroller.

The most amazing experience! The educational part of the tour was so informative and we learned a lot. The tour was run very well and again very educational. Then we got to sit and pet Na'vi & Isha with our guides Lindsey & Alexis. The most fantastic experience, looking into his eye was something I will never forget! We got to give them treats and pet them and they gave us kisses. Something we will never forget! Thank you for all you do with the wolves, much appreciated. Clean facilities, helpful and kind staff!

The wolf center is amazing for adults but we brought a 7, a 5, and a 2 yr old. Though we did get to see some wolves and a dingo type dog, the talk we listened to was long and VERY boring for the young ones. 7 years old may be an ok age. They all wanted to spend mega bucks in the gift shop, but the most interesting area they were not allowed in was upstairs. For 18 and older the upstairs had pictures of the wolves, a parakeet, and a cat. That would have been great for them to see and keep occupied. Rest rooms are like outhouses. I couldn't get the 2 yr old to use one. Not realizing she had just big girl panties on, she was soaked before we got barely in to see the wolves. I balanced the 5 yr old on a fence while holding most of his weight, and got in trouble for it. If anyone of the visitors threw something into a cage, ALL of the visitors would have to leave. This place is not for young ones. We give it 5 stars for teens and older.

The feeding tour was perfect for getting to see all the animal and learning about their importance in our ecosystems. The tour guide was very informative and the animals are well kept!

I thought the walk-through was fun and educational. My younger kids really just wanted to see the animals, so they didn't pay much attention to the tour itself. There were some singing dogs that were a big hit with the kids along with the foxes. The gift shop had interesting items. The only annoyances I had were tied to the other patrons walking in front of your view or not moving forward as you walked up to the next exhibit.

Came here as an out of town guest that just happened to drive by. This was a wonderful experience. Extremely informative and educational. The tour guides were very knowledgeable and sweet. We got to tour at feeding time, which made it a million times better! Learning about these beautiful creatures and seeing the staff interact with them was amazing. I would highly recommend this place for anyone passing through!

Very disappointing! We saw very few animals. The tour was rigid, scripted, short, and expensive for what we got. We paid extra for a small tour group, but the person leading a large tour at the same time was yelling loudly, so we could barely hear our guide. If an animal came out in an enclosure we had passed, we could not go back to see it. We had to stay on track. We knew about the plight of wolves and wanted to see some of the beautiful animals. For about the same price, you can see wolves at the zoo in a very nice natural looking environment. At the zoo, you can spend as much time as you want. Based on our experience, I would recommend donating money to save wolves and other endangered animals, but don't waste your time and money on the tours here. None of the employees seemed very friendly, but we did meet a friendly horse while waiting.All the pictures in the reviews show people up close and personal with the wolves. We would have loved that. That is not the usual experience. We didn't even get to see many animals no less touch them.