We spent 3 days up here volunteering with some of my high school age girl scouts. Our experience far exceeded anything that we could have ever imagined. M:W just experienced some flooding so they were in a bit of stress and chaos when we were there. some of the fencing and structures came down and got tore up. As a volunteer camping, we needed to be there between 9 and noon. We arrived around 1030. The road to get there is a little rough. We did it in my honda pilot AWD and my coleader had her highlander. Some pot holes, ruts and jutting rocks so just be prepared. If it has been rainy the road will be even rougher to get up and down as will be slick. Cows around there dont have fences so be sure to take it easy when driving so you dont accidentally hit any animals. We were greeted upon arrival, and assigned a long term volunteer who they call staff to give us a tour. Iyla did a great job with giving us information and showing us around. Kent was doing an education talk right after that and we were all so glad that we attended. It was so informative and interesting! We did get to go meet a couple of the wolves after which was beyond anything we had imagined. After the talk, we went down to our camp area to set up. And when we were done we came back up the road and they set us up with some tasks. We worked until around 830 pm and headed back to our site. The next 2 days we did more volunteering. Also got to watch the wolves feed. And do a little more interaction with them. Everyones volunteer experience may be different but ours was absolutely amazing! It was something we had to set up in advance with them as they have limited space. You are supposed to bring your own tent, sleeping bags, etc when staying on site. We all had an amazing time and will be back next year to volunteer again! The organization really takes care of their animals and has a lot of heart and soul. read more

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The staff was very respectful of the wolves and spent a great deal of time educating us. I was one of the lucky ones a wolf greeted. My only concern is that admission is free. With increasing cost of food, vet care and maintaining the massive grounds, even a small entrance fee would help. Please be careful not to confuse Mission Wolf with Wolf Mission which has had some negative reviews. read more

Mission Wolf - Being greeting by a grey wolf at Mission Wolf - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Gardner, Colorado

If you are an animal lover this is a must see! It is a long drive up a windy, rocky road. When you get to your final destination it is worth the trip. This a nonprofit organization that cares for and educates the public about wolves and wolfdogs. There are about 30 animals on the property in large fenced enclosures. Our guide, Red, is a summer volunteer but was very knowledgeable about the animals. If you go on a feeding day (Wednesday or Saturday) when the have behavioral sessions you can interact more closly with the wolves if they are comfortable with you. Plan accordingly if possible. They have a nice gift shop where you can buy shirts, photos and other memorabilia for good prices. There is also the opportunity to sponsor a wolf at a small charge. There is no charge but they accept donations from visitors. Overall, this was a wonderful experience for us. read more

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For a $10 per person donation, we received a thorough, knowledgeable, leisurely tour of the wolf sanctuary. We saw many full-blood wolves and wolf-dogs up close, learned a lot, and in many cases fell in love with these beautiful animals. I love the mission of the wolf sanctuary, educating humans and rescuing wolves in gorgeous country. Thank you, Casey, the two-year-committed volunteer staff person who patiently and generously spent 90 minutes answering all our questions and introducing us to 38 outstanding wolves. read more

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Mission Wolf is such an amazing Labor of Love for these Beautiful creatures! M W provides a home for rescued wolves / wolf-dogs who have been purchased by.... and have been imprinted by People. Because of this, they canNot be returned to the wild. MW is located in the Remote Sangre de Cristo Mountains & provides a quiet home far away from people. The goal of MW is to instill respect for wolves, wildlife & nature. It also promotes an understanding of why Wolves, or any Wild Animal, doesn't make a good pet, and almost always ends in disaster when people purchase them or take them in. Mission Wolf allows you to interact with the wolves. They also allow people to assist in the feedings. There is also a place to camp out @ M W. What a Wonderful Experience ! The scenery is Breathtaking & the Wolves are just Beautiful! I look forward to visiting Mission Wolf the next time I am in Westcliffe. *** Open 9:am - 5:pm...year round. Be sure to bring a cooler w/ food & drinks & warm clothing. The weather changes at the drop of a hat .........& the roads can be pretty treacherous as well. read more

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I never would have thought of trying this place, but my step-daughter loves wolfs so we all agreed to give it a try. There were three adults (35-59 yrs old) and three boys (8-11 yrs old). Every one of us loved it! It was interested and we learned so much about the wolfs and the misconceptions we had from movies and television. But the best part was meeting the wolfs. We came face-to-face with the animals; and I do mean face-to-face - there is some real licking and teeth clicking going on here. I would highly recommend a visit if you are in the area. read more

Really cool place, tons of different wolves. They let you go in and meet the ambassador wolves. Super cool experience. I wanted a wolf to kiss me:( read more

Mission Wolf - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Gardner, Colorado

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This place is cool. They take care of wolves who were born in captivity and could not be kept where they were. Nothing should be kept in a cage, but they serve a purpose at least. People don't need to fear the wolves and be killing them. Wolves are good people. read more

MW is truly an amazing home for their wolves that are no longer able to be in the wild. Kent is truly an amazing man and takes wonderful care of the wolves. His volunteers are super. I also want to point out, that Kent, the owner does not charge for tours, which I was so amazed by. MW has a huge, loving, and well maintained home for these wolves. Everyone is so knowledgeable about the wolves and their needs. The volunteers who took us on our tour were awesome. They were so sweet. We had the opportunity to go into an enclosure with three of the wolves and it was truly amazing. They were so gentle and kind. The only downfall for me, was that we live so far from MW and that we got lost getting there and trying to leave MW, so one of the volunteers, took time out of his schedule and lead me to the freeway so that I wouldn't get lost again on those mountainy roads in the dark. They are just amazing. They are all so caring. I would highly recommend everyone to go to MW for the experience. You won't regret it. You will have the best time and learning experience of your life. Thank you MW for all of the great love and home you provide these wonderful wolves. read more

Just got back from visit to MW. It was much better than I imagined...scenery was gorgeous, staff friendly and informative and the wolves literally amazing. We got to sit In the enclosure with the wolves. I felt a little nervous when 4 wolves walked around sniffing me then one licked my teeth (we were told to bare our teeth so wolves could sniff them-that's how they greet) then all 4 licked my teeth and one nudged their nose in mine. I felt so accepted and happy surrounded by this primal display of affection. I have never experienced anything like it. I was grinning ear to ear and happier than I have been in a long time. Hope next time to camp on site and spend more time. We were there for feeding...threw in pieces of a dead horse...I was splattered with blood and that totally grossed me out. I will skip that next visit. My only concern was that the wolves did not have large open spaces to run around in. I hope that in the future MW will have the funds or whatever it takes to make that happen. I found it sad that these beautiful creatures did not have space to run. Even my little dogs get to go to dog park and run til their hearts content....hope these beautiful wolves will get that chance soon. Truly a wonderful place and mission...thanks for making it available free to the public read more