Staff is entertaining, informative, and truly care for the welfare of the wolves. You can tell their hearts are in the right places when it comes to these wolves. They were always prioritizing the wolves comfortability with visiting people, but you do get to get very hands on with them. The staff were equally enjoyable with their colorful personalities and very happy to handle taking pictures for everyone there. Also, although the site stated the tour was one hour they went way over to make sure we got to visit with the ones available to visit with and didn't rush anyone out. I definitely think we got more of any experience than we paid for and would recommend to others. read more

What a magical place! We had the best time ever. My toddler loved the experience and the wolves loved him! Tonya is such a beautiful divine soul! She treated us like family! We will be back read more

See all

Great experience in the high desert for early in the day. Nice getting closed to the recurs wolves, the team there is very knowledgeable. Definitely worth checking out. read more

See all

I went with a large group, and we all had an amazing time! The staff is wonderful! The wolves are so beautiful! I highly recommend visiting Wolf Mountain Sanctuary. read more

Such amazing animals there. Cool gift shop that helps these babies! Buy a cool gift! I love my wolf drink cup. Great staff!

The Wolf Sanctuary was incredible. We came because my niece is absolutely in love with wolves. My husband was going to take the 2 small kids somewhere else once we got dropped off but Tonya said no no no they are totally okay to come in too. The wolf pup stormy night was so precious. My baby was in love with him and wouldn't quit giving him snuggles. Dancer loved the kids too but especially my niece. My husband took the two little kids out to the car at the end so she could allow the alpha to come out and interact. He loved my niece too and gave her a big snuggle. I wish we lived closer. It was well worth the 2 hour drive from our home. Call to schedule your tour read more

See all

I came here with my family of 5. My daughter loves animals and her fave are wolves. Everyone was super nice & informative. We had a great experience. If u have anxiety or get anxious, be ready. The wolf comes very close to u and for me it was a bit scary. I got anxious with his noises, but not to fear it's a healing wolf. I recommend u come in comfortable clothes, tennis, preferably a hat (very hot & little shade). read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Mother & 4 kids in wolf sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

Fantastic Experience. The whole Wolf Mountain Sanctuary team is amazing. Very welcoming and very friendly.

My Husband and I visited the Wolf Moutnain Sanctuary in Lucerne Valley, CA. We were allowed to take our maternity photographs there. We made beautiful moments thanks to them. Moments that we will remember forever. We were treated so kindly. We felt very very safe. We had So Much Fun!!! We will definitely be visiting more often. Staff is so very very nice and friendly. Always love listening to their stories. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

Mama Wolf is devoted to her wolves; you can feel just how loved the wolves are when you visit with them. I had an amazing experience when my friend and I toured the sanctuary and received the best wolf hugs and kisses. Being around the wolves was like medicine for my soul. Sending the wolves love from afar. I hope to visit again soon. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

This place was one of the most magical experiences I've ever had. I took my crush here for his birthday, and I loved Tonya (the manager), Jason (our tourguide), the lady at the desk, the gatekeeper, and all of the animals! You were all so nice, cool, friendly, amazing. The wolves were amazing. I loved everything. Seriously, you all need to come here. Bring lots of cash because they deserve the donations and tips! (I came prepared because Tonya and I chatted on the phone 2 weeks before.) Make sure you call for a reservation, so you're not just randomly trying to squeeze yourselves in. I fricken LOVE TONYA. She's super cool. As far as what to bring: just clothes with pockets (not dresses/skirts) because you need to have a place for your car keys and cash and sometimes you might need to sit on the dirt: everything else has to stay in the car! If you bring your water, you might need to sometimes leave it on the Plaza somewhere. Leave kids at home. If you bring the wolves snacks, only bring long-stemmed carrots in the bag (which they'll keep for you), but the guides will pass you special doggie food for you to feed them in person. Yes, you can pet them, and bring your phones/cameras, the guides/your friends can take as much video/photos as you want. They are wheelchair accessible. They have a restroom too, so don't think you have to hold everything in. Make sure you don't speed when driving on the rocky dirt path. I got a little cray cray when parking, and I hit a few rocks, and my car was getting emotional. In all honesty, this trip to Lucerne Valley was the BEST DAY in my entire pandemic life as well as one of the best days of my whole life. So thank you, Wolf Sanctuary! read more

See all

10/10 A MUST! yes, it is a hot and a bit of a drive depending where you're coming from but it's totally worth it once Tonya starts telling you about the wolves up bringing. Tonya also takes amazing pictures so you don't have to worry about catching the moment. she takes your phone so you can enjoy the wolves and not worry about catching THE shot. she's amazing and treats all her animals like her children. such a dream and i wouldn't have wanted to go to anyone else. bless Tonya and all of her family thank you so much for this experience read more

See all

Absolutely loved it and can't wait to get back!!! This is not a totally polished a scripted corporate tour of a bunch of wolves in cages and a show on a stage. This is a real family who know and love their wolves! You are in the middle of the grounds and they bring the wolves to you. Totally interactive with hands (and faces) on! While the wolves are with you they are explaining why they are necessary to the circle of the echo system, as well as how they were rescued. Wonderfully cared for, sweet animals. By the time you leave, you feel like family. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

This place is fantastic! I have been 3 times and plan to go again with my kids. The wolves are gorgeous and where else can you go to love on them and get wolf kisses! God bless Tonya and her team for making sure these wolves are cared for. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

-Reservations must be made by phone (8am-6pm, no calls on Mondays). Sometimes it's difficult to get through but if you leave a voicemail, they will call you back. -Get the earlier tour, if you can. First, the wolves get tired/bored so you'll get better interaction earlier. Second, you may have to share the wolves with earlier visitors if you come later (I elaborate on this below). -Cash only. $25 per person for the 1-hour tour (which went longer). -BRING EXTRA CASH FOR TIPS! I believe their tour guides are unpaid volunteers. -You're allowed to take photos of the wolves but not video. The guides will take photos of you with the wolves. -No issue finding this place via GPS. You honk your horn when you're at the gate and someone will let you in to park. -Check their "Visit" page for information regarding private tours, donations, expectations, photography, etc. What's special about this particular institution is that you get to touch and interact closely with the wolves. They may lick your face, if you're lucky. They may also practically rape your boyfriend while they ignore you (not naming names, okay fine, it's me). I've been to another wolf sanctuary before and the wolves were behind two metal fences. Being able to pet them is already a huge deal. Thus, this is a rare and magical experience. I will warn you that this place isn't as organized as other sanctuaries. I want to mention this because it's obvious that some other reviewers were disappointed with the lack of structure. The tour definitely seemed a bit haphazard. Some people that were more aggressive seemed to get more time with the wolves. I saw a group go up for a second time while visitors that hadn't had any wolf interaction waited. One issue is that visitors have different arrival times but are encouraged to stay past one hour so the visitors that arrive later have to share the space (and possibly wolf interaction) with the earlier visitors. When we arrived at 11am, the 10am crowd was still there. When the 12pm groups arrived, the 10am and the 11am crowd were still there. They meld all the tour times into one big ongoing tour. While this buys you more wolf time, it can be frustrating for visitors that arrive later. It can also get confusing because guides have to keep track of everyone's interaction and the flow of information. We definitely didn't get as much wolf time as some other people. We could have stayed and waited for more but we had already been there for 2+ hours and needed to hit the road. It's not the best system but they do at least ensure that everyone gets some wolf time. The tour guides obviously vary as is the case anywhere. I thought our guide (Jason) was awesome. He really elevated the experience. He took great photos for us. He was extremely knowledgeable about the wolves. It was also obvious how much he cared for them. He was calm, patient, and organized with his flow of information. Definitely a contrast from the owner, Tonya. I actually found her hilarious and a welcome addition to the whole experience. She deviated quite a bit from the wolf spiel and shared a lot of personal and irrelevant information (how she beat her husband with a frying pan, LOL). I certainly enjoyed her erratic and eccentric approach but some may not. I did notice that she was a bit gruff with Jason, whom I believe to be an unpaid volunteer. I thought he was wonderful (excellent people and wolf skills) and I really hope they value his contributions. Overall, this was such a terrific and memorable experience and I definitely recommend it. None of this is intended as a complaint but more so as a heads up for interested visitors. It helps to know what to expect. read more

I booked this trip without reading the reviews. Then, as an afterthought, I decided to read them. I was more than slightly concerned after reading some of the "bad" reviews. Was this going to be a bad trip? Was I going to have my trip ruined by some rude guide that people spoke of? I even made a Plan B around the possibility of this happening. When we arrived, we honked (a quick tap) at the gate as instructed. A gentleman walked out and opened the gate. He was very sweet, almost humble. Very interested in making sure our questions were answered and needs met. Very nice guy. I don't understand the negative reviews on this gentleman. The pens. Someone complained about how small the pans were. Not all of them are so small. And what, I ask, did they expect-a 1500 square-foot pen with grass, ponds and waterfalls? These people do an incredible job "rescuing" wolves from dire situations. They support the facility by donations only and I strongly suspect some of their own money. Did this reviewer even listen to the stories? Rude guide. This I did not find. Our group only consisted of four people (lucky for us). There was one individual who either did not hear some of our questions but when pressed for an answer she willingly gave the answer. Perhaps doesn't hear well. Either way, they are people, like us. We all have our foibles. We found both Tonya (the owner) And her sister very loving, extremely connected to the wolves and very willing to share what they could with us. When they spoke of the bad things happening to wolves and other animals, they could barely contain their pain, tears welling in their eyes. All in all, people are people. They are doing more for the protection of the species than any tourist who walks through their doors and for that, I am grateful. As far as bad reviews, keep in mind that the person writing them might have unrealistic expectations. Or if someone is having a bad day, get over it. I loved the sanctuary and what it had to offer-people and wolves. And very much look forward to going back. read more

See all

As much as I miss my pet wolf, I came to the Wolf Mountain Sanctuary and realize this place is also, for some, a sanctuary, to cope with the loved one we had lost... Wolves are intellect specis, you can never treat a wolf like a dog, that's why so many wolves were rescued because most of them would be put down at the age around 1 and half due to human realizes they can not dominate the wolf. Fact you need to know before visiting: - There are currently 11 wolves in this sanctuary, some are more friendly than others. I got to interactive with 3. One sniffed me all over that was kind tickle when they tried to take a photo of me and the wolf. The rest you can pet from the fence or see from the distance. - I would say most wolves here are pretty domesticated, and they each has a name. I believe they are mostly from the breeder, not born in the wild. - Call (760) 248-7818 to make reservation, they do not take web request and hours seem can be changed without notice, at least on Father's Day the last tour was 1pm (web said 4pm on Sunday) - $25 minimal donation required for a 1-hour tour. They also have a list of wish list and gift card from HomeDepot and Lowe's are always welcome. - The dirt road leads to the sanctuary wasn't bad at all, not even rocky and is practically short. Don't worry about what car you will be driving unless its a lambo. - No bag, No sunglasses, wolf need to see your eyes and the reflection from sunglasses will make them think there's the other wolf. - High desert weather is hot during summer, it was 105F!!! Some shades here and there but lot of water is needed and don't risk if you have heart condition. (my heart was racing like 120 by just slowly walking around) - Dress properly, no skirt/dress, wolf might like to go peak your bottom - Volunteers work here are absolutely love and passionate about the wolves, it's the bound between wolves and humans with respect. The best part here are the wolves that each has their own characters and the people who are here with them make this place great. (So...set your expectation straight! It's not fancy petting zoo) If I am 10 years younger, I can see myself exile to here to live with the wolves rather than with the people. But for now, I can't escape my reality so I will have to go back some other times to visit and hopefully I will eventually find my peace. read more

See all

Decided to take my sister here for her birthday because she is a huge animal lover. I actually ended up calling 2 days before the day I told her we were going and fortunately they had space for my party of three. Making the reservation was super easy and the person on the phone was very nice. Driving there was easy to find with GPS. When we pulled up I definitely hesitated because pulling into the structure I thought we were at a house but quickly found in the check in area and was greeted. The woman who checked us in and our tour guide was fantastic. The wolves were gorgeous and hearing the stories behind them and learning a lot about wolves made me love them. This please is doing great work and you can really tell they love these animals, I can't wait to go back so I can bring others with me!! This please needs all the support it can get! read more

See all

Tonya is a very beautiful soul. I had an incredible time at the sanctuary. Meeting and interacting with the wolves was the most beautiful experience. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

Great find....we were on our way to Big Bear and we made a detour when we saw the sign and spontaneously decided we were going to see wolves! Luckily they were able to make room for us as they recommend reservations. read more

Great staff with amazing animals thats you get to be up close and personal with. The staff is knowledgable and educate you on your experience read more

It has always been a dream of mine to one day see wolves in real life. They are one of my favorite animals because of their intelligence, strength and fluff. I was spending a weekend in October at Big Bear and was curious to see if I could see wolves somewhere nearby. A quick google search lead to me finding Wolf Mountain Sanctuary and I was immediately determined to go. When I arrived to the sanctuary, I was immediately greeted by friendly staff and we had a good conversation while walking over to the office to fill out some paperwork. The visit consisted of a 1 hour tour with a guide who walks you over to each wolf hide and talks about their past and how they ended up at the Sanctuary. The wolves were all very friendly and gentle. At the end of the tour you get the chance to play with some of the wolves the staff brings out. Some of them may be intimidating at first but they are very friendly and love to meet new people! read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

What can I say..... such an amazing experience. Tonya and her crew are very knowledgeable and very inviting. Upon reservation your tour includes a tour guide that works personal with the wolves, a meet and greet with most of the wolves who live there, a photo shoot with some of the largest personalities, and lastly you are given your spirit animal( these include goose, bear, snake, etc). Please take my word for it when you are donating to this sanctuary, you are donating to very caring organization that not only supports rescued wolves, but you are helping support local pups, cats and other animals that Tonya rescues. If you get the chance sit and talk with Tonya and her crew. They are genuine and caring people with a ton of great stories and advice. Hope you enjoy your trip. read more

See all

For the people who criticize the owner for the small enclosures, did you not hear in the tour how they are trying to raise money to move to a place like Colorado, where each wolf would have an acre and a portion of a stream so they can catch their own salmon? That is the ultimate goal, and they are trying to achieve it without government assistance. Most of the money donated goes into expenses, such as feeding them mainly chicken. Anyway, coming here and looking into the eyes of wolves finally made me understand what spirituality means. They said I was seeing my own soul, and I was mesmerized. I got to feed the white one and hold the leash of another. The one I took pics with wasn't feeling it that day and you can see his lack of enthusiasm in my pictures. He slumped his body weight against me when the tour guide commanded him to move. He didn't obey until he heard Mama (who is the alpha) and he responded to her in a heartbeat lol. A little girl was enthusiastically sharing her knowledge of wolves the whole tour, and when they asked her if she wanted a picture with one, she said all she really wanted was to howl with them. Mama obliged, and howled. It was so neat; even the wolves laying down raised their heads to join in. I still remember the sound that echoed through the valley that day. A modest donation for an hour or so with these beauties is totally worth it. Highly recommended. I learned so much about wolves, and you will too. Pros: - up close and personal - inexpensive - a lot of love here Cons: - hot in summer - see other reviews read more

I really wanted to like this place, but sadly I was disappointed. Pros -Tonya was very nice to us. - It was interesting to see what a wolf looked like up close. Cons -When you call to make a reservation, no one answers the phone. You are forced to leave a message in hopes that someone will call you back. Luckily I got a call back, but I wouldn't really bank on it. -The grounds were not kept up well. I have been to a few animal sanctuaries and none of them looked like this one. -Although our tour guide was very nice, she was not informative at all. From my understanding, all of the tour guides are volunteers and do not get paid. I wasn't expecting to learn a ton of information from the visit, but I also wasn't expecting to leave learning absolutely nothing. I had better luck educating myself about wolves on Google than I did from the actual tour. -One of the wolves had cancer and looked distressed. As someone who has cared for an animal with cancer for over two years, I can tell you that the wolf should have been in a better suited environment while healing from his/her leg surgery. The tour guide kept saying that the wolf was "so spoiled" and I couldn't have disagreed more. As a die hard animal lover, I found it hard to call this place a sanctuary. Wolves are typically meant to be in packs and these wolves were separated and in smaller cages than I expected. I felt like this place was more about the photo ops with wolves rather than caring for their well-being. It was almost 2.5 hours to this place from Orange County and I didn't feel like it was worth the drive. The worst part about it all was that I actually felt pretty guilty for making the visit. My goal of this review is not to put down this business, but to be honest about how I felt after the visit. I really did have a hard time digesting what I saw. read more

Today me;my wife, and my daughter went to the Wolf Sanctuary in Lucerne Valley California. At my full time job; I go through regular backgrounds, FBI Backgrounds, and DHS Backgrounds every 3 years.(I'm only Mentioning this because I'm giving you an Honest, Straight forward Review From Someone That Has Actually VISITED The Sanctuary, Not a Crazy!) First; it is a Sanctuary(look up Definition of Sanctuary), Second, People take photos of Animals at Zoos Everyday, Third, Desert is Spelled like this DESERT, Forth, This is the High Desert, They have Swamp Coolers for all there Wolves in Summer Time/Big Pools, Winter very cold, No Issues with Staff, All the Staff were Very Helpful & Professional/Knowledgeable about the Wolves, if we had any questions they never hesitated always answered, by the way (Use to work with Fish&Game Officials, if there were any issues with the Wolves, there enclosures, Neglect, ect, I'd be the First to say Something, Also an Animal Lover, always owned Rescues, Dogs/Cats), now that I have Debunked the Naysayers, let's Continue with the rest of my review! Again; Staff-Great, Wolves-very Beautiful/Well Feed, Tons of us paid $25 for an hour tour (lasted 2 hours), We were in a Very Large Group(25 people all together), And everyone was Very Happy! And You know what I find Disgusting Naysayers? People who Attack the Lovely Staff that take care of these Beautiful Animals,& if you want larger enclosures for the Wolves, Donate your money, instead of Spewing BS! So; if your thinking about coming here, it's a great place, Donate as much as you can, And to Wolf Mountain Sanctuary, I hope my Review Brings you more business/donations, Thanks again for the tour, it was Awesome, we all had a Great Time! read more

My daughter and I just visited today. The wolves are so absolutely beautiful. My daughters favorite animals are wolves and she was in heaven. The owner Momma Wolf Tonya made this such a personal experience such a pleasure to meet. I wish I had the other lady's name that took our pictures and told us about the wolves because she was great too! Very wonderful experience. We even got to hear the whole pack howl! read more

See all

I made a deposit for a private tour in Feb 2020. The tour was scheduled for March 13, but was cancelled because of snow. Three days later the state got locked down for the pandemic. When COVID restrictions were lifted recently, I called WMS to reschedule our tour and was told by Danna that the $225 deposit I made in 2020 would not apply to a tour now. To reschedule a tour, I would have to make another $225 deposit. She said that the sanctuary never closed during the pandemic and I could have rescheduled at any time. But, that was not an option for me as I made the personal decision NOT to travel during the pandemic (the same decision made by millions of other people). Danna's attitude towards me in this exchange was unkind and inflexible. It was a very bad experience. They may be good with wolves at the sanctuary, and I am glad for the work they do, but in my experience they are not very good or fair with people. My friends and I had been looking forward to this trip for over a, very difficult, year and it's incredibly disappointing that they were not at all accommodating. read more

I really wanted to like this place but I was quite disappointed. I drove almost 2 hours because wolves are my favorite animals and I've been wanting to go here for some time. It was hot, really hot. The place was kind of a mess, a lot of junk everywhere. The lady that works in the gift shop was extremely nice though. Our tour started 45 minutes late while we had to wait in the heat and the tour guide just kinda rambled and half of the time didn't even talk about anything to do with the sanctuary or wolves. We first got to go in one of the enclosures, but the wolf was hiding, so we didn't get the pet it and just take pictures from a distances. Then we were put into a bigger group of over 20 people and wait to take a pictures with the other wolf. I had to wait 30 minutes in 100 degree heat, didn't enjoy that. The wolves could use bigger enclosures, but overall they looked well taken care off and seemed loved. The guys that work here were really friendly, but the women were quite rude.. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

Called to make a reservation. The first male was helpful but had trouble finding the appointment book. He then was talking to another male who was quite rude. I had asked if I could come in at 12, and hear the second male state " why can't she get her lazy self up and be here at 11." read more

Great experience. Showed up with my Aunt and we were the only guests there which probably made it more enjoyable. Tanya was an amazing guide with lots of personality. Gave us about 90 minutes of her time with the Wolves. Make sure to bring extra for donation, they don't get any gov funding and the income stream doesn't quite match their overhead costs. A great experience, next time I go overlanding In Johnson Valley, I'll stop by again! read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Dancer - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

This is my 2nd time visiting WMS because I wanted to spend my birthday here and bring my friend since she's never been. BEST BIRTHDAY EVER and Tonya made it special and memorable. Friendly staff and knowledgeable. Tonya and her staff are amazing at what they do to save these wolves, and without them, these wolves would not survive very long out in the wild. Most get euthanized. Everything they do is incredible and we are lucky that we have the opportunity to have such an up-close and personal experience with wolves. I can't think of many wolf sanctuaries where they let you interact this closely with wolves. WMS FEE: I paid the required donated fee of $25 for a 1-hour tour. Some people shouldn't be so cheap & PETTY about how they have to pay a "required donation". REALLY? Remember the proceeds go to funding this Wolf Sanctuary. How do you think they would survive and keep this place open??? Go Google what "NON-PROFIT" means........ VISITING WMS: Call ahead of time to make reservations. The drive to Lucerne Valley is pretty far, but it is worth it to see the wolves. 2-hour drive from Los Angeles. We had no problem finding this place because it's a pretty straight shot there. It's a beautiful scenic drive once you get up to Apple Valley, you can stop off for food/snacks & shopping, antique shops, and stop off in Apple Valley after WMS for fun desert pictures. Bring water, wear SPF, no sunglasses/hats around wolves = chew toys!, no kids 13 & under, and get ready to take pictures! We took so many great pics there & had fun taking wolf selfies. :) There is plenty of parking. Everyone needs to visit WMS once in their lives because it's an unforgettable experience. I wish I lived closer because I would visit WMS as much as I could. Tonya is the BEST. read more

See all

Love coming here, staff is always great as usual and everything you pay goes to feeding and taking care of the wolves in the sanctuary. They're all adorable and beautiful animals. If you have the chance to go I would recommend coming don't miss this opportunity. This big boy in the pic was only 1 year old when we took it a while back. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

I read most of the reviews on yelp, and I wasn't sure if I was going to come here. However, I'm glad that I decided to come. The experience was unforgettable. I had a friend that is not an animal lover join me. After we experiencing the wolf sanctuary, we decided to continue to explore other animal sanctuaries. We really enjoyed it. COST: $25. Make sure that you bring cash because they don't accept credit cards. LOCATION: Drive slowly when your GPS tells you that you're close. You don't want to miss it. APPOINTMENTS: They are required. Make sure you are on time. DRESS ATTIRE: no sunglasses or a big hat. Don't forget to use sunscreen it gets hot up here. THINGS YOU CANT BRING INSIDE: clutch purses, water bottle, and anything that might look like a toy to the wolves. Amount of 1:1 WOLF INTERACTION: you'll interact with two wolves. read more

My tour was guided by Tonya's son Matthew. He and his colleagues including his mother and grandmother or sister seem to really love the wolves. They are well taken care of and loved. I appreciate and respect people like them for dedicating their lives to animal welfare. I am a development professional at a globally known institution, and have worked with a handful of nonprofits. I've visited dozens of animal sanctuaries in and out of the country, including a handful of wolf sanctuaries. Here are my suggestions to improve the tour, visitor experience, funding and the organization overall: If you tell your customers to call between certain hours, please reciprocate the respect and call back between the hours you've asked for them to respect on your website. Focus on education vs. the background of how each wolf was mistreated in the past. They've moved on to better lives, now how can we help improve them? Create a structured tour. Go over behavior, characteristics, lifespan, feeding, habitat, breeds, etc. Most importantly, why you should not own a wolf/wolf dog. Photos and petting should come secondary. Consider allocating funds towards online booking for tours. The phone experience was not pleasant, and can easily turn away visitors who can make an impact. Colleagues and visitors should not be around if they are not helping with an animal or contributing to the the tour. I saw a lot of playing and distracting the wolves for no reason. This took away from the experience as a visitor. If possible, allow every visitor to interact with a wolf. I saw that there were some visitors who weren't as aggressive as others. Some visitors hogged interaction with the wolves. This is a missed opportunity for direct connection between potential donors and the wolves they are supporting. Every employee, volunteer, board member, etc should know the goals, mission and vision of the organization. This also includes funding goals for their relocation, funds for the care of the animals, and operating costs. Stop yelling, it's unnecessary. This one is a biggie. A high level of customer service and professionalism should be expected especially for a small non profit. The employees were all friendly, but there can be can improvements in how they interact with visitors which can hugely impact the organization. Every member of the organization should be held responsible for representing the organization. A huge part of caring for the animals is catering to visitors and using the tour to cultivate a relationship, identify prospects and turn them into donors. Large and small gifts then transfer to the care of the animals. Gifts/donations are the bread and butter of this organization. They shared that they don't receive government funding, grants, and their corporate interaction in the past apparently went sour. Improve the visitor experience and I guarantee you will have better outcomes than what the pamphlets that are handed out at the end can get you. Do not share that some members of the organization use their disability checks to fund the wolves. This does not make people want to donate. Instead, share ways we can help and what the wolves need most short term and long term. Be transparent about their wolf content. Range from low, moderate to high. Simply saying you've DNA tested them does not mean you can call them a wolf. If anyone knows about wolves, you can easily identify which are lower vs high solely based on characteristics and behavior. I hope they consider these suggestions. I want them succeed. I will visit again in the future, and hopefully they will improve. read more

Wolf Mountain Sanctuary - Animal Shelters Near Me - Lucerne Valley, California

See all

I cannot rave about Wolf Mountain enough. The experience I had here with my boyfriend last year was indescribable. Have you ever heard a wolf howl? Not on tv or on an mp3 file, but in real life?! Once you do, your life will change. Segoni howling. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#N5VRadiUUvlOy1JvKTGqkw The way society paints wolves, and the way they really are, wow. It's like two completely different animals. Tonya and her crew do the best they can for their wolf family. I'm quite appreciative that they're able to do what they do (with our help at times). It's amazing to hear about where each wolf came from, and see how happy they are now. I couldn't love on Segoni enough. He was such a kind soul. I loved listening to Tonya talk about her wolves. If they don't move this year, I will be back! Photos from my trip: A sleeping wolf. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#PK15bc4l-p7MPhyNRsr1JQ Yawto. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#TRL2o7Go1798SR_MYPCo5Q Niwah and Blue. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#Y6gWskaqFg027ZiBGFhLcA Wana Chikal (Artic Wolf). http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#Y-t1ZPSsRb_4HgHAq-CNrg Denali & Takaani. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#pzTZpVi5-v_6DMFl5426DQ My hand compared to a wolf's paw. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#h6maxqdcB_N08rsC3eePMA My boyfriend next to Segoni. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#crigvY5XWKBoBqL8t7KuMQ Candid of Segoni. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#9PVly4Ej8M_fQjH9J70kdQ Segoni and I. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/wolf-mountain-sanctuary-lucerne-valley?select=Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A#Iyun1YwT0onL9OwtyZ_U4A read more

See all

Great place. The ladies there where so friendly and we had an amazing time. Very unique and lovely experience. Wolves were friendly and totes loved all the petting. read more

See all

Wonderful facility to care and protect these magical creatures. Everyone was especially caring, sweet, and informative. There is a lot to be learned not just from wolves but from Nelly and the entire team. Will be returning very soon! Loved my time at Wolf Mountain Sanctuary! Shanta has a true healing and magical energy Thank you again to Nelly for making my birthday fun and exciting. read more

See all

Wow! We decided on a whim to just swing by on our way down the mountain and this wound up being the best part of our trip!!! First off, Tonya (the owner) is an amazing person who's done so much for the wolves and her community! Our guide was Matthew who was very kind and funny. We had our 2 yr old and carried her during the tour to ensure she could only see them and not get too close. Had no idea we would be able to pet and interact with some! read more

This place is appalling ... the customer service is terrible... we waited for hours only to have the owner (Tanya) go by on and on and on with stories that had absolutely nothing to do with wolves. I had to specifically ask her 'what about the wolves?!' Even then she could barely stay on point and kept getting distracted by things of zero consequence while we all waited (with a sizeable group) ... the whole experience was ridiculous, and most of us left early ... the poor animals are kept out in the blazing desert sun with barely any shade... pacing around sent enclosures ... some of them in tiny glorified kennels... this place should be shut down and animals sent somewhere they can be properly taken care of... it was heartbreaking .. I would never recommend this place to anyone. It is not a sanctuary. It is a prison for these poor beautiful animals read more