A Day at Wolf Connection

If you know me, you know I love dogs. And my love of dogs doesn’t stop there, but extends to all canids. So when I heard about Wolf Connection, a wolf sanctuary tucked away in the mountains just an hour outside of Los Angeles, I knew I had to go. I booked my visit through Airbnb Experiences, and while it wasn’t cheap, it was worth it, and the money goes straight to supporting the sanctuary and its animals.

The day of my visit, I made the drive from Santa Monica deep into the Angeles National Forest. After about an hour, I arrived at the sanctuary, perched at 4,000 feet of elevation. The temperature was a perfect 86 degrees (perfect for me at least), a welcome break from the scorching 100+ degree heat I passed through in the Valley. The elevation means the sanctuary can also get coldy and snowy in the winter!

Petting Wylie and a group howl 

During a brief orientation, the 10-15 other visitors and I were offered some light snacks and water before the tour began. Next, we gathered for introductions. This is where the magic really began. They brought out one of the wolves, named Wylie, and we all got to pet him! We learned that Wylie is a "nanny" wolf, meaning he helps care for the younger wolves. I also learned that both male and female wolves can be nannies. 

Mid-introduction, most of the rest of the 46 wolves started a group howl that echoed through the sanctuary (listen here). It was an incredible sound that lasted a good few minutes. 

A key thing to know about the wolves at Wolf Connection is that they’re wolfdogs. While the sanctuary doesn’t do DNA tests, they assume the animals are at least 80% wolf. This is important because even an 80% wolf is still very much a wolf and needs to be treated as such—not like a typical dog.

Continuing on with the tour…

After our introductions, we walked around the enclosures of the "high-content" wolves, which are presumed to have almost entirely wolf DNA. It was fascinating to learn how the sanctuary carefully pairs up these wolves to live together, as they're naturally very social animals who thrive in packs. Creating these "bunkmates" requires a lot of testing and care since they come from different backgrounds and regions.

 

The highlight of the day was getting to go inside two enclosures with wolves that are safer around humans. It was amazing to be so close to these magnificent animals! Unlike dogs, these wolves don’t necessarily come running up to greet you. It was a powerful reminder that they’re still wild animals, setting their own boundaries and choosing when they want to interact.

At the end of the tour, I made a stop at the gift shop and picked up a water bottle and a couple of stickers to remember the day. The walk around the sanctuary was easy (Strava here: https://www.strava.com/activities/15653277593), but if you have trouble with uneven ground, just let the staff know—they can likely drive you to different spots along the tour.

I left the sanctuary feeling inspired and in awe of these incredible creatures. I’m already hoping to go back for their day-long Women and Wolves retreat soon!