Northern Lights Wildlife Wolf Centre — Attraction in Area A (Kicking Horse/Kinbasket Lake)

We were a bit hesitant on visiting this place for a couple of reasons. 1 we had found the area super expensive and a bit of a tourist fleecing trap. 2 some of the reviews are pretty negative. With that in mind, as it was literally ten mins drive from where we were staying, and we are animal lovers we gave it a try. It’s a relatively little site easy to find on Google Maps and sufficient parking. Cost is cheap and was paid, you can go in and wonder around. There are a bunch of info boards around the place as well as some gift shop stuff. And there are a couple of enclosures with the wolves in. All good, we could see the wolves, and they were lovely. If it was just that, you would maybe have said Ok that’s a bit expensive. But they do regular “interpretive talks” where they explain all about the wolves, their impact on the ecosystem etc etc. Our one was carried out by a lady whose name escapes me, however she really nailed it. I have attended hundreds of events where people are talking to a crowd. Be they entertainment events, work events or whatever, I have been to a lot. This lady was hands down the best speaker I have ever seen. First off, she didn’t use a microphone, but was loud enough (without shouting / yelling) that we could all hear. She was expressive with her voice and interactive with the audience of about 30. She knew her stuff and told us a lot of really interesting facts and figures. She talked about the wolves being keystone species, which lines up with information we have read elsewhere. The talk lasted maybe 25 mins, but it was hard to tell as we were thoroughly engaged. There was no political agenda, no forcing things down our throats and a genuine “Thank you” for attending as it is a big help towards the conservation. Additionally, although we didn’t do it - you an book to go on a wild walk with some wolves, where they walk free and will come up and around you whilst taking a walk in the forest. Chance to get some great pics I imagine. Might do that in the future if we came back through the area. Absolutely recommend spending...

Wonderful educational experience! When you get to the centre, you enter through their gift shop which has a selection of items locally made and related to the centre. Entry was $15 per adult, 0-3 free or $45 for a family of 4, cash only but an atm on site. Once you enter the premises you are met with different areas that host a variety of plant and animal bones and information such as fur, skulls, prints, droppings, etc. They also have another outdoor shop with knicknacks, shirts, hats, and more. You can then walk across to the see the Black family residence where the owners reside, 2 outhouses, and then the interpretative area and wolf enclosures. The staff were very friendly and then held an educational presentation on the 2 varieties of wolves in North America, their diet, habitat, behaviors, and family unit. They were careful to outline harmful stereotypes, myths, and misunderstandings that have led wolves to be seen negatively in media and culturally and how they aim to change those with education, and through centre's such as this. The wolves they had were brought in due to imprinting on humans at a young age, injury, and/or use for movies, etc. They also host a hike with a wolf for 16+ individuals if that is an interest.

During our time the wolves were very sleepy as is normal. They told of of their enrichment, the pack, and the different areas they have access to as well as what they are fed and how. They rely heavily on donations, and are grateful to donations of meat, money, and I believe they mentioned roadkill within the area.

Highly recommend checking it out! They had nice seating available, a kids play area, and...

Not sure where all the good ratings are coming from. It was a waste of time and money. It is out of the way from other tourist attractions in Golden but we were tempted to squeeze this into our itinerary by the 4+ Google rating. sigh it is not worth the pitstop at all. Most wolves were sleeping and two were awake. All looked unhealthy/thin/lethargic so I'm not sure how this place takes care of their wolves. Based on information on the website, we expected there to be a tour every hour. We arrived at around 9am and the only person there said they MIGHT give a tour at 10am if more people arrived. So no tour while we were there that would make sense to wait for, just a pamphlet that we could self-guide with. The washroom is an outpost and no, don't even go there to use it. So many flies in the area and it didn't seem clean to stay within the reserve for too long. The parking area feels much cleaner. That's how not pleasant it felt to be there. Overall, my family and I felt ripped off. I felt ashamed for having suggested that we go here. Unless this place changes the way it does its business, go elsewhere.

Update: I just read other reviews and tried to go through pictures. Are the "sleeping" wolves even alive? The two I saw awake are the ones seen awake in photos. Why are the two awake wolves caged separately from the sleeping wolves? Are the sleeping ones fake? Please post proof if you ever see more then the two wolves awake just to confirm for others that they aren't bluffing when they claim the bit about wolves sleeping 18hrs a day as the reason for them not being awake when...