The reintroduction of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone National Park is one of the greatest wildlife conservation success stories in the national parks.
In fact, the return of the wolf to Yellowstone has been so successful that the park is now considered the best place in the world to see wolves in the wild.
Although both misunderstood and revered throughout history, wolves are undeniably fascinating animals. Clever and curious, utterly wild yet funnily familiar, they are, after all, the ancestors of dogs, “man’s best friend.”
It’s difficult to not feel awe and appreciation—perhaps even love—when watching a pack of wolves prowling the wilds of Yellowstone. Just hearing their howls is an unforgettable experience. Is there an animal sound that’s more primal, more symbolic of the wilderness?
That said, while Yellowstone may be the world’s best place to watch gray wolves, that doesn’t mean you’re absolutely guaranteed to see them—or even just one.
So, to help you increase your chances of finding wolves, I’ve compiled a list of the best places to see wolves in Yellowstone below.
Most of this is based on my own experiences watching wolves in Yellowstone, along with background information from the National Park Service (NPS) and other resources, both websites and books.
This blog post about the best places to see wolves in Yellowstone National Park contains affiliate links. You can read more about our Terms of Use / Disclosure here.
Yellowstone National Park Wolf Watching FAQs (Part 1)
Let’s start with some of the most common questions asked about the wolves of Yellowstone National Park. Below, you’ll find out how many wolves live in Yellowstone, where you can see them, how many wolf packs there are, and more.
How Many Wolves Are in Yellowstone National Park?
The exact number of wolves in Yellowstone National Park varies almost every year. As of the end of December 2023, there are eleven different wolf packs in the park, the core of a larger population that extends throughout the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
According to the latest Yellowstone Wolf Project report, there were at least 124 wolves in Yellowstone National Park in late-December 2023, including five loners.
Since 2009, the Yellowstone National Park wolf population has remained fairly stable, ranging from 83 to 124 individual animals.
What Is the Best Season to See Wolves in Yellowstone?
It’s possible to see wolves in Yellowstone National Park throughout the entire year. However, winter is generally considered to be the best season for wolf watching. There are two main reasons for this.
(1) When a thick layer of snow covers the park’s slopes, valleys, and ridges, it’s much easier to spot wolves in the distance.
This is a fantastic time to watch them hunt elk. You’ll also frequently hear their howls pierce the freezing air, as they communicate with other pack members. Additionally, winter is their breeding season, meaning that they’ll be much more vocal, active, and visible.
(2) The road from the North Entrance and Mammoth Hot Springs to Tower-Roosevelt and across Lamar Valley remains open during the entire winter season.
Connecting Gardiner and Cooke City, Montana, his is the only road in Yellowstone that’s plowed and maintained in winter. It’s also the road that traverses Blacktail Deer Plateau and the Northern Range, which happens to be the greatest place to see gray wolves in the wild.
What Is the Best Time of Day to See Wolves in Yellowstone?
With regard to the best time of day to see wolves, I recommend looking for them at both dawn and dusk. Sunrise and sunset are generally the times when they’re most active and, as such, most easily visible.
What Gear Do I Need to Observe Wolves in Yellowstone?
While you might be lucky enough to spot a wolf along the roadside from your car, you do need some equipment for the best wolf watching experience.
A good pair of binoculars is the absolute minimum requirement. To take photos with a camera, a large zoom lens is absolutely essential, too.
You’ll also see several people using spotting scopes to observe wildlife in Yellowstone, which are excellent options as well. Some spotting scopes have phone mounts, allowing you to take zoomed-in photos with your smartphone.
How Big Are Yellowstone Wolf Packs?
Wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park can vary greatly in size. They range from the smallest pack of 2-3 wolves (usually a newly formed pack) to huge packs numbering a few dozen animals (often a well-established pack led by an older alpha male and/or female).
However, the most recent average wolf pack size in Yellowstone is 10.8 animals. Most wolf packs consist of 8 to 12 individuals, although there may be some outlier packs.
For example, the Druid Pack was made up of no fewer than 37 wolves in 2001 and is possibly the largest wolf pack ever recorded.
Which Wolf Packs Are Currently Present in Yellowstone National Park?
The National Park Service publishes a Yellowstone Wolf Project report at the end of each year, which contains an absolute treasure trove of information, including details about the park’s wolf packs.
You can download all reports, from 1995 through last year, here.
According to the 2023 report, there are currently ten different wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park. They are the following:
Wolf packs in the Northern Range
- 8 Mile Pack – 7 adults, 18 pups (25 total)
- Lupine Creek Pack – 5 adults, 1 pup (6 total)
- Rescue Creek Pack – 8 adults, 7 pups (15 total)
- Junction Butte Pack – 10 adults, 1 pups (11 total)
- Shrimp Lake Pack – 4 adults, 3 pups (7 total)
- Lone wolves – 5 adults
Wolf packs outside of the Northern Range
- Cougar Creek Pack – 11 adults, 0 pups (11 total)
- Mollie’s Pack – 9 adults, 4 pups (13 total)
- Wapiti Lake Pack – 9 adults, 6 pups (15 total)
- Firehole River Pack – 3 adults, 3 pups (6 total)
- Willow Creek Pack – 5 adults, 3 pups (8 total)
- 1330F/1336M Group – 2 adults, 0 pups (2 total)
- Lone wolves – 0
Note 1: These numbers are accurate as of 12/31/2023. They may have changed during 2024 and, if so, will be updated in the next Yellowstone Wolf Project report.
Note 2: Pack names that are bold indicate the presence of one or more breeding pairs.
What Are the Best Places to See Wolves in Yellowstone National Park?
As the Yellowstone wolf pack map above shows, there’s a dense concentration of wolves in the northern third of the park, particularly in the Northern Range and Lamar Valley.
Although you might see a wolf elsewhere in the park, the following are generally regarded as the four best areas for wolf watching in Yellowstone:
- Hayden Valley
- Blacktail Deer Plateau
- Tower-Roosevelt
- Lamar Valley
I’ll describe each area in more detail below. When possible, I’ve also specified which wolf packs you’re most likely to see in each area, along with some suggested viewpoints, overlooks, and/or roads.
This was part 1 of the FAQs about Yellowstone’s gray wolves. You can find part 2 after this next section featuring the best places to see wolves in Yellowstone National Park.
Best Places for Wolf Watching in Yellowstone National Park
1. Hayden Valley
Located between Canyon and Fishing Bridge, Hayden Valley is a sprawling plain in the very heart of the national park. A few streams cross the valley—most notably Alum Creek and Trout Creek—on their way to their confluence with the Yellowstone River.
Home to significant herds of both bison and elk, this is the territory of the Wapiti Lake Pack, which roams much of central Yellowstone National Park.
There are couple of great viewpoints along the road through Hayden Valley, particularly the Yellowstone River Overlook and Grizzly Overlook. These are excellent spots to spend a couple of hours with your binoculars or spotting scope, searching for the Wapiti Lake wolves.
Additionally, I’ve also seen a couple of lone wolves along the road here.
- Hayden Valley Wolf Packs: Wapiti Lake Pack
- Recommended Wolf Watching Viewpoints in Hayden Valley: Grizzly Overlook, Yellowstone River Overlook
NOTE: Unlike Blacktail Deer Plateau, the Northern Range, and Lamar Valley, Hayden Valley is inaccessible by car in winter. All roads in and out of the valley are typically closed from November through April. In spring, however, this is a great place to watch wolves, as they feed on winter-killed elk and bison.
2. Blacktail Deer Plateau
A huge area of highlands, sagebrush plains, and mountains in the northwest of the park, Blacktail Deer Plateau stretches from Mammoth Hot Springs to Tower-Roosevelt.
This is a wildlife haven, home to everything from black and grizzly bears to pronghorn, elk, deer, bison, and wolves. In fact, there are currently at least three wolf packs on Blacktail Deer Plateau.
The most prominent pack is the 8 Mile Pack, which occupies the western half of the plateau.
The other packs are the Lupine Creek Pack, which split off from the 8 Mile Pack, and the Rescue Creek Pack, which lives in the plateau’s eastern part and around Tower-Roosevelt.
Occasionally, the Wapiti Lake Pack may also venture this far north, especially in winter, in search of prey animals—mainly the countless elk that overwinter in the Northern Range.
When driving across Blacktail Deer Plateau, you’ll notice how expansive the views are. From much of the road, there’s a panoramic view of the plains, meadows, ponds, and low depressions that make up the plateau.
Particularly favorable places to look for wolves are Blacktail Pond, the Forces of the Northern Range Nature Trail, and Blacktail Plateau Drive.
- Blacktail Deer Plateau Wolf Packs: 8 Mile Pack, Lupine Creek Pack, Rescue Creek Pack, Junction Butte Pack
- Recommended Wolf Watching Places on Blacktail Deer Plateau: Blacktail Pond, Forces of the Northern Range Nature Trail, Blacktail Plateau Drive
NOTE: Blacktail Plateau Drive is well-known for its fantastic wildlife viewing opportunities. However, this unpaved, 6-mile-long one-way backcountry road is in a bear management area and is closed in spring. You can only drive it in summer and early-fall.
3. Tower-Roosevelt
Tower-Roosevelt is the area where the Yellowstone River meets the Lamar River. It’s in the middle of the wildlife-rich Northern Range, a place characterized by steep hills, cliffs, evergreen forests, and meadows.
This is the primary home of the Rescue Creek Pack, although there is some overlap with the territories of the Junction Butte Pack (from Lamar Valley) and Wapiti Lake Pack (from Hayden Valley).
Good locations to search for wolves at Tower-Roosevelt include Elk Creek and the Hellroaring Trail, both of which are west of Tower Junction.
To the east of Tower Junction, I recommend focusing on Little America, a 4-mile stretch of road between the Yellowstone River Picnic Area and the Lamar River bridge.
The Specimen Ridge Trail, which starts at the Yellowstone River Picnic Area, also offers potential wolf sightings.
- Tower-Roosevelt Wolf Packs: Rescue Creek Pack, Junction Butte Pack
- Recommended Wolf Watching Locations at Tower-Roosevelt: Elk Creek, Hellroaring Trailhead, Specimen Ridge Trail, Little America
4. Lamar Valley
The prime place to watch wolves in Yellowstone National Park is, without question, Lamar Valley. Moreover, this is often considered to be the best place in the world to see wolves in the wild.
This sprawling valley encompasses much of the northeast of Yellowstone National Park and is the year-round home of huge numbers of bison and elk. Especially in winter, this is where many of Yellowstone’s ungulates gather, which in its turn attract hungry wolves.
The main wolf pack in Lamar Valley is the Junction Butte Pack, which roam the entire area on both sides of the Lamar Valley.
A bit to the east lies the territory of the Shrimp Lake Pack, centered on the lowlands and hills around Soda Butte Creek and Cache Creek.
Wolf watching opportunities abound in Lamar Valley. Yet, there are some specific locations that tend to offer the best chances of seeing them. Slough Creek is an especially popular area to look for wolves and the one I’d suggest going to first.
Elsewhere in Lamar Valley, you can try the general Yellowstone Forever Institute area.
Additionally, the confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek is another promising place to look for gray wolves, as it sits in the area where the territories of the Junction Butte Pack and Shrimp Creek Pack meet.
- Lamar Valley Wolf Packs: Junction Butte Pack, Shrimp Lake Pack
- Recommended Wolf Watching Areas in Lamar Valley: Slough Creek, Yellowstone Forever Institute, confluence of the Lamar River and Soda Butte Creek
Map of the Best Places to See Wolves in Yellowstone National Park
This map provides a visual overview of where to see wolves in Yellowstone, both general areas and specific viewing locations.
Yellowstone National Park Wolf Safety Tips
Although wolves are generally not considered dangerous to humans—not a single wolf has ever attacked a person in Yellowstone National Park—you should still treat them as wild animals.
A wolf becomes a potential threat if it gets habituated to human-related food, which includes everything from garbage and left-out campground dinners to livestock.
For your own safety and that of other visitors who come after you, here are several things you can—and should—do:
- Never feed a wolf or other wild animals. Use food storage boxes while camping and don’t leave any food or garbage unattended.
- Never leave small children alone and unsupervised.
- If you have a dog, always keep it on a leash.
- If you see a wolf, don’t approach it. Stay at least 100 yards from wolves.
- During a wolf encounter, never run away. Stop in your tracks, make yourself large and observe how the wolf behaves. Maintain eye contact.
- If a wolf approaches you, yell at it, wave your arms, open your jacket,… Try to appear as big and threatening as possible.
- If a wolf continues to get closer, throw things at it while you keep yelling and waving. As a last resort, deploy your bear spray. (Learn how to use bear spray correctly here.)
- Whenever possible, hike with a partner or in a group.
- Report unusual wolf behavior and the presence of wolves near a developed area to the appropriate authorities.
Yellowstone National Park Wolf Watching FAQs (Part 2)
This second part of the Yellowstone wolf FAQs addressed some more specific questions about the animals’ history, lifespan, and feeding behavior.
Have There Always Been Wolves in Yellowstone?
“Although wolf packs once roamed from the Arctic tundra to Mexico, loss of habitat and extermination programs led to their demise throughout most of the United States by the early 1900s,” the National Park Service says.
Extirpation (1872-1926)
Gray wolves were present in healthy numbers in Yellowstone National Park when the park was established in 1872, but they were all but extirpated from the area by the 1940s.
Reasons for their extirpation included decreased prey numbers due to expanding agriculture, conflicts with livestock owners, and active hunting by humans.
Around the turn of the 20th century, wolves were actively being poisoned within Yellowstone National Park, under the guise of “predator control.”
Absence (1927-1995)
The last wolf pack in Yellowstone was killed in 1926, although there continued to be reports of the occasional single wolf sighting, which were increasingly rare. The animals remained missing from the landscape until their reintroduction in mid-1990s.
So no, wolves have not always lived in Yellowstone, but that is entirely due to human actions.
Things began changing for better for wolves in the Yellowstone region in the 1970s, a decade that saw greater concern for the natural environment.
The Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, requiring the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) to restore endangered species. The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE) was selected as one of three wolf recovery areas.
Reintroduction and Restoration (1996-present)
In 1995 and 1996, 31 wild gray wolves from western Canada were released in Yellowstone National Park. In 1997, another 10 gray wolves from northwestern Montana were relocated to the park.
This initial population of 41 animals thrived in this wild landscape, which had always supported various wolf packs, causing a so-called trophic cascade in the Yellowstone ecosystem.
You can read more about wolf restoration in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, as well as a detailed timeline of the history of Yellowstone wolves, here on the NPS website.
How Long Do Wolves Live in Yellowstone National Park?
In Yellowstone National Park, the average lifespan of wolves is 4-5 years. For reference, their lifespan outside of the park is significantly shorter, averaging 2-3 years.
The oldest known wolf in Yellowstone National Park was 478F of the Cougar Creek Pack, who lived 12.5 years.
The main cause of death within the park is death caused by other wolves, while outside of the park, the main cause of death is human-related (hunting, traffic,…)
What Do Wolves Eat in Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone wolves eat almost exclusively hoofed mammals. Their primary prey is elk, which makes up 90% of their winter diet. In summer, they still prey mainly on elk, but also on deer and other smaller mammals.
Additionally, wolves occasionally eat bison in Yellowstone, too. However, the majority of their bison consumption takes place in spring and summer, either from winter-killed bison carcasses or bison that have succumbed to “injuries sustained during breeding season,” the National Park Service says.
Their feeding habits are categorized as “generalist carnivore,” meaning that they prefer meat, but will eat small amounts of vegetation, such as berries, if other food sources are scarce.
Although they’re well-known for their spectacular hunts, wolves will scavenge whenever they can.
According to the Park Service, their main food sources in Yellowstone by season are the following:
Winter food sources
- Elk: >96%
- Bison: 3-4% (and increasing in the past several years)
- Deer: 1.5%
Spring food sources
- Elk: 89%
- Bison: 7%
- Deer: 7.1 %
Summer food sources
- Elk: 85%
- Bison: 14.1%
- Deer: <1%
10 Books to Read Before Your Visit to Yellowstone
- Empire of Shadows: The Epic Story of Yellowstone – George Black
- Deep Into Yellowstone: A Year’s Immersion in Grandeur & Controversy – Rick Lamplugh
- Yellowstone Ranger: Stories from a Life in Yellowstone – Jerry Mernin
- Decade of the Wolf: Returning the Wild to Yellowstone – Douglas Smith & Gary Ferguson
- The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone’s Legendary Druid Pack – Rick McIntyre
- Wild Rescues: A Paramedic’s Extreme Adventures in Yosemite, Yellowstone and Grand Teton – Kevin Grange
- Bring Jade Home: The True Story of a Dog Lost in Yellowstone and the People Who Searched for Her – Michelle Caffrey
- Taken by Bear in Yellowstone: More Than a Century of Harrowing Encounters between Grizzlies and Humans – Kathleen Snow
- Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park – Lee H. Whittlesey
- Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Full-Color Travel Guide) – Fodor’s Compass Guides