We sat on our ski mobiles, hands stiff on the breaks and hearts racing as we stared down the snowy path where we’d intended to drive. Our guide was young. Younger than me. In his mid-twenties, if I had to guess, and the exhilarated energy radiating from him was a mixture of anticipation and fear. He turned to us, a line of tourists on our individual ski mobiles, standing so that his body was raised off the saddle of the vehicle under him. 

“We shouldn’t get any closer,” he said, “but they’re right there.”

He pointed down to where we could see low bodies moving, gray specks against white snow. There was also another tour in front of us, but they were in van with high wheels and locked metal doors. The truck was stopped to avoid the sounds of the motor scaring the animals (or worse them becoming accustomed to those sounds).

We found ourselves in this spot after having been tipped off that wolves were spotted back the way we’d come. We did a quick U-turn on the frosty path and drove back up, stopping when we realized that the animals were not off on some visible ridge away from the path but, in fact, right in front of us. Seeing the shock on our guides face helped solidify the fact that this was rare. Very rare. We hadn’t expected to see wolves during this drive through Yellowstone National Park. Bison, yes. Wolves, slim chance. 

At the time, we were told that there were only about 96 wolves in Yellowstone. The pack in front of us looked to be made up of around ten or so of them.  

We turned off our snowmobiles and craned our necks to see the animals that stood about twenty feet away. . They were mostly gray wolves with one or two black wolves. Black coats are due to a gene mutation that is likely to have originated when humans first introduced domesticated dogs into North America. 

We had been stopped for only five minutes or so when we realized that the wolves weren’t, in fact, moving away from us. They were moving toward us. 

Time seemed to freeze as we blinked and looked to our guide for… guidance. He squirmed a bit, debating what was worse: the sounds of our engines turning back on and potentially aggravating the animals or allowing them to get close enough for us to be in potential danger. 

In hindsight, the former would have been the best solution (his manager confirmed it after he quickly called to explain what happened), but what we decided in the moment was to keep the motors turned off and to  sit very still and quietly on our vehicles as the wolves made their way toward us. 

It was thrilling in a terrifying sort of way as their lithe bodies drew closer, coming more clearly into view. They trotted toward us, moving casually along, their legs turning under them as they passed. Though a few stopped to take in the view of our strange group (and likely breathe in our scents a bit more clearly), they didn’t seem too interested in us. I suppose I should be very grateful for that. 

I must admit that to me, they simply looked like large dogs. Of course, what are wolves if not basically large (very large) dogs? But still, I think I was expecting more ferocity. Perhaps it was their lack of interest in us that left me contemplating how easy it would be to forget that these were wild animals. Still, if one looked at me for longer than a minute, I would have started that motor right up and fled! 

Watching them pass us, moving down the snowbank and following the path in the direction we’d come, I knew we’d all been holding our breaths. A collective sigh was let out as the lanky creatures left us behind. We couldn’t believe what had just happened. We’d just been feet away from a Yellowstone wolf pack. 

That experience certainly peaked my interest in these animals, but I’d always been a bit fascinated by wolves. How could I not be? They’ve staked their claim on humans since the beginning. And we have put them into our fairytales, turned them into monsters, villains. But they’re real. And they play a part in the economy of the earth.

Wolves’ Impact on the Environment

In Yellowstone, researchers continue to monitor the effects of the repopulation of wolves on the environment. Though there is still more data to be collected to determine whether or not the park is seeing a beneficial effect, there is enough data currently available to help us see that wolves (like other apex predators) help maintain balance in their natural environments. They can keep prey populations, like elk and deer, in check which reduces over-grazing and can help prevent excessive erosion. Similar to bears catching more salmon than they can consume, other animals as well as the flora in the surrounding area benefit from these carnivorous kills; coyotes, eagles, and other smaller animals enjoy the spoils and nutrients are redistributed. 

Additional Reading & Insights

I’ve been a member of the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project for a few years now and enjoy learning more about the wolf population and their history in the Western United States through the e-book resources that they have on their website as well as their video content. If you’re interested in more wolfy facts, you can check out the resources on the Rocky Mountain Wolf Project here >