white wolf sanctuary & educational facility

We have been visiting White Wolf Sanctuary at least once a year for the past 4 years. It is a beautiful sanctuary and the wolves are truely magnificent. Kudos to Lois and her staff and volunteers for providing such a wonderful home for them. The tour is very educational, and a good learning experience for kids as well as adults.Visiting our " adopted " wolf Sakarri is always a joy, and our visits to the sanctuary are the highlight of our vacations to the Oregon Coast.Taking photos is not allowed, for the comfort and safety of the wolves, but some great photos are available for purchase in the gift shop. Very reasonable prices in the gift shop on lots of cool items.We love WWS!

Two thumbs way up for Lois and her crew! These people have dedicated their lives to helping these beautiful animals.Once you make your reservation, they will send you driving directions to an old service station in Tidewater (10 miles East of Waldport.) A volunteer will meet you there and lead the way to the sanctuary. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon and were lucky enough to be in a small group of six.Upon arrival, they offer snacks & beverages. Next, they tell you all about the sanctuary, show a video, answer questions, and go over the rules. They are very specific about how to behave around the wolves. Stick to these guidelines for a rewarding experience. After that, it's time to visit the wolves. They tend to be very shy & nervous. If the wolves aren't too stressed, a volunteer will invite you to approach their enlcosure. They let us pet and scratch them and a few of us even got wolf kisses. What a neat experience!Admission is $30 per adult and goes directly toward caring for the wolves. They also have a gift shop with shirts & other souvenirs.All of the wolves at this sanctuary were rescued from unfortunate situations and have been given a great life here. I realize that it can be bothersome to see them in captivity, but they are so much better off than their previous circumstances. Each wolf has been paired with a compatible mate. Additionally, their enclosures are HUGE. They have a very sophisticated fencing system that allows them to rotate the wolves to new terrain every few days.We really enjoyed our visit to the sanctuary. This group's efforts not only provide a wonderful habitat for these wolves, but also help with the protection and recovery of wolves in the wild. This was definitely a highlight of our trip to the coast. Check out their Adopt a Wolf program and other details on:whitewolfsanctuary.com

This is something that no one should miss seeing! What beautiful animals! I could have stayed all day day just watching them interact. They are so smart and curious it was one of the best adventures I have had in awhile.

While this is a great place to visit and a I do not feel bad about the high entry fees for donation, I was lead to believe this was a handycapped friendly environment. Unfortunately it was far from that. If you are not sure on your feet, have a walker or wheelchair you will not have a good time. Also the wolves will be spooked and you will not get close enough to enjoy.

What a delight to visit the Arctic White Wolf Sanctuary. They had 9 wolves and 3 babies. Because we were a big group the wolves were a big shy but the staff knew exactly how to handle them and the wolves were very curious about us. They finally came up to the fence and seemed more comfortable with us. It is a wonderful sanctuary to see these wonderful animals free inside their natural large enclosures.

In my journeys, I have visited 4 wolf sanctuaries and this one is by far the best. They all serve good purposes, but this one takes care of the rare Arctic white wolves. These are not wolves you see everyday in a zoo. The cost of the tour does seem a bit high of $30 for adults and $10 for kids, but all money goes into taking care of these rare and beautiful animals. You do have to call ahead for reservations since there are no signs anywhere nearby and no directions on the website. The meeting spot is not too hard to find. The spot on the road "town" of Tidewater has an old run down gas station and another building that says Tidewater. One of the volunteers meets you there and one can follow her up or carpool. It is a pretty drive up to the sanctuary and you know when you're there when the fences show up and there are a few wolves watching you when you pull up. After meeting Lois the owner, you are treated to snack and drinks. Ice tea, punch, granola bars, and fruit are offered. Lois is very passionate about her place. You spend the first hour hearing about the history of the place and how the wolves are important to nature. She shows a short video too. The last part of the first hour she tells you about how to approach the wolves and what to do if you want to take pictures. The wolves react to people in different ways depending on how they are approached. They even make you sign a photography waiver, but it's mainly because they don't want you to publish the pictures. Pictures have to be taken quickly. The last hour or so is for visiting the wolves. There are about 10 of them. Some share their enclosures, but they are big ones. They even have ways to switch pens easily so they don't have to be in the same area. All the wolves are beautiful. Some are shier than others, but the approachable ones are fun to watch. I didn't pet one, but the people who did go up the right way were treated to an awesome interaction. The wolves love the attention. Lois does a nice job of telling how they got the wolves and how some got their names. The most interesting one was for Odot. Odot is one of the wolves that has a harder time with interaction. He is actually named after the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). The sanctuary has an agreement with them that when they find road kill, the sanctuary gets it for food. So in honor of it, they named the wolf after them. After the tour is when you pay. You are also welcome to more refreshments. go through their photo albums, and even go through their small gift shop. After a while a volunteer leads everyone back to the main highway. Of any animal related attraction (zoos, aquariums, sanctuaries) that I have been to this is by far the best one I've been to. Even worth the high price of admission. Who knew that tiny little Tidewater would have the highlight of my Oregon Coast trip and it's about 10 miles away from the ocean? It was a last minute find before I left and I'm sure glad I found it. It is a MUST for any anyone who loves animals or anyone who is casually interested in going to see them.