It’s not every day you get to experience interacting with wild animals, but it is even more rare to come close to species in Indiana that are no longer considered native to the area. At Wolf Park, located 15 minutes from Lafayette/West Lafayette, you can walk among wolves, foxes, and bison.
Wolves do not mind being in wet weather, so when I arrived at Wolf Park on a rainy afternoon, I was greeted by the animals within the first few minutes of being on the property. There are many ways you can experience the park and animals. The “Follow the Pack Tour” is a 45-minute walk around the park that is guided by one of their trained educators. These tours are typically scheduled earlier in the day. An evening event option is the “Howl Night.” The wolves become more active in the cooler night air, which allows you to see more of their behaviors and ways of communication with each other and the park staff. Feeding tours, photography tours and bison tours are also offered for more unique encounters with these animals.
I registered for the “Follow the Pack Tour,” which is a group event but with the low attendance, most likely due to the weather conditions, I received a private tour on a golf cart with one of the staff members. On the tour, the educator explained to me everything from the personalities of the wolves to how the purpose of the park is to serve as an education center for both researchers and public visitors.
After visiting each of the different animals, I was able to walk around and explore the area on my own. Sitting behind the fence next to the wolves playing with each other was one of my favorite parts of the visit. In this moment all I wanted to do was simply sit there and take in the fact that I was getting to watch these wild animals interact in an area that is their natural environment.
One of the great qualities of Wolf Park is the opportunity to have a different experience each time you visit. Admission cost will vary based on the event you choose. The standard “Follow the Pack Tour” is $10 for adults and $8 for children. Ages 5 and under are admitted free with the purchase of an adult ticket. The tours are offered Tuesday through Sunday. You can find more information about the park and schedule a visit of your own at the Home of Purdue page.
Purdue University Student, Natalie Taylor, shares this blog. This blog is part of a series of articles submitted to Visit Lafayette-West Lafayette through a cooperation with a 400-level travel writing class at Purdue University.
