We went to the
California Wolf Center in Julian yesterday and it was quite impressive. We didn't know what to expect at all, but it was an amazing experience.
The Wolf Center is located in Julian, CA, a 3 hour drive from Long Beach (with only a bathroom break in Oceanside). Allow more time if you want to have lunch before you get there. The program is only a couple of hours at the Wolf Center, so it might be a good idea to make a day of it and check out the small town of Julian.
The route from the South Bay area is the 5 south to the 78 East. You pick up the 78 a little past Oceanside, so that's a good point for a potty break and to pick up a drink. The 78 *freeway* ends at Escondido and you go through town to pick up the 78 again. This is another good place to stop if you haven't done so, yet.
When you pick up the 78 East again, you will pass by the San Diego Wild Animal Park, the San Pascual Battlefield Historic Park, and the San Diego Archeological Museum. If you have enough time, you can add these to your learning for the day.
78 East goes through the town of Ramona and then you will hit Julian. In Julian, turn right at Main Street and then turn right onto the 79 South. You will go about 5 miles and see a sign for KQ Ranch Resort, turn left here. You go a short distance up to the entrance of the resort and there you will see a sign for the California Wolf Center. Wait there for an escort.
The dirt road to the center was washed out, so our escort lead us through the campgrounds to the Wolf Center. We parked next to a big house where our presentation would begin.
At the end of March, it is very cold up in Julian. It was 44F degrees when we were there. Definitely bring coats, scarves, and gloves. However, we heard the wolves are more active in cooler temperatures.
We went down to the house for our presentation about wolves. We got to see the difference between a coyote pelt and a wolf pelt. Wolves are definitely larger! After the presentation, we went out to see the wolves! The center is dedicated to the preservation and restoration of these wild predators in North America and has a few wolves in captivity.
The wolf enclosures are only a short walk away the house. We walked up to the fence and the wolves were definitely interested in us. We had to snap our pics quickly, because when they figured out we didn't have food, they started wandering back to where they had been laying down. We stayed out there for awhile, though, and they back round again.
After that we went down to see where the Mexican Gray Wolves were housed. They hung out by the fence almost the whole time we were there. It was easy to snap a photo and our host provided lots of info on wolves in general. We were invited to hang out outside a bit longer or go back to the house to check out some artifacts. The wolf pelt was soooo soft!
We hung out a bit, checked out the gift shop, and soon it was time to be led back to the highway. Rachel was sooo fascinated by the wolves and it was amazing.
We headed back to Julian for dinner and then we were on our way home.
