October 18, 2026
Lakota Wolf Preserve: Watching Wolves in Warren County
New Jersey has wolves. Not in the way a tabloid means it, where you squint at a coyote and tell yourself a story — actual wolves, living in a woodland preserve in Warren County, and you can go watch them. It is one of the best-kept secrets in the northern part of the state, mostly because the wolves are not doing any of their own marketing.
Getting There
About 1 hour 15 minutes. Take I-80 west and get off for Columbia — the preserve is at 89 Mount Pleasant Road, Columbia, on the grounds of the Camp Taylor campground. Do not just show up: this is not a self-guided attraction. Visits run as reserved “Wolf Watch” tours, roughly 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., closed Mondays, and you should book before you drive (weekend tours do not always need a reservation, but it is not worth finding out the hard way).
What to Explore
The preserve keeps wolves, foxes, bobcats and lynx in natural wooded enclosures, and a keeper walks you around while the wolves do what wolves do, which is mostly watch you back with exactly the amount of patience you would expect from something that has been doing this for a million years. It is educational in the way that being stared at by a top predator is educational: you remember it, and you are slightly more aware of where the exits are.
Pair It With the Water Gap
Columbia sits right at the edge of the Delaware Water Gap, so the move is to make a day of it: wolves in the morning, then drive the Old Mine Road and the scenic overlooks through the Gap while the foliage is still holding. Dress in layers — the whole preserve is outdoors and unheated, which in late October means you will be cold for the best possible reason. Kids lose their minds here; a bored twelve-year-old who has watched one video of a wolf howling will talk about nothing else for a month.
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Written by Frankie
Frankie is Chief Editor & Marketing Director for Frosty Flame Vehicle Rentals.
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