Driver faced pack of wolves on dark road in Yellowstone National Park, video shows
There are less than 100 gray wolves spread across Yellowstone National Park’s 2.2 million acres, so a California man got lucky when he caught an entire pack in his headlights.
Then again, that’s only if you consider it lucky to meet a pack of wolves in the dark.
It happened Sept. 11, Daryl Mckay says, and a minute-long video posted on Facebook reveals he and a companion were thrilled to see nine adult wolves standing in their way. (Click here to see the video.)
“Simply amazing experience tonight,” Mckay posted Saturday on the National Park Service Fan Page, which has 132,000 members.
“While driving between Norris and Madison junction, just before Gibbon Falls, the whole entire wolf pack was in the middle of the road! We got to enjoy these beauties for about 15 minutes including a lot of howling.”
Mckay slowed his vehicle to give the pack their space, and none of the seven appeared afraid. At least one stopped in the road, as if daring Mckay to drive closer.
Adding to the eerie feel of the moment were clouds of steam seen rising in the background from the park’s Beryl Spring and steam vent.
Mckay says the encounter happened at 10 p.m. Friday, as he drove home from a day trip to Cody, Wyoming.
“I go to Yellowstone each summer/fall and I’ve never experienced anything so extraordinary,” he told McClatchy News. “We counted eight wolves in the road and another on the hillside. They even walked onto the wooden pedestrian boardwalk and just stood watching us. Not once in 30 plus years have I ever caught an entire pack, much less in the roadway.”
The video has gotten nearly 2,000 reactions since being posted, with many of the commenters calling it an unusual “once in a life time” experience.
“Pretty amazing. With all the hiking I’ve done, I’ve still never seen a wolf in the wild,” Roy McCullough posted.
“Wow, you were so close!” posted Debby Lott.
“Not good to hitch hike after dark there,” Thomas A. Daniels added.
The National Park Service says this year marks the 25th anniversary of gray wolves being introduced to the park. It’s believed 528 live “in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” with at least 94 inside the park’s boundaries. Those 94 are divided into eight packs, the park reports.
Wolf packs are most active from dusk to dawn and “the northern range of Yellowstone is one of the best places in the world to watch wolves,” the park says.
The National Park Service recommends humans stay at least 100 yards away from the wolves, which are considered “unpredictable and dangerous.”
This story was originally published September 15, 2020 at 4:02 PM with the headline "Driver faced pack of wolves on dark road in Yellowstone National Park, video shows."