A great day looking for red wolves and other wildlife - I met Aspen before sunrise and we had a fantastic day. She is very knowledgeable about red wolves, and I learned a lot about their conservation and ecology. Her knowledge of the status of the population was more updated than I received at the visitor center. I have worked as a wildlife management biologist, wildlife researcher, and university-level educator, so I feel that I can vouch for Aspen’s high level of knowledge. She used this knowledge, fresh sign (scats and tracks), and posts of sightings on social media almost like a detective to try to predict where the chances were best to see them. We were unlucky with the weather, with rain and some impressive downpours at midday, when we took a break. We didn’t see any wolves, but we saw 4 species of snakes, 2 species of turtles, about 30 black bears, a river otter, white-tailed deer, and lots of birds in this beautiful refuge. Aspen felt bad for me and offered to take me out the next morning before I was to leave. That really impressed me. We had some very exciting hours, as she could find fresh tracks in the mud, she found a scat deposited after we had arrived, as it was not there when we first drove by. From the direction of the two tracks, she predicted where they might be headed, and we drove there. There were several places with views of the fields, so we drove back and forth, searching for them. We met some people looking into the fields who had just seen two red wolves. We had missed them by only a couple of minutes!!! Of course it was disappointing, but I was extremely impressed with Aspen’s ability to use the signs she found had to increase the probability to see them. She worked very hard for me and we only barely missed them. I will return to the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge and try again to see a red wolf, the world’s rarest carnivore. When I do, I will engage Aspen again. Aspen is knowledgeable, hard-working, pleasant, and extremely good in the field. I would recommend her to anyone who wants to see red wolves or just experience this refuge. But, I would recommend booking more than one day to do so.

The best way to view this uniquely American canid. - If you're reading this, you know what the ARNWR has to offer. I can't say enough positive things about Aspen's wildlife tour - she is a very knowledgeable, passionate, and kind guide who you can tell truly loves the animals native to region. Just a short trip from the OBX, Aspen offers a truly unique experience and an opportunity to spot the critically endangered American Red Wolf, among other wildlife. We need to do all we can to help protect these magnificent and much-unjustly-maligned wolves, and the first step towards that is in knowing that they exist and seeing them first-hand. I would certainly recommend Wildlife with Aspen.

Ethical Wildlife Tour - Aspen is a very ethical tour guide who provides the ins and outs of the refuge and how to look for wildlife. She also does what she can to provide a red wolf viewing while demonstrating the best regard for such a critically endangered species. Even when seeing red wolves didn't work out for us, we got to see numerous other animals including black bears, timber rattle snakes, otters, and alligators.