U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service - Midwest Region masthead

Gray Wolf (Canis lupus)

Range in the Conterminous United States

Gray wolves once lived in much of the contiguous United States. They were only absent from a portion of California,the southwest corner of Arizona and from the red wolf range in the southeastern United States. By 1974, when gray wolves were listed as an endangered species, their breeding range had been reduced to a small corner of northeastern Minnesota and Isle Royale, Michigan. Individual wolves were periodically observed in the West, but there were no breeding packs. Recovery efforts have since restored the wolf to many areas of its historic range, including portions of the Southwest, the Rocky Mountains, and the western Great Lakes Region.

map of current range

map of the 1974 range of the gray wolf in the lower 48 states

map of historical gray wolf range in lower 48 states

Revised January 29, 2007

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Gray Wolf Recovery Areas:
Western Great Lakes | Northern Rockies | Southwestern (Mexican Wolf)

Home Pages:
USFWS |USFWS Endangered Species | Midwest Region | Midwest Region's Endangered Species