California Now Has 12 Known Wolf Packs. Here’s Where They Are.
California’s gray wolf population continues to expand, and the numbers in the latest report from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife tell a remarkable story.
According to CDFW’s March 2026 update, the state now has 12 known wolf packs spread primarily across the northern third of California. That is up from just a single pack less than a decade ago. An estimated 90 wolves now call the state home, all descendants of animals that began crossing the Oregon border in 2011.
The longest-established group is the Lassen pack in southwestern Lassen and northern Plumas counties, which has produced litters every year since 2017. The Whaleback pack in Siskiyou County is the most prolific, with a 10-pup litter in 2025 alone. Both packs trace their lineage back to OR7, the famous lone wolf who first crossed into California from Oregon in December 2011.
Newer packs have formed rapidly. The Harvey pack in western Lassen County, the Diamond pack near the Nevada border in Plumas County and the Ice Cave pack south of Lassen Volcanic National Park all established territories in 2023 and 2024. Four more packs were officially recognized in 2025 and early 2026, including the Tunnison pack near Susanville, the Grizzly pack in southern Plumas County, and the Interstate and Whitehorse packs in Modoc County near the Oregon border.
The growth has not come without conflict. The Beyem Seyo pack was lethally removed in late 2025 after unprecedented livestock losses in Sierra Valley that included at least 88 cattle kills over one summer. It was the first time in modern California history that wolves were intentionally killed by the state. CDFW has since expanded its toolkit, deploying strike teams, drone hazing programs and authorizing sheriffs to use pepper balls to push wolves away from livestock.
Further south, the Yowlumni pack in Tulare and Kern counties experienced a mange outbreak and multiple wolf deaths in 2025. One young female from that territory briefly traveled into Los Angeles County in February 2026, the first confirmed wolf sighting there in over a century.
Gray wolves remain protected under both state and federal endangered species law. Killing a wolf is a crime. To report a violation, call CalTIP at 1-888-334-2258.
