The Smoke Wolves, like many Appalachian cryptids, are a species that hail from north West Virginia. Unlike most cryptids, there are multiple of this creature, and they seemingly travel in groups, like any typical wolf species.

Described as wolves made of smoke, as the name indicates, these creatures seem to be one of the only ones that are actively malevolent rather than defensive (such as cryptids that protect certain regions, like the Goatman or are nonviolent such as most iterations of Bigfoot).

In an article by Travel Channel that discusses ten cryptids of Appalachia, it mentions a man who sighted them on his property and claims that they “kill for fun” as well as that the only defense is the sound of rattling chains. Alternatively, a small article from a-zanimals.com by Kristen Holden (similar to that of the Travel Channel’s which rates thirteen cryptids) states that they are physical wolves with the ability to turn into smoke, hence their ability to evade photography and capture.

There is a group under the acronym of AIMS (Appalachian Investigators of Mysterious Sightings) who looked into the animals as a tribute to their leader who had died recently (John “Trapper” Tice) in which they discuss the removal of wolves from Tygart Valley in West Virginia. According to that article, large wolf-like creatures with red eyes appeared after that removal. According to them, the last known wolf was killed in the 1900s. They went there to prove that there were wolves still in the area, but the more they talked to locals the more AIMS seemed to find evidence of something supernatural. This group also had relations with Travel Channel as they had a six-season show by the name of “Mountain Monsters.” They cover Smoke Wolves (along with Bigfoot and the Grafton Monster) on season six, episode seven, where they discuss the space shared between multiple beings. It seems to be that most articles containing information of the Smoke Wolves eventually tie back to the AIMS community, which for a region full of monsters, comes not as a surprise, but as a unique piece of lore in itself.

Photo animation of the Smoke Wolf. (Contributed/reddit.com)


One question comes to mind, if these wolves came after the removal of normal wolves, one must wonder, what made them come to the area, or were they there before, their behavior covered up by the other subspecies in the area?