Outreach and Education
Visit LARS for a Winter Tour!
The Large Animal Research Station (LARS) will be running tours in the winter on Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday afternoons. During a tour, guests can expect to see and learn about muskoxen, reindeer, and wood bison. Our gift shop has LARS merchandise, Alaskan gifts, and qiviut (muskox fiber) products for sale and will be open for shopping following the tour.
Winter tour season at LARS is October 22-December 5 and February 4-March 28. Tours are not offered in December and January due to cold temperatures and limited daylight. Exact dates can be viewed when purchasing tickets.
Pre-registration is required! Winter tour tickets must be purchased in advance (we do not accept walk-ins). Tickets sell out quickly, often days or weeks before the tour. Buy tickets here.
Pricing: Winter tours are $20 for adults and $15 for youth (ages 5-17). Under age 5 are free.
Come prepared for the weather, uneven ground, snow, ice and/or mud. Tours last about 1 hour and are entirely outdoors. Guests should be prepared to walk about ¼ mile during the tour. We will cancel tours when the weather is below -20F. We recommend wearing boots/waterproof shoes because guests will have to walk through a liquid disinfecting solution for biosecurity reasons.
Have a group of ten or more? We may be able to offer a private tour time, reach out to uaf-lars-tours@alaska.edu or call 907-474-5724
Planning a trip for the summer? Summer tour season begins late May and ends in early September. During the summer we have tours daily at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. For groups of less than 10 people, no pre-reservation is required. Email us with questions about summer tours or to schedule a tour for groups of 10 or more.
Field trips
Field trips at LARS are a great way to engage your students and get them excited about Arctic ecology and large mammals. They are suitable for all ages, and content can be adjusted to better fit current curriculum. Please email us at uaf-lars-tours@alaska.edu to schedule. Field trips should be arranged at least two weeks in advance and typically occur from May-September.
Cost is $5 per student. Teachers and chaperones are free. We request that there be 1 adult for every 6 students on the trip as chaperones. If this is not possible please mention that in your email so we can discuss some good pre-trip guidelines to set with your students.
Events
Saturday, June 6 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Join us at LARS in celebrating our muskox and reindeer calves turning 1 and the arrival of a new wood bison herd. There won’t be new calves this year (LARS didn't breed last fall as part of our herd management plan), but no need to worry, we have some fun surprises for the animals planned and will still have the younger members of our herds on display. We’ll also have family-friendly activities, local organizations, food trucks, and a qiviut (muskox wool products) raffle. Free and open to all! Minors must be accompanied by an adult.
Parking is limited, so consider taking the FREE shuttle from the Nenana lot on UAF
campus from 11 a.m.-3 p.m.
Saturday, September 12 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Wednesday, November 18, 2026
11 a.m.-4 p.m.
The Large Animal Research Station is bringing its gift shop to UAF campus (Murie building lobby) for all of your holiday shopping needs! We’ll have LARS apparel, muskox and reindeer themed gifts, and qiviut. You’ll also be able to shop gifts from local Alaskan artists and artisans. Entry is free and open to the public. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.