Outreach and Education
Visit LARS for a tour!
The Large Animal Research Station (LARS) will be open for tours throughout the fall and winter. During a tour, guests can expect to see and learn about muskoxen, reindeer, and wood bison. Our gift shop will be open for shopping following the tour and has LARS merchandise, qiviut (muskox fiber) yarn and knit products, and Alaskan gifts.
Fall tour days and times: Tours will occur at 2pm on Sundays, Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays in September. Tickets can be purchased online here. Tickets may be available at the door for guests that arrive at 1:50pm.
Pricing: Tours are $20 for adults and $15 for youth (ages 5-17).
Come prepared for the weather, uneven ground and/or mud. Tours are entirely outside and last about 1 hour.
Have a group of ten or more or want to request a special tour time? Please reach out to us to inquire about a private tour at uaf-lars-tours@alaska.edu or call 907-474-5724
Winter tours: LARS will be open for afternoon winter tours on Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays from mid October-early December and February-early April. Ticket details and an exact schedule will be posted when available. Contact us with winter tour questions.
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 two weeks in advance.
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.
November 2026
(Exact date TBA)
The Large Animal Research Station is bringing its gift shop to UAF campus 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.