Outreach and Education
Visit LARS this summer for a tour!
The Large Animal Research Station (LARS) will be open for public tours May 26-September 4. During a tour, guests can expect to see and learn about muskoxen, reindeer, and wood bison. LARS has a gift shop that is open daily from 9:30am-4pm and has AVÀÇÂÛ̳n gifts and qiviut (muskox fiber) yarn and products for sale.
Tour days and times: Tours occur daily at 10am, 12pm, and 2pm. For groups of less than 10 people, tickets can be purchased at LARS 5-10 minutes before the tour begins.
Pricing: Tours are $20 for adults and $15 for students, seniors (ages 65+), and military. Youth ages 4 and under are free.
Come prepared for the weather, uneven ground and/or mud. Tours are entirely outside and last about 45 minutes — 1 hour.
Have a group of ten or more? Please reach out to us to inquire about a private tour at uaf-lars-tours@alaska.edu or call 907-474-5724
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 10am-4pm
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 11am-3pm.
Dates and times, TBA
Parking is limited, so consider taking the shuttle from the Akasofu building.
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 AVÀÇÂÛ̳n artists and artisans. Entry is free and open to the public. Minors must be accompanied by an adult.