Musk Ox Farm in Palmer: "Give a hoot about Qiv-iut" Jessica warmly greeted me when I walked through the doors and explained the building's layout. I arrived in-between tour times to give myself plenty of time to view the museum & gift shop. Dani Biersteker, Education Director & fellow knitter, took the time to answer my Qiviut knitting questions and taught me "Give a hoot about Qiv-iut". Several people arrived seeking farm tours, so Jessica gave an impromptu tour. Dani kindly let me tag along with the group; allowing me to pay after the tour so I would not miss out on any of the information. Jessica was an outstanding tour guide; informative yet funny. Jessica & Dani are incredibly knowledgeable and genuinely care about musk oxen conservation. This is a giant farm, with musk oxen roaming in very large fenced in areas. The surrounding landscape and mountain views are gorgeous. Please Note: For obvious safety reasons, this is not a petting farm. I paid for my tour ($16) and bought my once-in-a-lifetime100% Qiviut skeins. ($230 per 2 oz). I returned to the farm on my last day in AK to purchase gifts for friends & family back home. Lori there helped me create my own herds for my nieces & nephews back home. read more

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Lots of informative exhibits and observations of the animals. They are amazing creatures. read more

Musk Ox Farm - Sculpture - CSA Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

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These animals are really cool. The farm has guided tours. And you learn any and everything about these animals! Great habitats! Our guide was Jacob and he knew EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM. Thank you Jacob for a great experience read more

We were on a mission to see lots of places on our journey in Alaska. This was one of the places that was on our list. It was a rainy weekday in the late afternoon and when we stopped there was only a couple in there. The gift shop was small but the free museum was cool. Lots of fun facts about Musk Ox. We decided not to do the tour since we had other places to go that day and we wanted to be able to do them before it got dark. They had tours every hour if you want to head to the farm. Staff was friendly and you could tell that they have invested their time, energy and money back to the museum. They have information on ways that you can also support their mission and conservation efforts. Parking is plentiful....and bathrooms were nice and clean. read more

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The staff and the grounds were great but the gift shop was insanely expensive, the tour wasn't anything you'd write home about and I unfortunately don't feel it's worth the time or price. If you're an animal lover and want to support their mission, total different story, all in on that. But as far as a touristy thing to do, I do not recommend it. You cannot pet or feed the animals, or really even get close to the fence / make eye contact. Not little kid friendly. read more

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We happen to put this place while coming back from glacier view, over the Fourth of July weekend. It's located outside Anchorage by about an hour or so, and was a wonderful spot to learn about an animal that we didn't know much about, and get to interact with them as well! The place is literally a giant farm with tons of musk ox grazing throughout. Let me tell you, baby musk ox are totally cute! There were 4 running around and a ton of older musk oxen roaming free. The ladies giving the tours were a delight and had way more knowledge about the animals than I'd have expected! They were great guides, answered our myriad questions (we have three inquisitive little gents) and even helped us find things in the gift ship. Yours were very reasonable and were done every half hour or so. We missed our tours and they were happy the plug us into the next one. Overall, a must see for animal lovers or anyone looking for something a little different! read more

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Amazing farm must see of you are in a area Friendly ... Well versed .. Caring for This Pre Historic Animal read more

Cute store offering multiple kinds of musk ox yarn, as well as objects made with the yarn. I did not have time to tour the farm but the gift shop was really nice and the cashier super friendly/helpful, so I imagine the rest of the place is just as nice. read more

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Alright here's the real lowdown on this Musk Ox Farm. It's located in Palmer, Alaska and sits 10 miles away from the fantastic Reindeer Farm. I planned out my day for first taking a tour at the Reindeer Farm and then coming over here to the Musk Ox Farm. Pretty simple and efficient. But here's the obvious and main difference between the two farms.... - At the Reindeer Farm, it's all hands on!!! You get to "make nice" with the reindeer, pet them, feed them and interact with them. For me...honestly, it was one of the BEST MOMENTS during my 2 week Alaskan vacation!!! - Now coming here to the Musk Ox Farm and the experience was totally OPPOSITE of the Reindeer Farm. Granted, the musk ox are wild animals to the point where they can be unpredictable, so...during this tour, the ox are situated behind a fence. That's as close as you can get to them. There's no feeding the musk ox, even from behind the fencing area. Nothing. It's a straightforward 1 hour tour and yes...it was very informative and educational...but...when you have the Reindeer Farm right down the road in comparison to this Musk Ox Farm...they're not even close in terms of which was the better tour. I'm not saying this Musk Ox Farm was a total waste of time, but basically you have reindeer that are affectionate and which you can capture as many photos as you'd like of them...(which is of course what all tourists and families want to do on their vacations!!!)...and then here at this Musk Ox Farm it's strictly by the rules and no access near the animals. This Musk Ox Farm is a standard, guided tour around the grounds while the ox sit solemnly behind the fence and you learn about who they are and what makes them special. I was unable to take any pictures next to the musk ox. It's impossible. They're enclosed behind a fence and I realized I had difficulty accepting that fact. Nothing I can do about it though. Ultimately, I came from such an emotional joy cozying up to the animals at the Reindeer Farm to the atmosphere here which I found quite dull. It's hard not to be letdown between the two farms. And since they're so conveniently located next to each other, and both tours are similar in times (1 hour long), and they cost practically the same...I just had much higher expectations for this place. Anyway, I'd just like to mention some facts and memories from my visit here... - It wouldn't surprise me if tourists went to the Reindeer Farm and completely skipped this Musk Ox Farm. Just my opinion. - It's $11 to do the 1 hour tour. - Tours leave every hour on the hour during summers. - I booked my tour online at muskoxfarm.org. It was an easy and simple process online. I recommend doing it rather than arriving the day of. Who knows how busy tours can be especially during prime travel season. - My tour guide for the hour, Jessica, was incredibly knowledgeable and passionate about her work here at the farm and overall her feelings towards the well being of the musk ox. - Btw...the town of Palmer, Alaska is absolutely beautiful with scenic snow capped mountains set in the distance. So...doing a tour outside here for 1 hour, I appreciated the overall setting. And being here in late June, it wasn't too cold outside. It was nice and brisk. - Besides the Reindeer Farm being so nearby...I highly, highly RECOMMEND also hiking the WEST BUTTE TRAIL for stunning overlook views of the Palmer area. I hiked the trail in afternoon time after completing both farm tours. It made for quite a satisfying memory of Palmer. - There's a small, small gift shop located right at the front entrance area to the farm where you check-in for your tour. I actually bought some real life musk ox hair in a tiny zip-lock bag for $1 - $2. - I was quite impressed with how informative Jessica (my tour guide) was that I asked her if she accepted gratuities. Jessica mentioned she can't accept them but I can donate to the goodwill cause here at the farm, which I did for a few dollars. Lastly, well more like unfortunately...I wish somehow this Musk Ox Farm was more hands on with their animals and somehow you can pet and interact with them...but I do have to respect the fact that these animals were meant to be wild. I just figured that maybe these musk ox were handfed or domesticated so they'd be familiar with humans. But that's not the case and I have to accept it. It's just so hard to compare these two farms, Reindeer to Musk Ox. I had the best feelings after departing the Reindeer Farm meanwhile this mediocre Musk Ox Farm left me yearning for so much more. read more

A working farm and museum where the Musk Ox lives. A must see, ample parking, very clean and you purchase your tickets inside the museum. Every hour there is a tour to explore the working farm. The gift store has beautiful handmade wool items made locally by women and all proceeds go towards the maintenance of the farm. It's a beautiful space. The ladies working here are very knowledgeable, professional and friendly. My friend from Alaska took me here sharing with me about the musk ox. read more

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Unique gifts. Easy access. Friendly service. No food. Its a farm. Lots more as an event venue. Call for details.

Great educational tour with a guide. Get to meet a few of the musk oxes and hear their individual stories. There is a 3 legged musk ox that was harmed in a battle but is living in peace thanks to the farm. Great experience. Highly recommended read more

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What an amazing experience learning about the musk ox! This is the best and must-see farm in Palmer. Jessica was so full of enthusiasm and knowledge about the musk ox. She knows all the ox, their personalities, stories. The love she exudes about these ox are contagious. She made the tour so much fun! We learned, laughed and had a blast with her. Kudos to Jessica! Thank you for a great day on the farm. read more

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We really enjoyed our tour of the musk ox farm. The guide was friendly and obviously passionate about the animals. It was a great experience to see these rare animals up close and the tour was surprisingly educational as well. Of course due to covid they require masks even outside which they explained is to protect the musk ox. This is understandable. Although they are behind a fence and seem tame they are still wild animals so there is no petting of course. Anyone who thinks otherwise doesn't realize what a wild animal is. They have about 70 of the musk ox there so you can see males, females and various ages. there is only a wire fence so you are within inches of the musk ox to see them close up. They are beautiful animals and well taken care of. I would recommend highly especially for kids for the opportunity to see these gorgeous rare animals up close. Great gift ship and mini museum inside too. read more

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Beautiful farm with lots of great information. Our guide Rylee was very knowledgeable and it is evident that she cares a lot about the animals and enjoys her job. read more

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The Musk Ox farm is a great place to visit while in Palmer. We really enjoyed getting to see all the musk oxen and learning about them. The guide gave us lots of interesting information about them. We highly recommend going to the Musk Ox farm. read more

Musk Ox Farm - Musk ox in the museum - CSA Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

Full Disclosure: I have not taken the tour. The tour is the best way to see the Muskox here. If you don't take the tour you can walk around a small museum. Why did I not take the tour? Seemed kind of spendy for what it is, especially when you can see Muskox and many other animals in Portage for...not that much more money. The small museum area IS interesting. I love stuff like this though. Lots of great vintage photography and explanations of all things Muskox. I really love wool. And I really love hats. However, Muskox wool hats seem like they are made to sit in a case and...not actually be worn? I'd love to buy one, can y'all make one a bit more...sporty? Also: I have a big head, and they looked tiny. I felt weird asking if I could try on a $150+ beanie, so I didn't. It's worth a stop if you're driving through Palmer and need to kill some time. read more

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The tour was pretty good. There were about 6 people in our group. The guide was very well informed. I think the Musk Ox Farm is really cool. This was the best view and the closest that we got to musk oxen, out of the three places we visited in Alaska that had musk oxen. This farm is running a domestication project. And 'project' is the key word, because the musk ox are not actually domesticated YET. This was made very clear during the thorough safety briefing that we got before we could walk through down the paths on the farm. That also means that you can't get close to the musk oxen. You can't even get close to the fence around the musk oxen. Any pictures you take on the tour are going to have big fences in the way. Nobody touches the musk ox. Nobody. (If we can't touch the musk ox, how about letting us touch a musk ox hide?) I think they need to expand on the 'domestication project' aspect of the farm in their advertising and tour program. Because they advertise like it's a farm where you get to meet a musk ox, except that you don't really meet them, so it's not exactly fulfilling that side of things. We couldn't even take pictures of the (adorable) babies because the mother musk ox was so agitated by people walking by the pen, she was preparing to charge the fence and the guide told us to move along quickly. Instead of saying 'Meet the musk ox at the farm,' it would be more accurate, and create more realistic expectations, to say 'See the wild animals that we are hoping to gradually domesticate, over the next two hundred or two thousand years. Learn about domestication and see it in action.' Show us video of wild musk ox and then show us a video of the combing process, on a life-sized screen. Make the domestication project the star, rather than the musk ox. If this is a domestication project, explain the specific traits, breeding, lines, etc. What behaviors are due to breeding, and what is due to training / handling. Do friendly musk ox 'breed true'? What progress have you made in 50 years? What percentage of musk oxen just don't accept handling? (And if this is a domestication project, why are you even breeding the musk ox that charges the fence when people walk by?) In the museum, compare the domestication of the musk ox to the domestication of dogs, cattle, reindeer, goats, etc. How long is this going to take? Talk about the choice not to cull the bad musk oxen, when that was undoubtedly an important mechanism in the domestication of other animals. Talk about the balance between fiber traits and behavior traits. Show us the Soviet fox farms. Show us a domestication project. read more

Wow! What interesting creatures! The staff are very knowledgeable about the animals and the farm and do an excellent job answering all your questions. Going in the dead of winter when it's -10 degrees Fahrenheit outside is not ideal and I'm sure it's much more enjoyable in the summer. You don't get to feed, touch, or interact with the animals for safety reasons. But you do get to walk around the farm and the musk ox come right up to the fence for photos. They are also in the process of expanding and building a museum. read more

Do not recommend. You still have to wear a mask even when you can social distance and everything is outside. You can't even pet or get close to the musk ox. Not very kid friendly. I would recommend going to the reindeer farm down the road for a much more hands on and close up experience read more

Wonderful experience for people of all ages. Our guide Grayson was informative and knowledgeable. She also made the tour incredibly fun with tidbits of trivia and humor. We were able to get up close to the muskoxen and our guide seem to know everything about each different animal on the farm. All in all a great experience. I would highly recommend. read more

Loved our tour and learning from our tour guide. Being from farming families we appreciate the care they provide to their animals.

Musk oxen! Lots of them! These people are great. We visited the farm a couple of years ago and decided this was going to be one of our regular charities. We even adopted a young musk ox named Tallahassee for a year (virtual adoption - they wouldn't let us take her home). Along with the oxen, you'll find a pretty interesting museum and some cool gift items. Stop in if you're travelling through Palmer. read more

The tour was really great, and our tour guide, Bailey, readily answered all of our questions. We learned a lot, and the animals were awesome! It was extremely interesting, and something we never would have normally seen. We definitely recommend visiting the Musk Ox Farm, and we would come again! read more

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We really enjoyed seeing the musk ox, albeit from a distance. We arrived after a calf got out , so they had to stop everything while they rounded the escapee up. This took a while, as they had to call someone in. The mama got upset, and the tour guide was worried about time so we didn't get to walk around as much as they usually do on a tour. Because Mom was unhappy, the calves were kept far back from the fence so we didn't see much of them. We did see one who came right up to the fence, which was very cool. This would be good for kids, especially those fed up with glaciers and other natural beauty. read more

This was a really good experience, everything from the museum, to the tour, to the people who run the tour and work at the business. We not only learned a lot of interesting facts about musk ox, and got to see a variation in ages, sizes, etc. The creations that are made from the musk ox wool is amazing, and there is a price to match the craftsmanship and work that goes into it. The muskox were funny, they definitely knew that they were the star(s) of the show. I think that his tour / museum is aimed at an older audience, so small children will likely not enjoy it as much as others would, plus they have to stay in the middle of the trail since they are musk ox height, and could be perceived as challenging these beautiful animals. If you have time stop by the musk ox farm here and check it out! read more

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I took friends that were visiting Alaska to the muskox farm the tour was enjoyable the tour guide was very knowledgeable and friendly they really care for the animals there and you can tell that by their attitude towards them. Wear boots on rainy days it gets pretty muddy on the path. read more

We took our three kids to the musk ox farm this winter. You have to call to make an appointment during the off season and there is a minimum which we easily met with a party of 5. Dani was very accommodating in scheduling a time and the kids enjoyed learning about these animals, which are neither "musky" smelling nor related to an "ox". There is a small indoor exhibit and a large pasture with dozens of musk ox. Dani was our tour guide and explained the way they combed the musk ox, answered our questions, and pointed out the animals by name. The small gift shop also features the musk ox wool -- quiviut -- and some knitted items, including ones with Oomingmak patterns, patterns which distinguish which Alaskan village made them. It was a fun and educational stop, and it was especially great to get the kids outdoors to walk the farm. read more

June 26, 2021 Tough to decide how many stars. My family loved it, but we are musk ox crazy. The guide was very informative & the tour was great. More importantly, we knew we were helping support their work with musk ox. read more

It's a nice little farm. Our tour guide was well informed and friendly. The gift shop is nice and we even picked up a Christmas tree ornament as we do whenever we travel. But my family tells me I'm cynical. As we left I looked at my wife and said, "Tour fees, Musk Ox adoption, gift shop... What I learned today is that Musk Ox are not viable farm animals since all these other things are needed to keep this farm afloat." read more

Awesome short and sweet tour. Guide was very sweet and knowledgeable. Worth a quick stop. We did not get to touch a musk ox but still cute little guys to see and learn about. read more

Great place where to learn more about Mush Ox even though they are in captivity. The staff was friendly and made the tour quite fun. Beautiful views of the surrounding mountains from the farm. read more

When I realized that this was a thing, I was super excited to come take a ($11) tour and visit the (free) museum! Our guide, Vera, was incredibly knowledgeable, kind, and patient with the group I was in. There was about 15 of us on the tour and she covered so much information and kept hints interesting. She knows the names and ages of most (if not all) the musk oxen and the history of the domestication of musk oxen! It was a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours. The farm is attractive, sustainable, and non-profit! While qiviat is incredibly expensive, the explanation on why makes it worth considering for an investment. Their gift shop is as costly as ANY gift shop anywhere, so don't expect a $5 shirt or $10 hat. That it's a non-profit makes it w Ruth spending $30-40 for a hooded sweatshirt. If I make way back up to Alaska I think it will be worth visiting this farm again! read more

Musk Ox Farm - A mama musk oxen with her baby! - CSA Near Me - Palmer, Alaska

Fun place to take the kids or grandkids.........both adults and kids had a great visit, guides were very informative and involved with guests, telling us all about these wonderful animals and answering questions as they arose. Will definitely visit again......... read more

While planning our trip to Alaska we found out that there was a Musk Ox Farm in Palmer and our first thought was, "what is a musk ox?" After some Googling we decided that we needed to stop there on our way to Denali. While worth a stop I didn't love the experience as much as I had hoped to. There is a little museum at the entrance of the farm and it is well worth some time. The history of the musk ox in Alaska is quite interesting. You need to budget at least 15 mins to read everything there. The tour itself cost $11 and would have been worth it if not for 2 things: -The tour group was WAY too big. There were literally at least 30 people in the entire group. It was difficult to feel involved when there was SO much people. Plus, we were told as a group to stick together to not scare or intimidate the ox and our guide had to spend a lot of time herding the group (because unfortunately some people just can't follow directions). We started to pity her because she shouldn't have had to handle that many people at once. When the tour was over, we noticed that the group after us only had like 6 people in it. What the hell? They really needed o spread out the tourists. If people needed to wait to make a reasonable group size, they should have to wait. -And because the group was so big our tour guide basically had to talk REALLY loud/yell all the information. While she was very informative and friendly, it just felt like someone was shouting at us the entire time. I think she had to do this because the group was so large and everyone needed to hear but it actually started to literally be a little bit painful after a while. -Also, there were no interactions or anything like that with the ox. I guess part of me thought/hoped that there would be some ox interaction as part of the tour may it even be just feeding them some hay or just petting one, but no. I probably just didn't read the online description carefully. The Musk Ox Farm is interesting and informative but really just try to get into a smaller tour group. read more