The Reindeer Grove

12/03/2025

The holidays are upon us, the snow is here (albeit a little wet at the moment!), and the reindeer are ready for visitors! We’re excited to open up for winter reindeer experiences with our 6 beautiful reindeer this coming weekend. We would love to have you out to celebrate these incredible creatures during their favorite season. And please spread the word to any out-of-town visitors that may be interested. Bookings must be made in advance at thereindeergrove.com, so book early to save your spot! Prices, times, and availability listed on the website. Our 2 offerings are these:

Reindeer Meet and Feed:

This 30 minute Reindeer Meet and Feed experience is our most accessible (great for families with kids and/or seniors!) experience that we offer at The Reindeer Grove. It's a quick and easy introduction to our reindeer, our story, and also includes a complementary beverage, the ability to feed the ‘deer, photo opportunities, and more than likely a chance to pet our resident reindeer. Along the way, you’ll be regaled with fun and interesting facts about reindeer, what it takes to raise reindeer in Alaska, and you’ll have the opportunity to ask any question that might arise regarding these magical creatures. You’ll walk away from this tour with a better than basic knowledge of reindeer, incredible photos, and an interaction to remember!

S’mores with Reindeer (weekends only):

This 1 hour S'mores with Reindeer experience will give guests an opportunity to view, feed, and pet our resident reindeer, and also roast some marshmallows and make a s'more or 2 on our crackling fire located among the reindeer inside their pen. If you're lucky, the aurora borealis will be displayed above to dazzle you even further! You'll learn all about these incredibly unique creatures and also hear about the colorful history of the property and the current owners evolution into reindeer farming. This experience is great for kids and adults alike. Most of the experience will take place outside. However, the main cabin/gift shop, where the experience will begin, will always be there for anyone who may need a warm-up at any point.

Hope to see you here on the farm!

06/23/2025

Here's Mindy brushing the gobs of hair that are coming off Lars. Just like their antlers, reindeer lose their winter coats every year early in the summer and grow a new fresh one. Good thing, since these warm days have made it uncomfortably hot for our reindeer, and their sleek, short, and almost black summer coat makes it much more bearable in the summer. It also allows them to blend into the darker summer colors better.

05/30/2025

Just in case you were wondering whether or not Liesel and Bruno have lost any of their cuteness in the last month...

05/02/2025

Here's Liesel just a few hours after being born, investigating her surroundings outside of the womb for the first time. Welcome, Liesel!

05/01/2025

Folks, this is just a few hours after being born. A glimpse into the spirited nature of reindeer toward survival. In the wild, wolves would catch wind pretty quickly and come knocking on the door. The calves MUST become mobile, fast. We're clearly not the wilderness, given that Sophie doesn't seem to mind Zeke here checking out the scene just a few feet away, and Hugo barking in the background. This does exhibit the adaptive evolutionary process, I think, in a couple of interesting ways. The (domesticated/domesticatable) reindeer's ability to understand (or at least learn) wild wolf vs. guardian dog. My understanding is that caribou would probably not. And also, that our livestock guardian dogs have evolved to keep blood thirsty critters, like their ancestral predecessors away from their beloved livesock. And by the way, don't let Sophie's passiveness fool you here. All of the adult reindeer are happy to let the pups know that they are very much not at the top of the hierarchy here at The Reindeer Grove, especially if they get too crazy around the calves!

04/28/2025

The anticipation is over. Our 2 hopefuls turned incarnations yesterday, a calm, dry, Sunday afternoon. We couldn't be prouder of our mamas, our papa, and their precious little creations. Gratitude overfloweth!

03/20/2025

Thank you future Dr. Calley Connelly (and of course, Dr. Sabrieta Holland at Knik River Veterinary Clinic) for helping us take care of our reindeer!

So pleased to have a guest traveling with me this Spring. She will officially be Dr Calley Connelly next month. Dr Connelly grew up in the Foxhunting world and is seeking a landing spot with cold and Mountains….I think we can do that! Welcome! 🐎

03/11/2025

The time has come! The Reindeer Grove is ready to grow a team of intrepid ambassadors of flora, fauna, and earth. Our lovely little seed that we’ve been cultivating over the last decade is ready for sprouting. Let us know if you’re interested in being a contributor to this endeavor!

02/12/2025

And just like that, our big, deadly beast is back to being our snuggle buddy! 😁

And for the record, the chainsaw in the background had nothing to do with the removal of the antlers. Just failed to remove it for the pic 😉. Reindeer (and their close relatives, caribou) are actually the only deer species in which both males and females grow antlers every year and shed them every year. Typically the males will shed around Christmas time, and the females get to keep theirs all the way through calving season, giving the future mommas (and the in-utero calves) a leg up through the toughest parts of winter. One of many incredible adaptations reindeer have to thrive in the extreme north.