Wasilla and Palmer Alaska are both located about 42 miles north of Anchorage. Palmer has a population of about 6,135 and Wasilla 8,700. Both towns are located in the borough (similar to a county) of Mat-Su made up of the Matanuska and Susitna valleys. We opted to stay at Big Bear RV Park and Campground located between Wasilla and Palmer, which are about 12.5 miles apart. Both towns have services such as grocery stores and restaurants, with slightly more located in Wasilla.
View from downtown Palmer
Palmer is located along the Glenn Highway and is known for its farming, with many winning vegetables at the Alaska State Fair each August. Small farms can be viewed throughout the greater Palmer region. For a tour of the farming area, drive the Bodenburg Loop Road. You can stop in and visit the Reindeer Farm. The Musk Ox Farm is a popular tourist stop and is described below.
A hay field along Bodenburg Loop Road
Wasilla was thrust onto the radar with the selection of former Wasilla Mayor/ Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as Republican Vice Presidential candidate by John McCain for the 2008 election. We did not run into Mrs. Palin who purchased a second home in Arizona in 2011 and spends little time in Wasilla these days. Wasilla is home to the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Headquarters and the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry. Located along the Parks Highway which runs north from the Glenn Highway to Fairbanks and includes access to Denali National Park, Wasilla is listed as having the largest Walmart in Alaska. There is also have a large Fred Myer grocery store, which we used to stock up for our next trip leg. We saw standard fast food joints and local eateries.
While staying in the Wasilla/Palmer area, we hiked Mt. Baldy and Thunder Bird Falls Trails in Chugach State Park near Eagle River and Paddled & Pedaled (Kayak and Mountain Biked) at the Eklutna Lake area of Chugach State Park. We also drove to Hatcher Pass and hiked the April Bowl Trail in the Talkeetna Mountains and drove a scenic loop through the Mat-Su Valley. We traveled up the Knik River Road, where we had a view of the Knik Glacier.
Knik Glacier viewed from Knik River Road
We walked at the Reflection Lake Nature Trail located at the Palmer Hay Flats State Wildlife Refuge, which has a one mile loop around scenic Reflection Lake and the surrounding wetlands. There is also a good observation tower along the loop trail. Views of the Chugach and Talkeetna Mountains surround the area.
View of Reflection Lake
Reflection Lake Loop Trail is wide and fairly easy with minimal elevation change
View at Refection Lake
Reflection Lake is aptly named
Musk Ox rests in a pasture
The Musk Ox Farm, located just north of Palmer, is home to a domesticated herd of about 83 musk ox. The farm is run as a nonprofit. They raise the musk ox and every spring harvest the Quiviut (pronounced “kiv-ee-oot”). Quiviut is the very warm, soft and pricey ($40 per ounce) material made from the musk oxen’s soft undercoat. After the undercoat has been processed, the Quivuit is taken to numerous villages where native Alaskans create scarves, hats and sweaters which can be sold, providing them with work. They sell these items as well as fibers and yarn in their gift shop.
Musk oxen grazing
The Musk Ox Farm
The Musk Ox Farm provides tours and a small museum for $11/adult. The tour take you through the pastures with a fence between tourists and the musk oxen. Musk ox are herd animals and there are different groups in different pens. Each year they produce babies, with a certain number set as a goal, such as 4 or 5. The staff place several sets of one bull with several females in pastures during the breeding season, they do not use artificial insemination.
Musk ox have a light colored patch of fur on their backs to reflect sunlight and stay cooler in summer
All of the oxen are assigned numbers which are on ear tags, but they also name the oxen. The two bulls used for breeding this past year were Elum and Iron Man. Each year they pick a theme, such as candy, spices or gemstones. All babies from a year are named within the theme. For example, in honor of this year’s 100th National Park birthday, three babies were named: Katmai, Yosemite, and Acadia. Last year’s calves were Pixie (stick), Heath (bar) and Twix. We saw the “spice girls” in the meadow, with names such as Ginger, Paprika, Sassafras and Thyme.
One of the “spice girls”
The Musk Ox Farm is located in the farm country of the Mat-Su Valley with a scenic mountain back-drop.
View of the Chugach Mountains from the Musk Ox Farm
