Operation Santa Claus is a 10 minute stop located between Redmond and Eagle Crest. It's open year-round and it's free. Don't expect to spend the day here. There are no picnic tables or benches, or restrooms but where else are you going to see so many caribou up close?
There are might be as many as 100 reindeer here, and sometimes they come right up to the fences. There is an interpretive sign that tells about the herd and the operation, and there are signs indicating where you should park and where to go.
There are no Christmas decorations, so you might want to avoid building up your youngsters expectations by using the words, "Santa Claus". Think of this as a farm where they raise reindeer.
My understanding is that the reindeer are used at Christmas time at events and shopping centers, but most of the year the animals live in relative isolation from contact with strangers and that's why I suspect that the operation is open to visitors.
Enter the gravel parking lot of Hemholtz Way.
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