How Frosty Ridge Keeps Their Alpacas Warm During The Winter

DULUTH, Minn. –At the Frosty Ridge Alpaca Farm in Duluth, the owners tell us that the challenge to keep their alpacas warm isn’t the subzero temperatures in the winter, but actually keeping them comfortable with the humidity level.

Alpacas are native to the Andes Mountains in South America, where it’s actually far less humid than Minnesota, even in the winter.

So, Frosty Ridge makes sure the alpacas can go inside the barn with closed doors and lots of warm bedding.

Alpacas aren’t big fans of walking in the snow, so the owners like to clear paths for them, but the wind keeps pushing it back onto the trails.

“They ran out there thinking that they were gonna have fun and they sunk over elbow-deep, into the snow drifts, and came right back in the barn so I gotta clear it for them,” Loni Blumerich, the co-owner of the farm, said.

Right now, there’s 28 alpacas on the property.

If you want to hang out with some of them or check out their store with clothing and more made from sheared alpaca fur, Frosty Ridge is open for visitors year-round.