Alaska Dog Sled Tours
There's nothing quite like the sound of a sled dog team readying for the trail. As soon as a musher begins hitching dogs to lines, a cacophony of yips and yowls takes over. It's not until the "Let's go!" command is given that silence reigns and the team slips swiftly down the trail. There are many ways for visitors to meet Alaskan sled dogs and learn more about this quintessential state activity even in the middle of summer.
Join the Seavey family, longtime Alaska legends in the mushing world, for their Ididaride Sled Dog Real Alaska Tour in Seward. Take a tour of the Seavey kennel just outside town, learn about dog care and training, and take a ride through the spruce forest on a wheeled cart. The tour also includes lunch, an easy hike to Exit Glacier at Kenai Fjords National Park, and a tour of historic Seward.
Visiting Denali National Park? Don't miss the DogGoneIt Kennel Tour. Learn about Alaskan huskies, their care, and training routines, and then hear stories about running in the Iditarod.
If you're visiting Talkeetna, the Talkeetna Sled Dog Kennel Tour gives you a peek into a real working Iditarod sled dog kennel. Here musher Jerry Sousa integrates a tour of his kennel, log cabin, and a ride on a wheeled sled, an important part of training his dogs for winter races.
If an authentic on-snow mushing experience is on your bucket list, try a helicopter tour to a glacier kennel for an experience like no other. There are a few to choose from.
The Girdwood Glacier Sled Dog Helicopter Tour takes visitors high above the community of Girdwood onto Punch Bowl Glacier, a summer "training camp" location for sled dog teams. Guests take a scenic flight from Girdwood airport to the base camp at 3,200 feet where they meet the team, watch the harnessing procedure, and hop aboard a traditional sled for a ride on the glacier.
Just an hour north of Anchorage, the Knik Helicopter Glacier Sled Dog Tour visits Colony Glacier. On this trip you'll take a 35-minute helicopter ride through the Knik River Valley before swooping onto Colony Glacier to meet the team and take a ride. Shuttle service to the Knik River base is available from Anchorage for a fee, or for a real treat, spend the night at the Knik River Wilderness Lodge.
For Denali National Park visitors short on time, a visit to the park's sled dog kennels is an excellent way to learn about dog teams and their role in patrolling the park. Here you can listen to a short presentation by kennel staff, then take time to visit the team's personable dogs, many of who love pats on the head and photos with visitors. It is free to visit the kennel, although paying the park entrance fee is required.