Summer Dog Sled Rides - which is best?

Hi,

I have noticed that there are quite a few of the dog mushers camps with wheeled sled rides excursions on offer at different ports.

Some are in open terrain, others in forests etc. Which one to pick? :confused:

Has anyone done several different ones to compare, which is the more scenic, the cleanest, the most informative, the best ride etc etc?

We would do one in either, Junea, Icy Strait Point, or Skagway most likely.

We took the one in Juneau through Princess, but I think it's the only one (other than the one that goes by helicopter). Really enjoyed it. Afterwards you got to mingle, hold and play with the puppies - very cool. We also liked it because the "driver" that controlled the dogs was seated in the back. Others have the driver in the front and they obstruct your view. :-)

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We did the Heli-mushing trip with Era Helicopters with NCL and actually went up to the glacier and were able to mush the dogs in the snow. A breath-taking adventure with spectacular views of the mountains and glaciers and wonderful interaction with the dogs. I highly recommend it.

I've never seen one advertised for Icy Strait Point, where did you find it?

I've never seen one advertised for Icy Strait Point, where did you find it?

Hi,

I didn't see one in ISP, I was just listing the ports were we will have time to do one if it's available.:)

We took the one in Juneau through Princess, but I think it's the only one (other than the one that goes by helicopter). Really enjoyed it. Afterwards you got to mingle, hold and play with the puppies - very cool. We also liked it because the "driver" that controlled the dogs was seated in the back. Others have the driver in the front and they obstruct your view. :-)

 

 

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Hi,

Do you recall the name of the camp? What was the terrain like etc?

How many passengers in the sled?

Thanks.

We did the Heli-mushing trip with Era Helicopters with NCL and actually went up to the glacier and were able to mush the dogs in the snow. A breath-taking adventure with spectacular views of the mountains and glaciers and wonderful interaction with the dogs. I highly recommend it.

Hi,

Sounds good, but it's way too expensive for us to do a Heli tour unfortunately.

It would be over a $1000AUD for 2 of us & that is a big chunk to spend on 1 excursion considering we have to pace our spending on what is a 6.5 week long holiday.

But thanks for your reply.:)

Hi,

 

Do you recall the name of the camp? What was the terrain like etc?

How many passengers in the sled?

 

Thanks.

I am or sure if the name was "Mushers Camp" or the sign just that to show people which way to go. We booked directly with Island Princess.

You leave the ship in a nice passenger van. Once you get to the mountain where the camp is located, you transfer onto an all terrain vehicle which takes you to the camp. Bumpy, but not too bad.

The sled (on wheels) holds about a dozen people. The passengers in the front row are given a plastic tarp to cover you so you don't get splattered with mud. Again, it is bumpy, but nothing horrible.

Should you decide to go, have a great time. It was a highlight of our cruise!

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I am or sure if the name was "Mushers Camp" or the sign just that to show people which way to go. We booked directly with Island Princess.

 

You leave the ship in a nice passenger van. Once you get to the mountain where the camp is located, you transfer onto an all terrain vehicle which takes you to the camp. Bumpy, but not too bad.

 

The sled (on wheels) holds about a dozen people. The passengers in the front row are given a plastic tarp to cover you so you don't get splattered with mud. Again, it is bumpy, but nothing horrible.

 

Should you decide to go, have a great time. It was a highlight of our cruise!

 

 

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Thanks for the details, it looks like the on in the forest I saw, I'll investigate further.:)

We booked one in Juneau through Royal Caribbean called Alaska Sled Dogs and Musher's Camp. Cost was $139 per person. WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!!!!!! If all you want is a little ride in a metal buggy behind some dogs then fine, go ahead. NO look at dog camp, NO look at any training, just ride in a cart, pet a couple dogs, and have some hot cider if you want. You look at an old dogsled and then head back out. If you go to Denali on your tour part go to Jeff King's dog camp. It was less than half the cost. No cart ride but everything was right there. He has won the Iditarod race 4 times and puts on a great show about dogs, training and mushing. They also have pups handy if you like that. That is the one I would say go to if you stop there on your tour.

We booked one in Juneau through Royal Caribbean called Alaska Sled Dogs and Musher's Camp. Cost was $139 per person. WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY!!!!!! If all you want is a little ride in a metal buggy behind some dogs then fine, go ahead. NO look at dog camp, NO look at any training, just ride in a cart, pet a couple dogs, and have some hot cider if you want. You look at an old dogsled and then head back out. If you go to Denali on your tour part go to Jeff King's dog camp. It was less than half the cost. No cart ride but everything was right there. He has won the Iditarod race 4 times and puts on a great show about dogs, training and mushing. They also have pups handy if you like that. That is the one I would say go to if you stop there on your tour.

Thanks for the heads up on the one not to visit.

We do go to Denali, but we also want the sled ride, would love it on snow, but as mentioned the cost is too much.

We have decided we would like one that offers a sled with as few people as possible.

Not worried about the pups, we used to breed Keeshond dogs & those puppies take you to a whole new level of cuteness, so have had plenty of puppy interaction. I'm more interested in the training & then seeing that training in action by having the wheeled sled ride.

We do obedience training/agility with our dogs so want to watch how the dogs respond to commands etc, it's not just a fun sled ride we want to go on. :)

Funny enough the dogs we see in these mushers camps most often don't look anything like the, huskies, spitz breed dogs you would expect, they look like small framed, short coated mixed breeds, I wonder how they stay warm enough in those cold winters if they don't have double coats?

Bumping this thread up just in case things have been updated since a few years ago.

We are cruising with Princess to Alaska in May 2017. Under the excursions for Juneau, I see 2 different dog sled experiences:

1) Dog Sled Summer Camp ($149.95)

2) Sled Dog Discovery & Musher's Camp ($139.95)

Both are the same length. If the second one is the one that dave n did, then I am sorry to hear it wasn't a good experience.

Has anyone done one or the other (or both) and wish to comment? :) Just wondering how they are different.

I would love to know the answer myself. There are also two that I saw in Skagway.

Yukon Discovery & Sled Dog Tour ($169 not through Princess)

Musher Camp & Sled Dog Experience ($139.95 through Princess)

Any information would be great!

I am or sure if the name was "Mushers Camp" or the sign just that to show people which way to go. We booked directly with Island Princess.

 

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You leave the ship in a nice passenger van. Once you get to the mountain where the camp is located, you transfer onto an all terrain vehicle which takes you to the camp. Bumpy, but not too bad.

 

The sled (on wheels) holds about a dozen people. The passengers in the front row are given a plastic tarp to cover you so you don't get splattered with mud. Again, it is bumpy, but nothing horrible.

 

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Should you decide to go, have a great time. It was a highlight of our cruise!

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We did the Mushers Camp in Juneau. These pix look like the one we took.

It was in early Sept, but the dogs got so hot the musher had to stop several times so they could cool off. We saw and held puppies, and saw all the dogs in camp.

We liked it but wouldn't book it again.

Patti

We have booked with Alaska Excursions for our Musher camp tour in Skagway. We are in port on 17 May, found them to be cheaper than the Princess tour, price was $135.00 US.

We are also looking at seeing the sled dogs in Skagway. I'd love to know other's thoughts on the excursion from Alaska Excursion vs. Skagway Shore. I just want to see the most of the area and of course learn about the dogs and snuggle some puppies! Any help/advice on deciding between the two companies would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the heads up on the one not to visit.

 

We do go to Denali, but we also want the sled ride, would love it on snow, but as mentioned the cost is too much.

 

We have decided we would like one that offers a sled with as few people as possible.

 

Not worried about the pups, we used to breed Keeshond dogs & those puppies take you to a whole new level of cuteness, so have had plenty of puppy interaction. I'm more interested in the training & then seeing that training in action by having the wheeled sled ride.

 

We do obedience training/agility with our dogs so want to watch how the dogs respond to commands etc, it's not just a fun sled ride we want to go on. :)

 

Funny enough the dogs we see in these mushers camps most often don't look anything like the, huskies, spitz breed dogs you would expect, they look like small framed, short coated mixed breeds, I wonder how they stay warm enough in those cold winters if they don't have double coats?

Be aware, that even though they are called "training camps" no training is done on these rides. It is simply a way for the dogs to spend the summer and get some exercise...and arrive back at their "real" homes with a bit of muscle on them, so they can start right into training on the right terrain. I have a sled dog kennel....my dogs go to the glacier.....training runs are very prescribed and they are long distances worked up from a short 3-5 miles starting in September ....usually...and quickly progress to 50 miles runs...The musher camps give you just an idea of what it is like....Jeff's kennel in Denali gives an excellent demonstration of what it takes to train a team. As far as commands, there are actually very few.....Rarely do you ever say mush...most people just say "lets go", whoa, easy, gee and haw....that is about it....I practice walk....:) There are vast differences between training a distance team, and an open sprint team....All the camps run about the same distance, they all have puppies to hold....and to run a team on a winter's eve is the finest thing anyone can ever do...You and the dogs become one....anyway.....that is my take on it. If you happen to be on a Princess cruise, Libby Riddles....the 1st woman to have ever won Iditarod, gives a wonderful talk on each ship...She usually brings one of her retired dogs on board also. She is a good friend and a wonderful woman with a wonderful story....

Be aware, that even though they are called "training camps" no training is done on these rides. It is simply a way for the dogs to spend the summer and get some exercise...and arrive back at their "real" homes with a bit of muscle on them, so they can start right into training on the right terrain. I have a sled dog kennel....my dogs go to the glacier.....training runs are very prescribed and they are long distances worked up from a short 3-5 miles starting in September ....usually...and quickly progress to 50 miles runs...The musher camps give you just an idea of what it is like....Jeff's kennel in Denali gives an excellent demonstration of what it takes to train a team. As far as commands, there are actually very few.....Rarely do you ever say mush...most people just say "lets go", whoa, easy, gee and haw....that is about it....I practice walk....:) There are vast differences between training a distance team, and an open sprint team....All the camps run about the same distance, they all have puppies to hold....and to run a team on a winter's eve is the finest thing anyone can ever do...You and the dogs become one....anyway.....that is my take on it. If you happen to be on a Princess cruise, Libby Riddles....the 1st woman to have ever won Iditarod, gives a wonderful talk on each ship...She usually brings one of her retired dogs on board also. She is a good friend and a wonderful woman with a wonderful story....

So if I do Harv and Marv in the morning and want to do a helicopter in the afternoon with the glacier dog sledding who would you recommend. More importantly, would you recommend any? I am taking my 4 grandchildren ages 6, 8, 10 and 12. I want them to have an Alaska experience that they can take home with them and remember. When they study about it in school say "hey, I did that!". Is Juneau the best place to do it? I want a snow one over a dirt one. We are going to Juneau, Skagway and Ketchikan.

I am leaning towards a dog sled tour in Skagway because there are so many other things we want to do in Juneau. But Anchorage is still a possibility. So many choices! lol

My dogs when they are on the glacier....not this year...they are staying home with me....go to the Herbert Glacier which is in Juneau. This is with Sebastian Schnuelle's Blue Kennels run through Coastal Helicopters. I am particularly picky where my dogs go....and this would be my choice. They do not book through the ship so it usually is a bit cheaper. You can look up Sebastian on facebook or through his website. He has really good guides, and the helicopter pilots are very experienced. He just posted a fb picture of them slinging some of the equipment up on the glacier, if you are interested....Helicopters and glaciers/dog sledding are one of the most cancelled trips due to weather...that can't be helped, nor would you want it to be. Anyway, it is a great trip...Another option, if you are in the Anchorage area, there is a dog sledding operation run out of the Knik River Lodge, about 45 minutes outside of Anchorage on the Colony glacier. Check that one out also....it will be a good one...with very small tours and some personalized services.

Another option, if you are in the Anchorage area, there is a dog sledding operation run out of the Knik River Lodge, about 45 minutes outside of Anchorage on the Colony glacier. Check that one out also....it will be a good one...with very small tours and some personalized services.

That's the one I am trying to book! What great news - thanks for the wisdom.

If you do, you will see Matt, Justin, or Spencer.....tell them Bonnie said Hi....:D

Another option, if you are in the Anchorage area, there is a dog sledding operation run out of the Knik River Lodge, about 45 minutes outside of Anchorage on the Colony glacier. Check that one out also....it will be a good one...with very small tours and some personalized services.

I just checked out their website -- what a beautiful place! I wish we had the time to stay there overnight.

Unfortunately, it looks like they only offer the dog sledding tours in conjunction with the helicopter rides, which is just not in our budget for this trip. Obviously true dog sledding must be done on the snow and that's the only way to get there.

Do you know of any other local-to-Anchorage companies that offer the chance to see the sled dogs up close? I looked into Dallas Seavey's, but it doesn't look like they do any tours in the summer.

I did also come across the Seavey's place near Seward -- ididaride.com. Looks pretty cool!

We did the sled ride with Seaveys and thoroughly enjoyed it. I believe they offer both the cart ride and the glacier one. We did the cart. They put the clothing they wear during the Iditarod on one person in our party. They explained how they care for the dogs & train the dogs and we were able to pet the dogs. The Seaveys took 1st & 2nd place in the Iditarod this year. They are located in Seward.

We did the sled ride with Seaveys and thoroughly enjoyed it. I believe they offer both the cart ride and the glacier one. We did the cart. They put the clothing they wear during the Iditarod on one person in our party. They explained how they care for the dogs & train the dogs and we were able to pet the dogs. The Seaveys took 1st & 2nd place in the Iditarod this year. They are located in Seward.

Thank you for so much for your input! I was pretty sure we were going to book this, but your comments just sealed the deal. :)

Funny, I woke up one morning this week and decided the sled dogs would be the number one priority for our trip. We are a family of animal lovers and former husky owners, so I know we will thoroughly enjoy the experience.