During this small-group tour, you’ll enjoy a uniquely Alaskan experience and learn about the official state sport, dog mushing.
Tour Details
-
Duration2.25 Hours
-
Season DatesMay 1 - September 20
-
Tour PriceAdult $169.95 (tax included)
Children $169.95 (tax included)
Children under 24 months free -
Tour Highlights• Wheeled sled + team of Alaskan huskies + Sheep Creek Valley = once-in-a-lifetime experience.
• Our dog camp, complete with 120 huskies, is located on the site of the historic AJ Mine (you'll see relics on your way to camp!)
• Surrounded by massive mountain peaks and the Gastineau Channel, venture just beyond city limits to Sheep Creek Dog Camp -
Activity LevelMODERATE activity level - Walking on uneven, gravel pathways; large steps in/out of bus transfer and wheeled cart. This tour is not wheelchair accessible. Participants must be able to walk short distances and negotiate a few steps with non-lifting assistance only
-
Special NotesProfessional photos of you and your sled team are available for purchase
-
InclusionsComplimentary water, coffee, tea, and hot cocoa and homemade cookies
-
What to BringComfortable walking shoes, rain gear - hats, gloves, sunglasses and camera are also recommended
-
CancellationWe have a 10% cancellation fee from the time of the booking up until 24-hrs before the tour. There will be no refund for cancellations made less than 24-hrs prior to tour. In the event of a weather cancellation, guest will receive a 100% refund
Your small-group experience begins as you embark on a breathtaking motorcoach drive along Gastineau Channel, through the historic AJ Gold Mine site and into the remote and scenic Sheep Creek Valley. Here is the home, and summer training site, of some the state’s most famous athletes – the huskies that run in the Iditarod.
As you arrive at the dog camp, you will be greeted by an Iditarod musher and his dog team. He’ll then lead you on an educational tour of the camp while sharing real tales from the trail. You’ll then visit the replica of an Iditarod Race checkpoint. During the race, the mushers and their teams of typically 16 dogs cover 1,161 miles (1,868 km) in generally fifteen days. You’ll go through the steps each musher performs, step by step, as if you’re traveling with him along the route.
Among the musher’s chief concerns is the health and care of his or her dogs. You’ll learn that all dogs are examined by veterinarians/nurses before the start of the race, and are identified and tracked by microchip implants and collar tags. On the trails, volunteer veterinarians examine each dog’s heart, hydration, appetite, attitude, weight, lungs, and joints at all of the checkpoints to help ensure the dogs’ and the musher’s welfare and safety.
It will then be your turn to answer the call of the wild. You’ll climb aboard a comfortable wheeled sled and relax as your husky team whisks you along the 1.5-mile trail through the beautiful landscape. You’ll return to camp for your chance to visit with the dogs, thank them for their service, and as a special treat, pet the puppies and learn what it’s like to live amid 120 happy huskies.