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Turning Heads Kennel

Alaska Dog Sledding Tours

Everything You Need To Know About Alaska Dog Sled Tours

May 6, 2015 by Sarah

Everything You

No trip to Alaska is complete without booking an Alaska dog sled tour. Dog  sledding is the apex of Alaskan Culture. A trip to Alaska that doesn’t include visiting a sled dog kennel or going for a dog sled tour would be like visiting Paris and skipping the Eiffel Tower – you just don’t do it.

But trying to figure out where to go dogsledding in Alaska can be really challenging, especially given how large Alaska is and how many dog sledding tours there to choose from. Although there are dozens of companies that offer dog sledding in Alaska, in the end, there are really three main types of dog sled tours you can choose from in the summer: a kennel tour and demonstration, a summer dog sled ride, and a glacier dog sledding tour.

A kennel tour and demonstration allows visitors the opportunity to visit a sled dog kennel and watch demonstrations of the sled dogs running. A summer dog sled ride consists of being on a wheeled sled that the dogs pull over dirt. A glacier dog sled tour requires flying in a helicopter up to high elevations where there is snow; this is generally what people imagine to be a dog sled tour but it comes with a hefty price tag.

Dog Sled Tour Availability Is Greatly Influenced By Location

It’s important to understand that although there are dog sled tours throughout Alaska, location plays the biggest factor in what type of dog sled tour is available. In the cooler parts of south central Alaska (Seward) and southeast Alaska (Juneau, Skagway), summer dog sled rides on dirt are possible. The mountainous regions of southeast and south central Alaska also make it perfect for glacier dog sled tours. In the interior part of Alaska (Denali, Fairbanks) the consistently high summer temperatures mean that dog sled rides cannot be offered – though kennel tours and demonstrations can.

Location also heavily influences price. Dog sled tours in Juneau and Skagway are generally more expensive than dog sled tours in Seward or dog sledding experiences in Denali or Fairbanks. Ironically, even though Juneau and Skagway have some of the highest volumes, most of their bookings come directly from the cruise ships. Cruise ships take a large commission out of each sale, forcing these companies to have higher prices so they can still cover their costs. Because of this, we haven’t worked with cruise ship companies. It means fewer visitors for us (we like small intimate tours anyways!) but better prices for our guests!

Alaska Dog Sled Tours Will Have Puppies

Many dog sled tours will have puppies for you to hold as it helps socialize them.
Many dog sled tours will have puppies for you to hold as it helps socialize them.

Although different companies will always offer differ experiences there are generally a few highlights that remain the same regardless of what kind of tour you choose to do or who you choose to do it with. Puppies are commonplace at almost any dog sled tour operation in the state. Mushers want their young dogs to be socialized and who better to socialize them then lots of young visitors? If, however, you find yourself visiting during the early part of May there many not be puppies simply because they haven’t been born!

Alaska Kennel Tour And Sled Dog Demonstration

A kennel tour and mushing demonstration is a great first introduction to mushing. Generally, these tours are designed around theatrical experiences that showcase the passion sled dogs have for running. What’s great about these operations is that they will keep you captivated from start to finish: there is no lull in the excitement.

Kennel tours also provide a great glimpse into how these dogs live day-in-and-day out as you get to experience the day-to-day life of a sled dog.

One of the most popular kennel tour’s in Alaska today is Jeff King’s Husky Homestead tour. Jeff King is a four-time Iditarod champion and has also received awards for great vet care. If you are visiting Denali National Park, his kennel is a great place to go to learn more about Iditarod and dog sledding.

Denali National Park also does a short sled dog demonstration to park visitors focused on the role of sled dogs in helping protect the park. It is not as an in depth as a full kennel tour and demonstration but it is perfect for those on a tight time schedule or budget.

Summer Alaska Dog Sled Rides

The summer dog sled ride is arguably the most popular dog sled tour in Alaska. It is affordable and still gives the dog mushing experience. In fact, as mushers, we spend a good chunk of our training season running our dogs without snow – so even though these tours are run on wheeled carts over dirt, they are still very authentic. From September to the end of November, mushers spend thousands of miles on ATVs training their sled dogs without snow.

Jane leading a dog sled tour
A dog sled ride at Turning Heads Kennel led by Iditarod musher Travis Beals

Summer dog sled rides range from 1 to 2 miles depending on the weather. Most of the bigger summer dog sled tour companies such as Alaska Excursions In Juneau and Skagway and Seavey’s Ididaride in Seward, Alaska can have as many as 250 visitors on a busy day. Because of the high volume, many of the tour guides are mushers in training.

What’s really exciting about going on a summer dog sled ride is seeing the dogs enthusiasm and witnessing their power. Did you know that a team of sled dogs can, quite easily, pull 8 full grown adults? It’s an amazing strength training program for the dogs to be in and its exciting for guests to be a part of it.

Our own dog sled ride is kept small. During a busy day, we may have 10 or 15 people visit our home who we get to introduce to dog mushing. Travis or I lead a majority of our dog sled tours, though we both believe in taking time off for ourselves too. When we do take time off, we hand them off our tours to our apprentices who’ve been training with us and have had time to learn the dogs and spend lots of time out on the trail.

Our tour requires experienced staff because our ride also serves as part of our lead dog training program. Every time we hook the dogs up, we believe they should be learning something or working towards our goal of being Iditarod champions. It’s really fun for us to share training with our guests! We are also continually making improvements to our kennel for our dogs and for our guests. We combine the best part of a kennel tour and demonstration with a dog sled ride!

Glacier Mushing: Alaska Dog Sled Tours

Glacier dog sled tours are an incredible experience if you can afford the hefty price tag. Glacier dog sledding is the apex of summer musing in Alaska. Take a helicopter to the top of a glacier, get out on the snow, and go dog mushing. It is a breathtaking experience from start to finish. Glacier dog sled tours range dramatically in price from $519 for our dog sled tour to $650 for some of the dog sledding tours in Juneau and Skagway.

After the run, our dogs wait happily to have their booties removed and their feet rubbed!

One of the biggest difference between operations in South Central Alaska and Southeast Alaska is scale. Glacier dogsledding tours in Juneau, such as Alaska Icefield Expeditions, and Temso Helicopters in Skagway receive tremendous amounts of volume due to the heavy traffic cruise ships bring. These camps are large and have approximately 200 dogs and 15 staff members on the ice at all times. It’s quite a sight to see. These tours are used to large volumes and do an excellent job of making you feel like you have your own private excursion.

We currently operate the smallest glacier dog sledding operation in Alaska with Seward Helicopter Tours. We generally have about 30 dogs up on the glacier. Unlike other operations which bring dogs in from all over the state, our kennel is located in Seward so if we need to give dogs rest days, we can easily swap dogs.

Glacier Dog Sledding Tours

When booking a glacier dog sledding trip, we always advise people to book it for the first part of their time in Seward as occasionally trips get cancelled due to weather.Our policy is to rebook if a client’s schedule allows at the earliest possible time that is convenient for them. If they cannot reschedule we give a full refund.

It’s also important to remember that glacier dog sledding requires good snow conditions. Many glacier dog sledding tours will advertise staying open until the end of August, only to close around the 15th or 20th of the month as snow conditions deteriorate.  We are fortunate that our dog sled tour on Godwin Glacier always has plenty of snow due to the local geography. Last year we closed mid-September and ended up taking bookings from other dog sled tour companies in Alaska who couldn’t fulfill their obligation.

Dog Sledding In Alaska Is A Must-Do

No matter what type of dog sled tour you choose to take in Alaska or who you choose to do it with, your trip will certainly be memorable experience. We hope that by taking a summer dog sled tour you will become interested in our sport.

Interested in learning more? Ask us your dog sledding questions on facebook or shoot us an info request.

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turningheadskennel

Turning Heads Kennel
Sun’s out, tongues out! . . . #dogsledding #sled Sun’s out, tongues out!
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#dogsledding #sleddogs #iditarod #alaska #sewardak

📸 @its_kris_fish
Happy trails & wagging tails. We are back for anot Happy trails & wagging tails. We are back for another for season of sharing our sled dogs and passion for #dogsledding here in beautiful #sewardak 

Thanks to Azura and @its_kris_fish  for the awesome photo!
An absolutely incredibly dog team coming into the An absolutely incredibly dog team coming into the Kalskag (inbound) checkpoint of the Kuskokwim 300.

🎥 by Abby Klager

#TurningHeadsKennel #kuskokwim300 #k300 #bethelak #alaska #dogsledding #iditarod #dogsofinstagram #dogstagram #huskygram #huskylife #optoutside #kuskokwimriver #dogsled #mushing #sleddogs #sleddogsport #sleddogsofinstagram #alaskalife #alaskaoutdoors #alaskaadventure #alaskaliving #alaskanhusky 

@thealaskalife @kuskokwim300 @dogsleddingdaily
Travis putting booties on the dogs as he gets read Travis putting booties on the dogs as he gets ready to depart the halfway checkpoint of the Knik 200 sled dog race. 

There were hurricane force winds throughout the race. Semi trucks got blown off the road. Planes parked at the airport were flipped over.

Still, the dogs and Travis persevered — even when they had to go through waist deep overflow.

The team came to the finish line happy and healthy and in 2nd place. Travis also received the Humanitarian Award for Excellence in Dog Care.

We are so proud of him and Braxton, who ran the B team, and also had a strong finish.

#dogsledding #sleddogs #alaska #dogsofinsta #doglife #alaskalife #huskylife #instahusky
💯 #dogsledding #alaska 💯 #dogsledding #alaska
Getting out and enjoying the sunshine together. #d Getting out and enjoying the sunshine together. #dogsledding
Happy Birthday Travis 🥳 Happy Birthday Travis 🥳
Two by two⁠ 🐕🐾❄️⁠ ⁠ Trail breakin Two by two⁠
 🐕🐾❄️⁠
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Trail breaking :)⁠
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#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska⁠
#denalihighway #cantwell ⁠
#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs
BB is a rock star⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #instadog #dogsofinst BB is a rock star⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska
Baby Skunk 💕⁠ ⁠ Skunk is now almost 17 mont Baby Skunk 💕⁠
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Skunk is now almost 17 months old and is working hard at being a sled dog.⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
#turningheadskennel #iditarod #dogsledding #sleddogs ⁠
#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky
We were blessed with some gorgeous skies this seas We were blessed with some gorgeous skies this season. Here's just 1 of the many we enjoyed 💕⁠
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#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska⁠
Time Warp! A look back at early season fall traini Time Warp! A look back at early season fall training using the side by side. ⁠
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(Also, what smells so good in the grass 🤣)⁠
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Right now, the snow is melting and spring is well on its way here but we are already thinking about this coming fall and the adventures it will bring us. 💕⁠
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#instadog #dogsofinstagram #dogslife #mustlovedogs⁠
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Dolly & Blue. 💕⁠ ⁠ ⁠ #turningheadskennel Dolly & Blue. 💕⁠
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#husky #huskies #huskygram #instahusky⁠
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#getoutside #explore #adventure #explorealaska #alaska
Old man Boston 💕⁠ ⁠ Our time left with Bost Old man Boston 💕⁠
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Our time left with Boston is slowly coming to an end but this geriatric sled dog is full of heart. He is the dad or granddad to many of the dogs in our kennel. ⁠
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Each day we have together is a gift. ⁠
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📸 by Kalani Woodlock
Travis and the dogs are in FINGERLAKE on #Iditarod Travis and the dogs are in FINGERLAKE on #Iditarod 2021 🥳 and OUT of FINGERLAKE.

Although his stats haven’t been updated as of this posting, it looks like he got there around 5:10 this morning, making it about a 4.5 hour run for him and the dogs. He rested about 3 hours and is now headed down the trail towards RAINY PASS

Here’s a fun video from one of the last training runs this year. 

🥳🎉 Go Team Go 🎉🥳
Well, he’s off! We’d hoped to livestream the s Well, he’s off!
We’d hoped to livestream the start of #Iditarod but because of the new location, we unfortunately didn’t have coverage!

The starting line up this year:
BB - Blue
Spartan - West
Krum - Granger
Melissa - Queen
Skiff - Jovie
Ohmer - Mongoose
Delta - Tug

Go Travis go!
The countdown to race day has started. Travis is g The countdown to race day has started. Travis is getting in the last few training runs before #iditarod to determine the final few dogs on the roster.

Our trail has one minor road crossing that we usually have no problem with —  as it’s in a wide open area — so we have plenty of opportunity to see cars and vice versa but with it continuing to snow day after day in Willow, the berms have gotten quite high. 

Because of this, after Travis and the team take off I drive down to play crossing guard.

Here’s a glimpse of the team from yesterday. #dogsledding #turningheadskennel
Well we got 1882 lbs of food headed out on the #id Well we got 1882 lbs of food headed out on the #iditarod trail for mushers and dogs. 

A big thanks to Caleb & Dave for helping cut meet, Victoria & Richard for letting us post up at their house, and a huge crew of human volunteers who helped cook Travis’ meals for out on the trail. @dlwalkerak for cooking and organizing and: @zudyscafe @akcarlyn @lonechicharron @woodysthaikitchenak @bakingthyme and Cristian McClain for cooking @majormarinetours for some great snacks and Portage Transport for delivering.

It’s not small feet getting a team ready to go 1,000 miles but this year— with little indoor access —- it really took a lot of careful planning to make sure Travis stays warm and well fed.

Thanks team!
A lot of the time, we are running teams of 8+ dogs A lot of the time, we are running teams of 8+ dogs. It’s more practical with a lot of dogs in training. That being said, there is something magical about breaking things down and working with the dogs one on one in smaller teams. This is especially true for our youngest teammates!

In this video, 16-month-olds Keister and Tucker are working as a lone pair. With no one else to guide them, the pups get their first experience taking commands without the pressure of having other dogs “chase” them. They also get to practice lining out and staying forward oriented.

Working at night with young leaders, a headlamp also becomes a great tool as we can easily show the trail we want the dogs to take. 

#dogsledding #mushing #iditarod #alaska
Under the pine boughs we go. Fresh snow makes fo Under the pine boughs we go. 

Fresh snow makes for fun runs and acrobatic mushing as you dip and dive to dodge the low hanging branches. On occasion, we use our axes to cut out trees too low to safely pass under. These momentary stops are an opportunity for the dogs to cool off and for us to stop and enjoy a warm thermos of tea.
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Turning Heads Kennel
31722 Herman Leirer Road
Seward, AK 99664

Info@TurningHeadsKennel.com

Recent Posts

  • How Mushers Get Home After Finishing The Iditarod
  • Scouting Our Glacier Dog Sledding Camp
  • Turning Heads Kennel is Featured by The Seward Chamber!
  • The Role of Tourism in Racing the Iditarod
  • Travis Beals Finishes the 2018 Iditarod
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