In Alaska

Have you ever dreamed of dog mushing, dog sledding, or an Alaska adventure travel vacation? Do you enjoy pristine wilderness as far as the eye can see, the thrill of majestic mountain scenery, abundant wildlife up close, few people, and you don’t want to rough it too much? Then read on, you’ve come to the right place.
Since 1976, Alaska Dog Sledding has specialized in small group wilderness Alaska adventure travel and dog mushing trips into some of Alaska's most beautiful and remote locations with lodge and deluxe safari style accommodations. This is the real Alaska in its natural state, a chance of seeing majestic bald and golden eagles, herds of caribou, seals, foxes, falcons, ptarmigans, wolves, moose, otters, lynx, huge ravens, snowy owls, snow buntings, mink and others. This is just a sampling of the wildlife that awaits your Alaska adventure travel vacation.
Your lodge based dog sledding adventure is along the shores of the clear Golsovia river, nestled between the Norton Sound and the foothills of the South River mountains, a part of the Bering Sea in western Alaska. The mighty Yukon river delta lies only 40 miles to the East over the 4000' Nulato Hills with unbroken vista’s of sub-arctic tundra and desolate shores as far as the eye can see. This is the pristine Alaska setting of your dreams and the ideal setting for Alaska dog mushing and Alaska adventure travel.
You can Mush your own team of friendly Iditarod seasoned sled dogs along ancient Eskimo trails. Drive your snowmobile up frozen rivers and to the top of mountain passes. Hike, view wildlife, experience Yupik Eskimo culture and history.
Share the hospitality as you dine on fresh salmon, king crab and caribou among a small group of friendly alaska adventure travelers.
Be a part of and hear the true tales of a life of Alaska adventure.

From the History

With the advent of the Klondike gold rush in the late 1890s, Yukon was invaded by thousands of people hoping to find gold and become instantly wealthy. In 1897, approximately 1,500 people lived in Dawson; by the summer of 1898, the population had grown to around 30,000.1 It became the largest Canadian town west of Winnipeg. Throughout 1898, steamers arrived in Seattle from the Klondike carrying tons of gold and sent back hundreds of dreamers searching for gold that, in many cases, was never found. Many gold seekers arrived in the Klondike with little idea of what lay ahead. They had not anticipated being almost completely isolated from civilization and struggling to obtain the bare necessities required to survive the bitterly cold winters. The barren land was unforgiving; many were forced to turn back empty-handed. For those who did remain in the Yukon, thousands of miles from home, communication with other parts of the country was a lifeline. The briefest note, a small gift or even a postcard from a family member or friend could make a gold seeker’s spirits soar.

Dog Sleeding in Yukon

Until the 1890s, the District of Yukon (now Yukon Territory) was inhabited mainly by Aboriginal peoples, miners and salmon fishermen. The population was sparse – only those capable of surviving under harsh conditions lived in the northwestern parts of the Dominion.

What is Dog Sleeding

A dog sled is a sled pulled by one or more sled dogs used to travel over ice and through snow. Numerous types of sleds are used, depending on their function.
A basket sled has a bed raised several inches above the surface of the snow. This type of sled is used in dogsled racing. Sprint sleds are often short-bodied basket sleds. A toboggan sled has a lower carriage and uses a closed bed, allowing the sled to slide or float over deep snow. Freight sleds, which are heavier and sturdier than sprint sleds, may be toboggan or basket sleds. Both of these types of sleds have runners which stick out behind the sled, on which the musher can stand. For brakes, older sleds relied on hooks attached to the sled with a rope, modern sleds usually include drag and claw brakes built into the sled.
Dog power has been utilized for hunting and travel for hundreds of years. As far back as the tenth century these dogs have contributed to the culture of people. (Coppinger, L.).
Today dog sled teams are put together with great care. Putting together a dog sled team involves putting together a team of leader dogs, point dogs, swing dogs, and wheel dogs. The lead dog is very treasured, and seldom will mushers let these dogs out of their sights. Indeed, trained lead dogs become part of the family household. Important too is to have powerful wheel dogs to pull the sled out from the snow. Point dogs (optional) are located behind the leader dogs, swing dogs between the point and wheel dogs, and team dogs are all other dogs in between the wheel and swing dogs and are selected for their endurance, strength and speed as part of the team.
A recent innovation in sled design was introduced in the 2004 Iditarod by Jeff King, who used a split sled for the race. This sled, the Tail Dragger, has a basket-style body with a freight-holding back end, and an open middle. The musher can sit on the back part or stand in the middle.
The komatik is a traditional Inuit sled, used in Canada and Greenland, low-slung and on which the hunter or racer sits or lies down, facing forward. The runners do not stick out as in basket sleds.
A pulk is a short, flat sled used in the Scandinavian sport of pulka. The dog is hitched to the sled and the sled to the skier. The pulk is used to carry supplies or equipment, but not usually a person.
The expedition led by the Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen used dog sleds when they reached the South Pole before Robert Falcon Scott's party did.