Sled dog cart ride? Fairbanks, Denali, chena hot springs, pioneer park ?? Which one

[tamsocal]

Helicopter tour is out .

We are cruising inside passage and land tour.

Trying to keep cost down since we have already spent too much .

 

Dog sled ride at caribou crossing we can do for $100 for 3 kids or $130 all four of us.

Chena hot springs is $90 all 4 Of us

 

I have no idea what the scenery is at either place.

Any other good options along our travels that might be a good option . Willing to spend a bit more if one is nicer than the other but if all the same of course cheapest would be great

 

Does pioneer park still have sled cart rides? We did this back in 2006? And can't recall more than $15-20 each

[narsibvl]

I don't remember seeing sled dog rides at pioneer park. Chena hot springs is a bit of a drive and we went only to the ice museum. It was too hot for hot springs .

 

 

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[jojoanddash]

I'm thinking of doing the Chena hot springs in June 2014 but I think we will be staying in North Pole so it is not that far to drive from there from what I have read anyways

[tamsocal]

We are going to chena hot springs since we will be over half way there with our fishing and float trip already planned.

Was planning on pony ride, dog sled if not done somewhere else and ice museum and look around.

 

Pioneer park dog cart ride was

In 2006 so things might have changed :) that's why I was wondering current visitors advice . Will try calling the number listed for pioneer park and see if they have info

Leaning towards caribou crossing unless someone suggests otherwise.

[Northern Aurora]

The dog cart rides at Pioneer Park haven't been offered since 2006 or 2007 -- the vendor tried it for two years and then didn't return.

[tamsocal]

The dog cart rides at Pioneer Park haven't been offered since 2006 or 2007 -- the vendor tried it for two years and then didn't return.

 

Thanks:), our year we visited or the next must have been the last :)

[Budget Queen]

I'm thinking of doing the Chena hot springs in June 2014 but I think we will be staying in North Pole so it is not that far to drive from there from what I have read anyways

 

Look at a map. From the North Pole, it is still a long drive. You may want to rethink your choice of staying there, depending what else you are doing with your time? Hardly worth a stop, never mind parking yourself there overnight.

[Budget Queen]

Helicopter tour is out .

We are cruising inside passage and land tour.

Trying to keep cost down since we have already spent too much .

 

Dog sled ride at caribou crossing we can do for $100 for 3 kids or $130 all four of us.

Chena hot springs is $90 all 4 Of us

 

I have no idea what the scenery is at either place.

Any other good options along our travels that might be a good option . Willing to spend a bit more if one is nicer than the other but if all the same of course cheapest would be great

 

Does pioneer park still have sled cart rides? We did this back in 2006? And can't recall more than $15-20 each

 

Do your plans, include renting cars at either of these locations?

 

There hasn't been any "cart rides" at Pioneer Park/Alaskaland that I have ever seen?

 

The cheap "ride" is at the Wasilla Sled Dog Headquarters. Verify that Reddington dogs are still set up there? Again, you would need to have a car rental and being an independent visitor.

[PennyAgain]

Most of the cart ride places have given up on doing business since the number of land visitors (mostly RV folks) have dropped off since 2006. Cruise land tour passengers are diverted away from concessions that don't benefit the cruise lines.

 

I wouldn't do any serious driving without telephoning to make sure a place is still in business.

[tamsocal]

Do your plans, include renting cars at either of these locations?

 

There hasn't been any "cart rides" at Pioneer Park/Alaskaland that I have ever seen?

 

The cheap "ride" is at the Wasilla Sled Dog Headquarters. Verify that Reddington dogs are still set up there? Again, you would need to have a car rental and being an independent visitor.

 

Most of the cart ride places have given up on doing business since the number of land visitors (mostly RV folks) have dropped off since 2006. Cruise land tour passengers are diverted away from concessions that don't benefit the cruise lines.

 

I wouldn't do any serious driving without telephoning to make sure a place is still in business.

We have rental car in Juneau, and Fairbanks.

I don't need for it to be super cheap and drive way out of our way to save $ dollars. The prices vary widely so I was just curious.

I think we might plan to do at caribou crossing or china hot springs and if it doesn't happen, oh well!

The cart ride at pioneer park in 2006 was fun, and cost was maybe $20 each?

 

Definitely pioneer park, I have pictures:)

[tamsocal]

Do your plans, include renting cars at either of these locations?

 

There hasn't been any "cart rides" at Pioneer Park/Alaskaland that I have ever seen?

 

The cheap "ride" is at the Wasilla Sled Dog Headquarters. Verify that Reddington dogs are still set up there? Again, you would need to have a car rental and being an independent visitor.

 

Wasilla looks fun online with their website but too far out of the way.

We are the ones on the cruise tour where the kids are going for free ;)

We are trying to go to reindeer farm in place of dog cart ride :)

[Budget Queen]

Wasilla looks fun online with their website but too far out of the way.

We are the ones on the cruise tour where the kids are going for free ;)

We are trying to go to reindeer farm in place of dog cart ride :)

 

There is a research Reindeer farm along with Musk ox at the Fairbanks U. They are in DIFFERENT locations.

[laughing husky]

As of yesterday, parts of the Chena Hot Springs road was closed due to the fires up there. They have burned 1,000's of acres and many of the dog sled kennels have had to evacuate along that road. Not sure when you are going, but perhaps you should check where you are planning to stay in North Pole. One of the fires was over in that direction also....Have had 3 friends evacuate their dogs and horses, as well as themselves from that road...

[Northern Aurora]

Chena Hot Springs Road was under an evacuation order Sunday evening, but it has been lifted and now they are under an evacuation warning (meaning residents can return to their homes, but need to be prepared to leave very quickly). We've had cooler weather this week, with some light rain and drizzle, but the forecast calls for highs in the 80s this weekend. As I interpret the Alaska Fire Service press releases, they anticipate some problems this weekend, but do have the Stuart Creek fire 25 percent contained as of this morning (according to the Fairbanks DailyNews-Miner).

 

I don't know if the Chena River Recreation Area is open at this point. When the evacuation order was issued, the rec area was closed as managers didn't want anyone stuck in that area with the only road in and out closed.

 

Since there are a number of dog mushers who live on the Chena Hot Springs Road the Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Control folks had plans for a massive critter shelter at the Tanana Valley State Fairgrounds. Their plans worked well when implemented. Kudos to them for their mobilization of volunteers.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We stopped at the Iditarod HQ in Wasilla last month and watched someone take the sled dog ride. It is very cheap, but it lasts about 15 seconds (exaggerating, but not much). It's also not on snow, but on a dusty [or worse, muddy] track. Nothing like the pictures of the Iditarod race.

 

I recommend stopping there to watch the video, but I don't think the sled dog ride would fulfill your fantasy.

[tamsocal]

As of yesterday, parts of the Chena Hot Springs road was closed due to the fires up there. They have burned 1,000's of acres and many of the dog sled kennels have had to evacuate along that road. Not sure when you are going, but perhaps you should check where you are planning to stay in North Pole. One of the fires was over in that direction also....Have had 3 friends evacuate their dogs and horses, as well as themselves from that road...

 

That is terrible news about the fires. We are in Southern California so get fires quite a bit. Hopefully it is further contained soon!

 

Our trip isn't for a few more weeks and our tourist stops are insignificant compared to the issues at hand