Alaskan Excursions

[yags]

We will be going on the Grand to Alaska in June of 2018. Is there an excursion having to do with dog sledding? If so, has anyone taken the excursion and is it worth the money? Are there excursions better taken at a different time of the year?

[Sacto Rick]

I've only done one excursion with sled dogs so my experience is limited. The excursions that fly you to a glacier to dog sled on ice can be pretty expensive.

 

We took the Musher's Camp excursion out of Skagway. They take you to Dyea where the camp is. You transfer to a unimog vehicle that takes you uphill to the dogs where you're matched up in wheeled sleds with musher's. Our musher was in training for the Iditarod. At any rate, the dogs pull you around about a mile track and the musher is on the back shouting the orders. We would have preferred to sled on snow but this is how they train their dogs during the season's where there isn't any snow.

 

You get to talk with musher's and after the ride you get to hold puppies. It was reasonably priced and we enjoyed our excursion very much.

[rocklinmom]

We did that cruise last June on the Grand and we did the sled dog camp excursion in Juneau. It depends on your itinerary (as I recall, the Grand out of San Fran goes to Juneau but not Skagway, unless they changed it for next summer). The Juneau sled dog camp was lots of fun - our group of ages 8 up to adult enjoyed it. The camp was under a beautiful mountain, lined with colorful dog houses. They served us snacks, we got to hold puppies, they talked to us about competing in the Iditerod, and then we rode on the sleds. I'll never forget the chorus of excited dogs (who aren't the typical sled dogs you would expect) pulling us through the forest trail, tails wagging and barking. I would definitely recommend it.

[AF-1]

These pictures were from our dog sled excurion on Mendenhall Glacier-July 2017. Worth every penny and it was expensive

[Thrak]

It is expensive. Some love it. I'm not a "dog person" at all but the sledding experience would be cool. To me it's not worth it. To many (many) others it is a "must do". Only you can decide if it's worth it to you. Now it was cats... say Snow Leopards... it would be sooooooooo worth it to me. (My cat Bob would beat me if I didn't add that. ;p)

 

Yeah, I know. Dog folks just can't understand but Bob has been "in charge" here for more than 14 years.

[Coral]

Here is a website to book privately:

 

http://www.temscoair.com/index.php

[xlxo]

We will be going on the Grand to Alaska in June of 2018. Is there an excursion having to do with dog sledding? If so, has anyone taken the excursion and is it worth the money? Are there excursions better taken at a different time of the year?

Keep in mind.... there are two types of dog sled. You can have it on ice/snow.... or you can have it on dirt with a dog cart.

 

[YOUTUBE]i_YaqJHzBN0[/YOUTUBE]

[CATGUY7]

We also did the dog sled camp in Juneau. I've never seen dogs so excited to work! The Iditarod talk was very interesting, and the puppies were adorable. It was a good alternative to the helicopter sledding experience, as I'm not a helicopter fan. I'm sure sledding on a glacier would have been a once in a lifetime experience.

[laughing husky]

Dog sledding on a glacier with snow is available in Juneau, Skagway, Anchorage (outside of Anchorage), Seward.

Longer cart rides are available in Skagway, Juneau, Willow, AK (60 miles north of Anchorage), Girdwood, 50 miles south of Anchorage and short cart rides are available at Iditarod headquarters in Wasilla, AK, and in Carcross, Yukon Territory which is reached from Skagway. Don't think I left any out. Obviously flying up to a glacier and going on a sled is much more expensive. Helicopters are expensive flights. I think you get a more realistic idea of what it is like on a glacier.

[ams cruiser]

Dog sledding on Herbert Glacier with Coastal Helicopters out of Juneau this past August was, by far, the highlight of our Alaska Cruise. We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day, which made a big difference, as 70% of their helicopter excursions were cancelled in the month of July due to inclement weather. Because of the cost of the excursion, we were a little unsure about booking it, but afterwards, we felt it was worth every penny.

 

The helicopter ride to the dog sledding camp was breathtaking, and even when we landed, the scenery was so beautiful, we would have been thrilled to be there without the dogs. The dog sled ride itself was amazing, and we loved getting to know each of the dogs and their personalities during our rest stops. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, we got a chance to hold the puppies!

 

If we had not had this experience, we probably would have enjoyed the sled dog carts on wheels that we saw later in Caracross on our Yukon excursion, but being on the glacier was a big part of the thrill

for us.

 

[ams cruiser]

 

The views were breathtaking!

 

 

The dogs so affectionate...

 

and the puppies were adorable.

 

(If you are interested in seeing more pictures of the Coastal Helicopters tour, including of the extra landing lower on the glacier you can follow this link to our Ruby Princess RT Seattle and scroll down to Juneau.)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2533305

[AF-1]

Dog sledding on Herbert Glacier with Coastal Helicopters out of Juneau this past August was, by far, the highlight of our Alaska Cruise. We were blessed with a beautiful, sunny day, which made a big difference, as 70% of their helicopter excursions were cancelled in the month of July due to inclement weather. Because of the cost of the excursion, we were a little unsure about booking it, but afterwards, we felt it was worth every penny.

 

The helicopter ride to the dog sledding camp was breathtaking, and even when we landed, the scenery was so beautiful, we would have been thrilled to be there without the dogs. The dog sled ride itself was amazing, and we loved getting to know each of the dogs and their personalities during our rest stops. Just when I thought it couldn't get any better, we got a chance to hold the puppies!

 

If we had not had this experience, we probably would have enjoyed the sled dog carts on wheels that we saw later in Caracross on our Yukon excursion, but being on the glacier was a big part of the thrill

for us.

 

 

I agree worth the money; I now have these memories with my grandchildren that will last forever; plus the pics help remember the great time. We too had nice weather for the excursion. Our guide said this excursion is the cancelled more than any other one in Juneau

[AF-1]

 

The views were breathtaking!

 

 

The dogs so affectionate...

 

and the puppies were adorable.

 

(If you are interested in seeing more pictures of the Coastal Helicopters tour, including of the extra landing lower on the glacier you can follow this link to our Ruby Princess RT Seattle and scroll down to Juneau.)

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2533305

 

Great pics.

[EastBay Cruisers]

HI AMS, your pics are fabulous, and these dogs are adorable. Looks like an outstanding excursion ! Thanks so much from EBC.:)

[partybarbie]

I've done the dry dog sled in both Skagway and Juneau. Our group preferred the one in Skagway. The trail is a little bit longer and faster than the one in Juneau. We took the afternoon tour, which left us time to zipline in the morning and still make it back to the ship for the dog camp.

 

While the snow sledding looks amazing, it's pretty pricey.

[Lucky TGO]

These pictures were from our dog sled excurion on Mendenhall Glacier-July 2017. Worth every penny and it was expensive

Great Photos thanks for sharing.

Tony

[ams cruiser]

Great pics.

 

Thanks so much for your tutorial on posting pictures. I had to refer back to it to post these!

[ams cruiser]

HI AMS, your pics are fabulous, and these dogs are adorable. Looks like an outstanding excursion ! Thanks so much from EBC.:)

 

It was the one experience in Alaska that will always be a highlight for me. I have a couple of pictures posted at work, and when I'm having a hard day, I look at them and smile!

 

EBC- I have to ask, are you in the East Bay, Bay Area? Is so, we might be "neighbors!"

[ams cruiser]

These pictures were from our dog sled excurion on Mendenhall Glacier-July 2017. Worth every penny and it was expensive

 

We felt the same way. Great pictures! The smiles say it all...

[EastBay Cruisers]

HI, yes we are in the East Bay. It seems that many people on these boards are from the Bay Area in general. Lots of interest in cruising.

[yags]

HI, yes we are in the East Bay. It seems that many people on these boards are from the Bay Area in general. Lots of interest in cruising.

I am the OP and live in Dixon just a little north east of you. We have done a lot of cruising but this will be the first one out of San Francisco. Looking for ward to it. the dog sledding looks awesome.

[laughing husky]

Dog sledding is amazing, and Coastal was the way to go. My dogs have been on that glacier and I can say that they do a wonderful job with the dogs. Liked the photos of the "monsters"......

[EastBay Cruisers]

I am the OP and live in Dixon just a little north east of you. We have done a lot of cruising but this will be the first one out of San Francisco. Looking for ward to it. the dog sledding looks awesome.

 

Dixon's such a nice town. I love the excellent restaurants in Dixon. Enjoy your cruise -- I know it will be fabulous ! :p:p:p EBC

[AF-1]

Tony and AMS Cruiser I am glad you liked my pics and AMS I am glad you got the hang of posting. It means so much when you have the large picture to show someone

[ams cruiser]

I am the OP and live in Dixon just a little north east of you. We have done a lot of cruising but this will be the first one out of San Francisco. Looking for ward to it. the dog sledding looks awesome.

 

I went to UC Davis and worked at Cattlemen's for a couple of years, which is right in your neck of the woods, I believe.

 

We thought about doing a cruise out of the city, but heard the waters can get kind of rough on the trip up the coast. My husband would be fine, but I didn't want to push my luck.

 

The dog sledding was incredible!