I just want to see the dogs !

[Franky80]

I am going on an alaskan cruise next month and would love to visit a dog sled camp.

I am not interested in the actual dog ride but would love to just look around and visit the dogs. My partner is a wildlife artist and would love to take a few photos of the Huskies.

 

Does anyone know if this is actually possible or would we have to do the whole tour ?

Also any names of camps in any of the ports would be very helpful.

 

Thanks

[Napi's Mom]

One of the best racing kennels is just outside Seward...called the Ididiride Kennels, by the "Seaveys" Man won 1 Ididerod (04) and his teams placed 4, 6 & rookie wife of son 46th I believe This year. & "Yukon" is always mentioning the fact that Carcross in the Yukon above Skagway, has the mushing camp where you can tour the camp & "pet the puppies"

[Franky80]

Thanks for that, i had actually looked at that one on the internet. We are on princess cruises and dock in Whittier so not sure how far away this one is .

[shepcookie]

I did the dog sled tour about 3 years ago. I don't know if it's the same one or not, but if so, the when you arrive, you immediately do the dog sled portion. It really is a LOT of fun, so I would encourge you not to skip it. It's about a mile long. It ends at the camp where they train and keep the dogs. There was a short (about 15 minutes or so) talk by a dog sled racer. He explained about what they do, the equippment, and training the dogs. I found it very interesting. After that we were allow to visit the puppies.

 

This and the helicopter ride to Mendenhall Glacier were my two favorite tours on the cruise. Both were well worth the money.

 

Tammy

[Budget Queen]

Are you spending time interior Alaska??? Wasilla has the Sled Dog Headquarters and Museum and usually Reddington dogs there. Seavey's is a fee area, but one of the cheaper options and superb cart ride. Problem is, you are at least 2 hours from Seward. If going to Denali Park, jackpot- free dog sled demos, and the ability to some very well kept sled dogs, entirely free. :)

 

Last option, if, only doing the cruise, is Caribou Crossing in the Yukon, which is drive up. And either a car rental necessary with Avis, or a van or van/train tour required. Out of Skagway. Otherwise there are the costly ship tour, out of Skagway or Juneau.

[sue450]

BQ, I'm going to Denali on one of the Princess cruisetours. I will be spending 2 nights at the Princess Denali Lodge and 1 at the McKinley Princess Lodge and have free time at each (doing the TWT in the early morning of the 1st day at Denali).

 

Where are the free dog sled "shows" available? How would I get to them? If free ones aren't available based on my location and lack of transportation is there a "fee" one that you would recommend in that area?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

[AkSusan]

BQ, I'm going to Denali on one of the Princess cruisetours. I will be spending 2 nights at the Princess Denali Lodge and 1 at the McKinley Princess Lodge and have free time at each (doing the TWT in the early morning of the 1st day at Denali).

 

Where are the free dog sled "shows" available? How would I get to them? If free ones aren't available based on my location and lack of transportation is there a "fee" one that you would recommend in that area?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

Here's the link to the Kennel in Denali National Park. They haven't posted their summer hours yet though http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm

If I'm not mistaken from reading the boards that Princess may run a shuttle between your hotel and the Visitor's Center at Denali. If I'm wrong someone please correct me.

 

Susan in Anchorage :)

[Budget Queen]

BQ, I'm going to Denali on one of the Princess cruisetours. I will be spending 2 nights at the Princess Denali Lodge and 1 at the McKinley Princess Lodge and have free time at each (doing the TWT in the early morning of the 1st day at Denali).

 

Where are the free dog sled "shows" available? How would I get to them? If free ones aren't available based on my location and lack of transportation is there a "fee" one that you would recommend in that area?

 

Thanks in advance for your help.

 

Princess does run a shuttle to the visitor center. FROM there there is a shuttle for the dog sled demos, three times/day. If no mobility limitations, stay there and walk back to the visitor center, and the shuttle back to the lodge.

 

The Husky Homestead tour, gets consistant rave reviews, from cruisetour visitors as well, also from the Denali location.

[countrygal52]

We did the Husky Homestead tour while at Denali on our first of 2 nites there. LOVED it. They picked us up at our hotel in a school bus and drove out to Jeff King's place. He had 2 litters of puppies that everyone was passing around and you could have your picture taken holding one. Then they gave a training demo and we moved inside for a video of him running the Iditarod and he also gave a talk on what that was like and showed us a sled and his clothing he has to wear. I don't remember what the fee was for that.

[casandbliz]

We went to Alaska last year in May, and when we were in Skagway, we did a ship excursion to a Sled Dog Summer Camp (didn't really want to spend the $$ on a helicopter- we cared more about seeing the dogs too!).When we arrived, the dogs were all geared up to give us a short ride in a special wheeled cart along a dirt path. From what I understand, the mushers use this camp to keep the dogs in shape during the non-snow months. We then walked around their camp, saw where the dogs were kept, and had a brief talk from one of the mushers that did the Iditarod the year before. Then the best part....we were able to hold a new litter of pups (they were maybe 6-8 weeks old)!!! It was an awesome excursion, and we loved it!! I highly recommend it!! I don't know if it is something you can do outside of the cruise ship or not (we never looked into that). But I tell you, it is just amazing to see and hear how much these dogs absolutely love what they do!!!:D:D GOOD lUCK!!

 

P.S.- Sorry, I can't remember the name of the camp....

[Marie321]

Very few of the sled dogs are actually huskies, though! They are more of a mish mash of dog types.

[canadarocks]

We're doing the Seavey Iditaride tour in Seward in the middle of our b2b on the Ryndam. It was the first thing I booked!:) It was only $2 more doing in through the ship!:D I can't wait for Seward, because right after the dogs we're doing a 6 hour Kenai Fjords tour!

[laughing husky]

Marie....ALL of the dogs who do Iditarod or the Quest are Huskies....What they are not .... is Siberians....Although there are a couple of teams every year that are pur bred Sibes. Alaskan Huskies are all muts...bred to run and love it...They do not look like what most people picture....Too much Hollywood casting...:) I do know about this....I am a handler for an Iditarod team. Michelle Phillips does the Carcross sled dog thingee and she is great. She has run both the Iditarod as well as the Yukon Quest. On the Princess ships, Libby Riddles, the first woman to win Iditarod comes on board and speaks to all of the passengers...She gives a great talk about what it is really like out there. Jeff's Husky Homestead Tours are excellent and professionally done...There are lots of other kennels to check out if you are driving north or south of Denali. Denali does have a dog sled kennel....They are NOT racing dogs...They are pulling dogs maintained so the rangers can have winter access to the park as the road is not plowed or maintained. They are huge compared to a racing husky.

[casandbliz]

Very few of the sled dogs are actually huskies, though! They are more of a mish mash of dog types.

 

 

Yea, we were somewhat surprised too when our tour leader explained that they would not look like what we expected (due to movies, etc). However, no matter what breed, or what they looked like, these dogs are awesome!!!! They seem to absolutely LOVE their job, and seem to be despondent when they aren't pulling a sled!!!

[Marie321]

I am a 4th grade teacher and every year my class follows the Iditarod.

 

One of the best experiences I have had in Alaska is going out to a glacier and dog sledding with Sebastian Schnuelle. Sab finished 10th last year in the Iditarod, won the Yukon Quest this year, and he finished the Iditarod second this year. Our helicopter was late picking us up, so we got to spend extra time with him. He was wonderful about answering questions and visiting with us. It is really a wonderful experience and worth the money! Here are some pictures!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[traveler to be]

Thanks Marie321 for the great pictures. My mom and I are going to do a dog sled excursion in a couple of weeks when we get to Juneau. Mom will love the pics when I show them to her.

thanks

Traveler to be

[LVSue]

We took the same ship's tour to the dog summer camp outside of Skagway and enjoyed it a lot! If you're not going to be in Denali, it's one way to learn a bit.

[laughing husky]

Marie, those are great pictures....and the tour with Sab via Coastal Helicopters is the best trip in Alaska. The little dog in front of your picture is a dog named Skunk...also known as Skunkie Monkie..just had puppies about 2 weeks ago...I think their were 11 of them. Sab is one great guy....and it is a terific tour...Could not reccomend it highly enough. Also want to mention that Libby Riddles...the first woman who won the Iditarod gives a talk on all of the Princess ships when they are in Juneau....Not to be missed. She is one heck of a lady....

[dfitz]

The heli-glacier dog sled was more than we wanted to spend (opted for heli tour/icefield expedition w/ landing. We would also like to be able to drop by and see the dogs and camp (esp since I'll be missing my pups who will be left at home).

In the Yukon area (if you drive from Skagway), Pristine Wilderness Tours, dog camp, says ok to stop by just to see the dogs. Not sure if we'll do a ride, or not, but here's what's available and she said no appt/reservation necessary unless we come during a peak time "The only times availability is an issue is between 11:30-1 AK time."There's a 1-hour time difference between AK and Yukon.

[/color]

If you want a cart ride, there are 2 types of packages available.

a 15-minute ride (total time includes loading) for $37.25 Adult / $35.25 Child.

a 30-minute total package: 20 minute ride plus a 10 minute talk all about Alaskan huskies and racing long distances, for $57.25 Adult / $50 child.

 

They will be on wheeled carts, not sleds. Something I heard is that the track the dogs run on is often poopy, so the stuff that gets kicked up is not just mud :eek:

[laughing husky]

Marie, I hope you read this....just looked at your pics with Sab again....The lead dog...the black one with the brown eyebrows...not skunk....I sorta overlooked....Her name is Tang and she is a very famous dog in sled dog history.....She finished last year both the Quest and the Iditarod at the age of 11.....and she now resides at my house....mostly on my couch..or bed. Sab comes to see her frequently, but she enjoys running recreationally with me and loves her new pack.....How I could not look at her and not recognize her.....must be the sunglasses that I was wearing. Her picture is also on Sab's website...which you can google...and subscribe to his newsletters...which are fascinating.....

[Marie321]

Laughing Husky . . . yes, it was Tang although Skunk ran with us also. We also had Polar, Wondar, Popcorn, Nemo, Yonder, and Diesel I believe.

 

You cannot imagine the excitement of my 9 and 10 year old students. I have those pictures and others on my wall. The kids were divided into 5 teams of 4 each. Each team picked a musher to watch. We checked the Iditarod web site 3 or more times a day and kept up with where each musher was on a map. We recorded travel times and how many dogs the musher still had. Of course, I had the whole class excitedly watching Sebastian. They also chose to watch Jeff King, Lance Mackey, Bjorner Anderson (I have a Dutch student and he was excited about this Norwegian), and DeeDee Jonrowe.

 

There is such a lot of curriculum I can teach . . . geography, science, math, writing, reading, etc. We cover material several weeks before the race, getting ready, and the excitement of the kids is so high. It is great for me to say I have met this musher and some of the dogs that were in the race!

 

It is good to know that Tang has a loving home in her retirement. Thanks for all your comments! I do subscribe to Sebastian's newsletter. I sent him pictures after our sledding experience in 2007 on a CD--he had asked for copies.

[CruiseDreamer28]

Are there good options for seeing the pups in Juneau? My daughter would think she'd died and gone to Heaven!

[laughing husky]

the only pups I know about are on the glaciers. Not many people have sled dog teams in Juneau....Too warm in the winter....and not many places to run. It is hard when you live on an Island. The few people who did do it, have left the island...but when Libby Riddles comes on board, you can ask her after the talk. If any pups are around she will know where they are.:)

[laughing husky]

Marie, my email is jfoster209@aol.com

I will send you a couple of pics of Tang and Skunk at my house....Skunk is residing at Gerry Willometzers house with her puppies....and she will be back in the team this winter. If you get Sab's journal, you will recognize who I am because he usually mentions Tang and both my husband and me. Nemo was in lead when Sab came in 1st in the Yukon Quest.....The other dogs are also doing well, but getting older.