Blazing Tails: Dog Sledding in Alaska

Photo by Nicole Geils

Photo by jodyo.photos

A musher and a pack of dogs pulling a sled across frozen tundra and through crystalized trails is a vision straight out of the novel Call of the Wild. What could be more Alaskan than being bundled in furs and blankets while your team of trained sled dogs pull you through some of the backcountry beauty that makes up this part of the country? There are numerous dog sled companies in and around both Anchorage and Fairbanks. Many packages can be customized and include hot chocolate, meet and greet with the dogs, mushing training, lunch and private trails.

Just over an hour outside of Anchorage in the town of Willow, the mushing capitol of the world, you will find Rock on Racing. This is a family-owned business, with each member competing in races. The love for their dogs is evident as they focus on healthy, happy dogs and humans. They have multiple tour packages, including custom-built multi-day tours. In Fairbanks, Paws for Adventure has a moonlight mushing and Aurora tour that will have you riding a sled through luminescent trails while the northern lights shimmer across the sky.