Alaska Sled Dogs & Musher’s Camp

My family and I went on this excursion expecting just to have the dog sledding experience. Along with the dog sledding, the tour also provides everybody with fantastic views, great info about dog sledding and if you are lucky enough you can hold the puppies. Our tour guide, Kevin Kasprick, had great one liners and knew the area like a true Scagway native. He was great and I highly recommend this tour and make sure to ask for Kevin as your tour guide.

We had a fantastic time on this excursion. From the informative drive to the mushers camp with Kyle to the awesome sled ride led by Miriam and her amazing team, we were entertained the entire time. The scenery is gorgeous and the staff is very friendly. We loved learning about the dogs and the Iditarod race that they train for. But of course, the highlight for my sisters and I were the puppies. Lots of time to take pictures and interact with the dogs. I would gladly go back the next time I’m in Skagway!

Excellent time on the Sled Dog & Musher Camp Excursion! Definitely worth the time and money to take a sled ride, meet the dogs training for the Iditarod, meet the mushers and get a master lesson in dog racing, and to meet the adorable puppies!!! The unimog ride was awesome too and the stop at the scenic overlook was unreal. Absolutely must do!

When I first signed up for this cruise ship excursion, I wondered if I would enjoy a dog sled ride on dry land rather than snow, but this excursion ended up being one of my all-​time favorites. I really enjoyed the dog sled ride along the trail in the forest. I was seated in a wheeled cart with several other people. The sometimes bumpy and speedy ride was a lot of fun. I wish that we could have ridden for a lot longer than just one mile. I enjoyed meeting a real musher and learning from him about his equipment and the Iditarod Great Sled Race. I also enjoyed meeting the puppies and seeing the teenager huskies. Note that during the ride on the bus and unimog, we did not see much wildlife, but we did stop at a scenic overlook to see a beautiful mountain and water. The facilities, such as the gift shop and bathrooms, were well maintained.

This place is amazing. We stopped there on a shore excursion during an Alaskan cruise.
It was my wife and I and our two kids (9 and 6) and it was fun for everyone. These are real sled dogs that run in the Iditarod. A couple of the guides actually raced in the Iditarod.
The trip out there is incredibly scenic. We even saw a bear on the way out there. Riding behind the dogs is a once in a lifetime opportunity. And when you are done riding your kids get to go play with sled dog puppies. Really can’t go wrong here. Great experience!

This trip was so much fun! A van picked us up at the cruise ship and took us around the bay and up the hill. On the road trip we saw seals in the harbor. There was even one right next to the road looking right up at us. When we got to the camp we took a unimog up the mountain. It was so cool. I would not recommend it for people with back problems as you get bounced around. At the top are the teams of dogs attached to a cart. The driver was very entertaining introducing each dog and sharing some of their traits. He also had the dogs demonstrate how to turn left and right. Once we finished the tour we got to visit with each dog. It was clear the dogs were happy and healthy. When we were finished we went back to the bottom where we listed to lecture on sled dog racing and got to hold the puppies. Overall it was great!

This was easily the highlight of my vacation. It was fantastic.
Getting here was about a 30 minute bus ride from the cruise terminal. Once we got there, we took an off roading type van up the mountain to do our dog sledding. The dog sledding was so cool! A lot of the pics already shown here give a good idea of what it’s like there. You spend maybe 10 – 20 minutes sledding around, and then you get to play with all the dogs that pulled you around and they are all insanely sweet and loving!
After that ended, they bring you back down the mountain where they give you a little preso on dog sledding, and then you get to play with puppies!!! If you are a dog lover like me, this was really amazing. I really enjoyed playing with the puppies lol. They also had a lot more puppies in a puppy pen.
Overall — it was great. I loved it. I would go back and do it again in a heart beat. Definitely something to consider when in Alaska!

This excursion was so much fun! From the bus ride with tour guide Patty thru the beautiful town and past a bordello, was so picturesque. We learned why these dogs are not the big white huskies we expected to pul us. 14 dogs pull an aluminum cart that seats 6. The dogs are slim and a mixed breed (but must be part husky) and built for speed. Some are veterans of the Iditarod. After the ride you learn what happened with the freight pulling huskies and now the Iditarod, then play with puppies. What a great experience this was!

This was my FAVORITE trip excursion. It was amazing!!! It is out in one of the most beautiful sections of our trip, in my opinion. And, of course, it had a ton of great dogs!
Yes, you don’t get to use the actual dog sleds. But honestly, that’s for safety reasons. The cart you sit in doesn’t detract from the experience. The dogs take you for a great ride. Plus you get to spend time with puppies! It was wonderful.

This was by-​far the best excursion we went on in Alaska, and the best excursion I have done on any cruise trip. While everything in Alaska was gorgeous and amazing, this excursion was truly off-​the-​charts.
My boyfriend and I chose this because I am a huge dog lover, but this trip isn’t just about dogs. You are picked up at your port, told about the area from an experience guide, then transferred to an all-​terrain open air vehicle which drives you literally vertical up a mountain side. This in itself was a wonderful tour – but we weren’t even ½ way through with the excursion!
Up the mountain, you are greeted by dog mushers, and groups of 16 dogs, all ready to go! It is very exciting, as the dogs are happy to see you, and love their work so can’t wait to pull you off. You sit down in a large golf-​cart type vehicle and away you go! The dogs are excellent, and respond with a word from the instructor, who is at the back of the vehicle during the ride.
Tip: sit in the front seat for the best ride!
After a thrilling ride, you are taken back down to the camp, where you are able to visit, hold, and kiss the puppies as much as you want. There is also a fascinating lecture about the history of the Iditarod.
The best part of this excursion was definitely the guides. In many of the ports, college students from the continental U.S. come up during their summers to work in the tourist industry. Therefore, you don’t get a sense of the real «Alaskan» from their tours. These guides, however, are in it to train with the dogs, and are much more knowledgeable and invested.
A truly wonderful tour. I can’t wait to get back to Alaska and do it again!

My wife and I went on this excursion (booked through Princess Cruises). I was a little unsure what to expect and got more than I thought we would. The drive to the camp was very scenic and we made some stops on the way back to take it in.
We got to ride a «sled» on wheels. Our guide/​musher was very informative and the dogs were incredible. What a lovable bunch of canines!
Initially the price seemed a little steep, but most of the money raised goes towards the dogs and getting them ready for the race. Once you complete the experience you realize that it was worth the price.
We will be following our guide and his dogs in his first Iditarod! Good luck James, Skirt, BK, Jack and the rest of the team!

I can’t believe no one wrote a review for one of the most unique shore excursions I’ve ever experienced.
I booked the Alaska Sled Dog and Musher’s Camp excursion not sure exactly what to expect. Although the tour is not conducted on snow and the dogs are essentially pulling a converted golf cart and not a traditional dog sled, you are still in for a fun ride. The dogs here literally run this tourist attraction as part of their summer training. Many of the dogs are Iditarod veterans.
The prices are steep, but the scenery is breathtaking and how often are you going to get pulled by a team of sled dogs?