Alaska Dog Mushing Journey

Enjoy an epic ride from a musher’s sled pulled by a team of trained sled dogs! Meet the mushers and get introduced to the lovable furry athletes.

Pet the puppies and harness up your champion Alaskan Huskies, then ride the snowy backwoods trails and frozen creeks full of moose and other wildlife on a beautiful 160 acre Homestead- The Dogstead! Learn all about this traditional form of travel and the more modern tradition of racing from a real expert in the field and let the dogs themselves tell you how much they love this unique lifestyle!

Add our Ice Road Tour to really get a full-day experience of the surrounding frozen ecosystem! Travel with a local guide and discover Big Lake, a small Alaskan community connected by ice roads and a hardy spirit. Make it a full day by driving the ice, mushing the trails, and relaxing at a unique ice island restaurant.

According to State Symbols USA Dog Mushing became the Offical State Sport in 1972

Northern people have used dogs to pull sleds for centuries; once a primary form of transportation in many parts of Alaska (in 2010, Alaska recognized the Alaskan malamute as the official state dog). From this tradition came sled dog racing. Today it is a worldwide sport for both professional competition and family recreation. People come from around the world to participate in Alaska’s yearly Iditarod; “The Last Great Race.”

Heroic mushing and the Last Great Race

In January of 1925 mushing captured headlines around the nation when twenty mushers and their dog teams relayed life-saving diphtheria serum to the children of Nome. Balto, the lead dog on the final leg of the “Great Race of Mercy” was celebrated as a hero.

Since 1973, mushers have challenged themselves in a race nicknamed The Last Great Race on Earth®, racing each March from Anchorage to Nome, Alaska. Nearly a thousand miles in length, mushers and teams travel over mountain ranges, through monotonous, flat tundra, to the western Alaskan coast and finally to the town of Nome, established when gold was discovered there in 1898.

Information provided by Iditarod EDU