Recently we’ve been getting a lot of phone calls and emails from nervous visitors; fearful that Alaska’s mild winter will dash their hopes of dog sledding at the end of March and early April. So when will our winter dog mushing season end?
It’s true that ’24-’25 has been a mild winter in Alaska. Anchorage has received essentially no snow accumulation, and even the famous 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race had to move its start to Fairbanks, as opposed to its normal beginning in Willow.
Thankfully Fairbanks has fared better than many other parts of the state, but we’re still low on snow compared to recent years. As of this writing on March 20th, we have about three feet of snow on the ground. There was more earlier in the winter, but warm temps and a few rain events have stripped a bit away. Last year at this time we had closer to seven feet!
So how do visitors know if it’s safe to book a dog sledding tour at the end of March or early April? And what conditions might cause a dog sledding tour company to close up shop?
A Normal Spring
It’s totally normal for daytime temperatures in Fairbanks in March to get into the 20’s, or 30’s F. And we’ll get loads of sunshine, too! Ask any outdoor enthusiast, and we’ll tell you this is THE BEST time of year in Fairbanks. We’ve got enough snow for all of our snow sports, but it’s finally warm and sunny. And while the days are getting longer, the aurora is still active at night. It’s really the best of all the worlds, but it’s also never long enough…
Warm temperatures do cause the snow to melt a bit, but with several feet on the ground at the beginning of March, we aren’t generally concerned with our snow simply melting away to nothing. In fact, snow melt is really common here in the spring time – even if temps are below freezing! That’s because the sunlight in Alaska from March – August is very intense. Even when air temps are still below freezing, direct sunlight will cause melting of snow and ice during the day. But once that sun goes down, areas that had been melting in the light of day, will quickly solidify and refreeze at night. This can cause particularly slippery roads, but refreezing at night is key to prolonging our beautiful winter/spring season.
When to worry…
Warm temperatures become a concern when they start to stretch on for weeks, and when temps start to stay above freezing over night. Eventually these above-freezing temps cause our snowpack to degrade. And that’s the real killer of winter.
Snowpack refers to the snow on the ground, specifically the snow that is solidly established and has been around for awhile. Our dog sledding tour trail relies on snowpack. But more than that, we need a firmly established snow base in order for the sleds to glide, and the dogs to have good, solid footing.
Think of the texture of the snowpack on our winter trail as that of really hard ice cream that you’ve just pulled out of the freezer. Sometimes this ice cream is so solid you can’t even get the scooper in! But if you leave that ice cream sit on the counter for 20 minutes, what happens to it? Now it’s a goopy mess that you can easily spoon out and into your bowl. When temperatures here are too warm for too long, our snowpack eventually degrades just like that bowl of ice cream. And instead of our dogs and sleds being able to easily glide across the top of the snowy trail, they start sinking down in – just like the spoon in your ice cream. Our dogs can sink in a few inches and still pull the sled OK. But once they’re sunk down into their elbows our bellies, it’s time to pull the plug on the winter season. It’s not fair or safe for our dogs to be pulling sleds through mushy, slushy snow.
Should I book a tour or not?
Black Spruce Dog Sledding may be the most popular dog sledding tour company in Fairbanks. This award-winning adventure rarely disappoints. In two hours, we cover all of fundamentals of dog sledding – from how to harness a sled dog, to how to drive a sled! We are already sold out for the rest of March 2025, with just a few spots left open in April. Don’t ever wait to book your tour with us!
What if the weather doesn’t cooperate?
If we don’t think conditions will be safe for you or the dogs, we will cancel your tour and give you a full refund.
At this time we are still taking bookings through April 6th, and simply hoping snowpack conditions will hold until then. Many other tour companies close – or project to close – by April 1st. Conditions are typically quite deteriorated by then, and seasonal staff also start to experience burn out with long, jam-packed tour days. But at Black Spruce’s location nearly 2000 feet above Fairbanks, we typically have a longer, colder, snowier fall and spring, and can sometimes stay open through the first week in April. Sometimes. Every year is different. We are happy to take bookings through the latest date we foresee being open, and then just give refunds if we can’t stay open.
We will make every effort to stay open as long as we believe conditions are safe to do so. Additionally, we try not to cancel tours very far in advance, because conditions do change.
And remember, if you would like to cancel your own tour, for any reason — like you don’t want to drive on those slippery roads mentioned above — just give us 24 hours advanced notice and we’ll give you a full refund.
