Is Black Spruce the perfect fit for your dreamy Alaskan adventure?
Find answers to some common questions below!
How do we get to Black Spruce Dog Sledding?
Transportation is not provided. Most of our visitors rent their own vehicle for getting to our location.
Renting your own vehicle:
- Spend the extra money to get an all-wheel drive (AWD) or four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicle for driving anywhere in Alaska from October – April.
- We like Alaska Auto Rental or Fairbanks 4 x 4, specifically from October – April. These local car rental companies equip their vehicles with winter tires, which makes driving easier and safer.
To hire a ride to Black Spruce:
- Use a shuttle company or taxi/cab. DO NOT use Uber or Lyft. These app-based ride services are unreliable for pick-up from our location. A shuttle or taxi/cab driver should stay and wait here for you to take your tour. When scheduling, let your driver know we are located 45 minutes northwest of the Fairbanks, and our tours are approximately 2 hours long.
- We recommend Fairbanks Trails and Rivers as a reliable shuttle service. Call or text them at (907) 750-5179.
- Ask the Fairbanks Visitors Center about other shuttle options.
What are the roads like?
We are located about 45 minutes drive from downtown Fairbanks, and about 35 minutes from the airport.
In summer and early fall, the roads to our location are mostly paved, except for the last 5 miles, which are gravel. If you’re renting from a company like Enterprise, Avis or Budget, they may try to restrict your driving range to paved roads only. We believe these gravel road restrictions apply to Alaska’s gravel highways – not little sideroads with low speed limits. Many sideroads in Alaska are still gravel, and you will need to drive on them to reach your vacation rental and some of Fairbanks’ most popular tours. (Additionally, once we have snow on the roads, you can no longer tell if a road is gravel or paved 🙂
Winter roads in the city will be icy due to high traffic, especially at intersections. As you leave the city and get into our rural area, the roads will no longer be so icy. However, the roads will become more narrow, and the snowy, white edges can be hard to distinguish if you have no winter driving experience.
In spring (March and April), snow on the roads begins to melt with daily sunshine. This can create slippery conditions in the mornings as temperatures drop below freezing at night.
We recommend renting an AWD or 4WD vehicle from a Fairbanks-based company like Alaska Auto Rental or Fairbanks 4×4.
How do I drive in winter conditions?
Get a larger vehicle. An all-wheel drive (AWD) or four-wheel drive vehicle (4WD) will have better traction and better clearance for driving in winter conditions. But this doesn’t mean you can go anywhere! You will still be restricted to plowed roads. For example, you’ll be able to drive through 6 inches of fresh snow, but not 3 feet of winter snowpack.
Go slow. Drive at a speed that is comfortable for you. If you think you’re driving much slower than everyone else, use your flashers to indicate this to other drivers. If you believe someone is following you too closely, choose a wide, straight section of road to slow down, and put on your right hand turn signal. Move over the right, as far as is safe to do so, and let that following vehicle pass.
Stay away from the edges of the road. Road shoulders in winter may look solid, but can be very soft. If you get a tire into the deep snow on the shoulder you can quickly be pulled into the ditch. Stay close to the center line when possible.
Brake early and lightly. Give yourself plenty of time to stop at lights and stop signs. When you touch the brakes, pump them lightly instead of applying constant pressure. If you start to lose control, let off the brake pedal completely.
Accelerate slowly. When taking off from a stopped position, push the gas pedal gently. If you feel yourself starting to spin out of control or lose traction, let off the gas, and try again.
Use speed to climb hills. Frequently, there will be good traction at the bottom of a hill, but not as much when you’re climbing. Use the traction at the bottom to get up your acceleration, and use that momentum to climb the hill, instead of trying to lay on the gas as you’re climbing. This can cause your tires to spin, and for you to lose control.
Know your buttons. Believe it or not, it can be very helpful to turn OFF your vehicle’s traction control! Know where this button is located, and try turning traction control off when you get into a slippery situation.
If your vehicle comes with 4WD, you will need to enable this through a knob or shift lever. If there is snow on the roads while you’re in Alaska, turn on the 4WD and do not turn it off.
What will the weather be like during my visit?
Temperatures in Fairbanks can range from -50F in mid-winter to +80F in mid-summer! Here’s a rundown of our many different “seasons:”
Freeze Up – Approx mid-October to mid-November. Temperatures are usually between 0 and +20 degrees Fahrenheit, and things start to “freeze up.” During this time, we offer the Sled Dog Safari Tour until there is enough snow on the ground to offer the Scenic Day Mushing Tour.
We need approximately 16 inches of snow in order to safely operate the brakes on traditional dog sleds. We will switch from the Safari Tour (on wheels) to the Scenic Day Tour (on snow) as soon as there is enough snow on the ground. When we build the online booking calendars, we are simply using our best guess at when this transition date will be. Typically it’s around Thanksgiving. Please book a tour on the date of your choosing, according to the online booking calendar. Then if we need to change the type of tour that is based on the weather conditions, we will let you know that in advance. You can also cancel your tour up to 24 hours in advance to receive a full refund.
Winter – Approx late November to late February. Temperatures are usually between -30 F and +20 F. During this time we offer the Scenic Day Mushing Tour
Spring – Approx early March until early April. Temps are usually between +20 F and +45 F during this time, with loads of sunshine. This is our favorite time for mushing! But it goes too fast… At some point the snow will become too mushy for mushing! The snow on our trail needs to be firm in order for the dogs to stay on top of the trail. As the temperatures become warmer and warmer, this eventually causes our trail to get slushy during the day, and then extremely icy at night and early in the morning, making the mushing unsafe to impossible.
Break Up – Approx early April to mid-May. Temperatures are usually between +35 F and +55 F. We are closed during this time as we wait for all of the snow to melt and the ice to “break up.” After this happens, things will be very muddy. We need to wait for that mud to dry too, before we can take out our wheeled summer buggy for the Summer Sled Dog Safari Tours.
Summer – Approx late May to early September. Temperatures are usually between +50 F and +90 F. During this time, we offer the Sled Dog Safari Tour and the Husky Hiking Tour. There is no snow.
Fall – Approx early September to mid-October. Temperatures are usually between +20 F and +50 F. During this time, we offer the Sled Dog Safari Tour only. There may be no or a little snow.
How should we dress for the tour?
Check out our How to Dress pages for everything you need to know on this subject!
- How to Dress – Warm Weather
- How to Dress – Cold Weather
Most importantly, get a weather forecast for the day of your visit. We like www.wunderground.com
What is the cancellation policy?
To cancel your tour and receive a full refund, we require you give at least 24 hours advanced notice before the start time/date of your tour. If you do not give at least 24 hours advanced notice of your cancellation you will not receive a refund. No partial refunds are given.
On rare occasion, we must cancel or reschedule tours on account of poor weather or dangerous road conditions. If we need to cancel your tour it is for reasons of safety and comfort for you or our dogs, and we will try our hardest to find a time in which to reschedule you. If we are unable to find an alternate tour time for your group, you will receive a full refund for your tour.
Please be aware that weather conditions can be drastically different between our kennel and the Fairbanks metro and North Pole areas. Don’t assume that tours will be canceled based solely on weather conditions in these other areas. We will always contact you in the event of a cancellation or need to reschedule.
What is a tag sled?
Update: This video was taken during a tour several years ago… We now have an Instagram account!
A tag sled is a second dog sled, attached behind the main driving sled via a length of rope. With this set-up, one team of dogs can pull two adult visitors and one tour guide. Your guide will drive the front sled, with one visitor seated in this sled. The second visitor will drive the tag sled, towing behind the first. For reasons of safety, no one sits in the tag sled.
Driving the tag sled is a great way to experience the thrill of dog mushing without the added pressure of actually controlling the team! It is normal to fall off the tag sled at least once on your tour, and it can be great fun! Plop down in the fluffy snow bank and then give us a holler. We’ll stop the sled and wait for you to jump back on. But please hurry! The dogs hate to stop and wait. Tag-sledding is only appropriate for people who are in good physical condition. If you fall off the tag sled you must be able to pick yourself back up and get back on the sled unassisted. Your tour guide and their passenger need to stay put on the front sled to try and keep the dogs from running away without you!
What are the restrictions for weight, pregnancy and mobility?
For our Scenic Day Mushing Tour (using sleds) we do have a weight limit of 250 pounds per person. Combined weight of individuals is not considered. If the front sled is too heavy, the tour guide can lose control and tip over. If the tag-sled is too heavy, the front sled can get pulled into tight corners, creating a safety hazard for driver and passenger.
This weight limit is unique to our company, and is related to our hilly terrain, and the use of tag sleds. Most other dog sledding tour companies in town do not have this weight restriction, and we encourage people who are over the 250 pound limit to look elsewhere for their dog sledding experience.
Our Scenic Day Mushing Tour is also not appropriate for people with mobility issues. These may be related to back/hip/knee problems, or obesity. In general, if you need assistance climbing stairs or getting up from a seated position, this tour is not for you. Pregnant women should also talk to their doctors about taking this tour.
Dog sledding can be great fun, but it can also be challenging. There is always some amount of risk when you are on a dog sled – even when accompanied by experts like us. Trail and weather conditions change constantly. Deep snow, icy hard-pack, ruts and holes may all cause a driver to lose control of their sled, causing it to tip over. Minor wipe-outs are typically cause for a good laugh, but participants must have the physical ability to stand up in deep snow and get themselves back to the sleds. Tour guides must focus on controlling the dogs after tipping over, leaving each participant to get themselves up out of the deep snow and back onto the sled.
Our Sled Dog Safari Tour (on wheels) is generally much safer and more comfortable than our tours on sleds. Our wheeled rig has modern shocks and struts, and rides much like a normal vehicle.
Is dog sledding appropriate for children?
Beginning in November 2025, we will be restricting our Scenic Day Mushing Tour (on sleds) to people 12 years and older. This is for reasons of safety, comfort and interest. This is an outdoor tour, designed to be educational, and give participants lots of hands-on time with the dogs. In our experience, most children younger than 12 years old have a hard time staying warm for the duration of the tour, and enjoying all of its educational aspects. This age restriction is unique to our company, so we encourage people with young children to look elsewhere for their dog mushing experience.
Our Sled Dog Safari Tour (on wheels) is suited for people of all ages! Please keep in mind though that our tours are designed to be educational, and the content we cover is sometimes too complex for very young children. We find that while all kids are thrilled with dog mushing and petting puppies, a significant portion of our tour also involves Q & A about raising and training sled dogs, long distance racing, and living off-grid in Alaska. Not all children are mature / calm enough to act appropriately during these times of the tour. This can degrade the experience for the adults who are also present and who may not be part of the child’s tour group. Parents should plan accordingly.