Our Favorite Tour
June – November*
*This tour runs in the summer and fall, and in the winter before there is enough snow for traditional dog sleds. We need about 1.5 feet (0.5 meter) of snow in order for the brakes on the sleds to work. We typically transition from wheels to sleds sometime in November. Book your tour for the date of your visit. We will contact you later to change the type of tour if weather conditions allow.
Alaska’s BEST Wheeled Mushing Experience!
Join us on our most informative and astonishing tour! Skeptical about wheeled mushing? Let us convince you — it’s out of this world!
Black Spruce Dog Sledding is owned and operated by Jeff and KattiJo Deeter, veterans of the 1,000 mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race! Unlike other dog sledding tour companies in Alaska, Black Spruce is a real working kennel, with authentic working dogs and genuine racing mushers.
Let us teach you how to harness and hook up a sled dog team! Which dogs make the best leaders? Who is the real alpha in the pack? Join 16 of our 50 amazing canine athletes on a scenic trail ride. Our 5-passenger rig is safe and fun for people of all ages!
This is your chance to enjoy the thrill of mushing in the off-season, and spend time with some of the best canine athletes in the world. You won’t believe how smart and friendly they are!
Tour Description
We start this perfectly Alaskan dog sledding tour introducing you to Alaskan Huskies and the sport of long distance racing. The owners of Black Spruce Dog Sledding are multi-time finishers of the 1,000 mile Iditarod! We invite you to walk around our yard and interact with some of the world’s highest caliber sled dogs. They are remarkably friendly!
After socializing with the pack, we’ll show YOU how to harness and hook them up for the ride! Find out which dogs go in which positions and why. Then climb aboard! Our comfortable, 5-passenger wheeled vehicle is safe for the whole family, and is equipped with an engine so we can assist our dogs uphill, and over tough terrain.
The sled dog ride is 0.5 to 5 miles in length, depending on weather and trail conditions. In summer, runs must be kept shorter to keep our dogs from overheating. You’ll love watching the team cool down in their pools along the trail! We’ll stop multiple times for you to take pictures with the dogs and change positions in the vehicle.
Once back from the sled dog ride, your guides will turn the dogs loose for some free time in the yard. Meanwhile, you can check out some of our most important winter mushing gear. See what humans and dogs wear to stay warm in a Fairbanks, Alaska winter, and how we pack our racing sled.
We finish up this unique tour experience by showing off this year’s puppies!
Price
- $145 for adults & teens
- $125 for kids 12 years & under
- $50 for extra participants, who visit our property, but do not take the ride
There is no charge for non-ambulatory children (infants in backpacks/carriers).
There are no discounts for military or large groups.
Tour Length
The total tour time is between 2 – 3 hours, depending your level of interest and participation. If you have lots of questions, want to take lots of pictures or pet all of the dogs – that’s great! You’ll probably be here for about three hours. If not, your tour may wrap up sooner.
The trail is 5 miles in length, but the entire tour experience includes everything from the moment you arrive until the moment you leave. Most people spend between 1.5 and 2.5 hours here, depending on their level of interest and participation. If you are someone who wants to ask lots of questions, pet all the dogs and take lots of pictures, that’s great! You’ll probably be here for two or more hours. If you are uncomfortable in the cold, don’t like dogs, or don’t have a lot of questions, your tour will wrap up sooner.
Tour Times
In June, July and August, our tours are typically at 8 am and 8 pm. Why so early and late? Summer time temps can reach between 70 and 90 degrees in Fairbanks! Our dogs prefer to run when it’s a bit cooler, so we schedule our tours for morning and evening.
As we get into September and October, we adjust our times to keep temperatures cool enough for our dogs, but also ensure that all mushing experiences are happening during daylight hours.
Group Size
Our maximum group size is usually just 5 people from June – September (plus 1 additional Lap Child per adult). Sometimes we can squeeze in 1 or 2 more teens or adults, depending on their size and physical fitness.
By October, things things cool down and we can increase our capacity to 10 people by taking out two groups of 5 people on back-to-back rides.
Further exceptions to the group size can be made for party members who wish to experience most aspects of the tour, but are willing to sit out the riding part. Book this online by purchasing a ticket in the “Extra” category.
We can accommodate as few as two (2) people, or as many as five (5) people on this tour from June – early September. By late September we can usually increase this number to 10 people, and can take out two groups of 5 people on back-to-back runs.
Some exceptions to the 5 person maximum can be made for children who are small enough to fit on an adult’s lap. Contact us at blacksprucedogsledding@gmail.com about special arrangements.
Transportation
Driving Yourself:
Most visitors drive themselves to our location. Our favorite rental car companies are Alaska Auto Rental and Fairbanks 4 x 4. These companies equip all of their vehicles with winter tires.
Most of the time, a front-wheel drive car can make it here just fine. However, it does start snowing in October, and there are days when we have to restrict our tours to only those visitors with AWD or 4WD vehicles.
Getting a Ride:
We do NOT recommend using Uber or Lyft to get here. We are located about 45 minutes from Fairbanks, which means those services may bring you here, but don’t usually want to come pick you up.
For reliable transportation, consider using a shuttle service like Fairbanks Trails and Rivers. You can call or text them at (907) 750-5179.
There are other shuttle companies in Fairbanks as well. Contact the Fairbanks Visitors Center for more ideas.
Please arrange your transportation before booking your tour.
If you hire a taxi or cab, ask them to wait while you take your tour.Â
Drive Times:
Fairbanks/Airport – 45 minutes
Chena Hot Springs – 2.5 hours
North Pole – 1.5 hours
Cleary Summit – 1.5 hours
Healy / Denali National Park – 2.5 hours
We are located approximately 15 miles / 45 minutes northwest of Fairbanks. Drive times are longer if coming from Chena Hot Springs (2.5 hours), North Pole (1.5 hours) or Cleary Summit (1.25 hours).
We do not provide transportation to/from our location. Most of our visitors have their own personal or rental vehicle. Most of the time a small, compact car can make the trip up here just fine. However, in winter, snow storms may force us to temporarily restrict our tours to only those visitors with all-wheel drive (AWD) or (4WD).
Looking for a ride?
- Fairbanks Trails and Rivers at (907) 750-5179
- Avoid Uber/Lyft, as they have historically been very unreliable for getting to/from our location.
- Fairbanks Trails and Rivers at (907) 750-5179
- Avoid Uber/Lyft! These options tend to be very unreliable for getting to/from our location.
- Fairbanks Trails and Rivers at (907) 750-5179
- Avoid Uber/Lyft! These options tend to be very unreliable for getting to/from our location.
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We are located approximately 15 miles / 45 minutes northwest of Fairbanks. Drive times are longer if coming from Chena Hot Springs (2.5 hours), North Pole (1.5 hours) or Cleary Summit (1.25 hours).
Most of our visitors have their own personal or rental vehicle. Usually a small, compact car can make the trip up here just fine. However, in winter, snow storms may force us to temporarily restrict our tours to only those visitors with all-wheel drive (AWD) or (4WD).
Need a ride?
- Fairbanks Trails and Rivers at (907) 750-5179
- Avoid Uber/Lyft! These options tend to be very unreliable for getting to/from our location.
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.
Our Other Tours
Scenic Day Mushing
The #1 winter dog sledding tour in Fairbanks! All visitors try driving a dog sled as well as sitting and relaxing as a passenger. Learn how to harness and help hook up your team of huskies! Experience the only tag-sledding tour in Fairbanks.
Husky Hiking
Beautiful, off-leash hiking tour in Fairbanks with a pack of free-running Alaskan Husky sled dogs. Enjoy the scenery and friendly dogs as we walk the tundra together. Ask us about the 1,000 mile Iditarod sled dog race and our life off-grid! Book online today!