Yukon dog sledding holiday, Canada
| country: | Canada | ||||
| location: | Yukon | ||||
| departures: | This trip can depart any day between mid November and mid April | ||||
| price: | From CA $1,265 (5 days) - CA $3,940 (15 days) excluding flights. Price includes tranfer from Whitehorse, accommodation, use of personal sled & 3 to 6 Huskies and winter boots
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| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
read 2 travellers reviews
the amazing things you'll be doing
These Husky adventure holidays in Yukon (Canada) are a challenging but relaxed fun trips! We supply you with the best equipment possible, teach you all the important aspects of mushing and prepare the trails as good as possible. Dog sledding is a comparable physical activity to cross-country skiing, so you should be in relatively good physical shape and have a good team spirit.
5 days: This dog mushing holiday in Yukon is an adventure for the beginner musher. We will teach you all the important aspects of mushing. You will experience the untouched beauty of the Yukon wilderness while mushing the historical trails surrounding the ranch. Each night you will relax by the fire in our 2 story log lodge. Please remember that dog sledding is comparable to cross country skiing and you should be in relatively good physical condition to fully enjoy what this trip has to offer. Don’t forget your camera!
8 days: This dog sledding trip is for the more adventurous musher. This trip offers 4 nights at the Lodge, all the basics, plus 3 days of winter camping in our wall tent camp at Dry Creek. Day trips include: Copper Haul Road (an old mining road), Mt McIntyre, Bonneville Lakes, Jackson Lake & Ptarmigan Flats. Keep an eye out for wildlife on these trails. Enjoy 2 clear crisp nights in our wall tent and cozy up to our wood stove. Don’t forget to check out the night time skies for the mystical Aurora Borealis.
11 days: This is an adventure for a musher with some experience or for the daring beginner! Extended dog sledding trips can be a little demanding, but if you are in good physical condition this is the adventure for you! Stay at our lodge for a few days of basic instruction and day trips to Jackson Lake, Bonneville Lakes and McIntyre Mt. - then head off to our wall tent camp. Step back in time, enjoy the serenity of the surrounding wilderness and imagine yourself as a Yukon trapper as you travel the historical trails and stay in our authentic Coal Lake trapper cabin.
15 days: This dog sledding trip is for the Yukon Quest enthusiast. It is a demanding trip so please be sure you are in good physical condition to ensure a memorable experience. Spend the first week mushing the historical trails at Fish Lake– the training grounds for many a Quest musher. Stay at the lodge for 4 days, go winter camping for 3 and spend one night in a downtown Hotel before changing base camps to travel the Yukon Quest Trail! Remember there is always the chance to see wildlife as well as the Aurora Borealis, so be aware of your surroundings. This is the adventure of a lifetime!
5 days: This dog mushing holiday in Yukon is an adventure for the beginner musher. We will teach you all the important aspects of mushing. You will experience the untouched beauty of the Yukon wilderness while mushing the historical trails surrounding the ranch. Each night you will relax by the fire in our 2 story log lodge. Please remember that dog sledding is comparable to cross country skiing and you should be in relatively good physical condition to fully enjoy what this trip has to offer. Don’t forget your camera!
8 days: This dog sledding trip is for the more adventurous musher. This trip offers 4 nights at the Lodge, all the basics, plus 3 days of winter camping in our wall tent camp at Dry Creek. Day trips include: Copper Haul Road (an old mining road), Mt McIntyre, Bonneville Lakes, Jackson Lake & Ptarmigan Flats. Keep an eye out for wildlife on these trails. Enjoy 2 clear crisp nights in our wall tent and cozy up to our wood stove. Don’t forget to check out the night time skies for the mystical Aurora Borealis.
11 days: This is an adventure for a musher with some experience or for the daring beginner! Extended dog sledding trips can be a little demanding, but if you are in good physical condition this is the adventure for you! Stay at our lodge for a few days of basic instruction and day trips to Jackson Lake, Bonneville Lakes and McIntyre Mt. - then head off to our wall tent camp. Step back in time, enjoy the serenity of the surrounding wilderness and imagine yourself as a Yukon trapper as you travel the historical trails and stay in our authentic Coal Lake trapper cabin.
15 days: This dog sledding trip is for the Yukon Quest enthusiast. It is a demanding trip so please be sure you are in good physical condition to ensure a memorable experience. Spend the first week mushing the historical trails at Fish Lake– the training grounds for many a Quest musher. Stay at the lodge for 4 days, go winter camping for 3 and spend one night in a downtown Hotel before changing base camps to travel the Yukon Quest Trail! Remember there is always the chance to see wildlife as well as the Aurora Borealis, so be aware of your surroundings. This is the adventure of a lifetime!
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Whitehorse. Arrival at the Airport in Whitehorse (Yukon), or pickup at a hotel at 10:00 am, if you decided to arrive early (we can make pre-tour hotel night reservations for you). You have the chance to do some last minute shopping. Afterwards we drive to the Ranch; 20km South of Whitehorse. On the drive we will tell you of the rich history of the Fish Lake Valley and you will hear the fascinating story of how this operation came to be. As we climb in elevation, the landscape becomes even more breathtaking. The lake comes into view around the corner and we arrive. You move into your cozy cabin, or nice double room in the main lodge. The Lodge is overlooking beautiful Fish Lake, with southern exposure. Here we outfit you with your expedition clothing. The dogs are waiting to meet you. Lunch in the main lodge. Do you want to know what a bootie is? Well you learn it today. We show you how to harness the dogs and give you an instruction on how to drive the sled. Depending on the weather and time of the day we hook up the dogs and go for a short first run. Three dogs pull you on this first day. You will get a sense of what this Yukon Quest Trail dog sledding adventure is all about. After taking care of the dogs we enjoy a hearty meal. You might want to take a shower or just relax beside the stove, and of course listen to the dogs howling outside. Overnight at the Ranch. (L,D). |
| Day 2: | Jackson Lake & the Copper Haul Road. While the morning sun slowly lifts over the horizon we prepare for our daytrip after breakfast. We feed and water the dogs and harness them up at around 11:00 am. We cover about 35 km in distance, driving towards Jackson Lake and the Copper Haul Road. Just the slight sound of the working dogs and runners in the snow will be with you for that day. You get to know your dogs and start to form a personal relationship. With every stop, and praise for the dogs, they learn to trust you and you to trust them. Overnight at the wilderness ranch. (B,L,D). |
| Day 3: | MacIntyre Mountain. The dogs will pull us on a trail east of the Ranch. We are continuously climbing in elevation as we are heading on an abandoned mining road on MacIntyre Mountain. On occasional stops we can enjoy unprecedented scenery of the Coastal Mountains with Fish Lake nestled deep in the valley. Returning to the Lodge and Overnight at the Ranch. (B,L,D). |
| Day 4: | Bonneville Lakes. Today we head towards beautiful Bonneville Lakes, west of the Ranch, part of the Kwanlin Dun first Nation Traditional Land. The trails are narrower with some challenging up and downs. The Coastal Mountains are always in view to the South and West. Part of the trip we travel above tree line and easily cover between 20 and 30 km. Slowly, a new feeling of life will creep in. In harmony with the running rhythm of your team, you will enjoy nature in a way you've never experienced before. Overnight at the Ranch. There is a gravity fed indoor shower waiting for you in the main lodge. (B,L,D). |
| Day 5: | Fish Lake. Now you leave behind the last remnants of civilization and head out to a real wilderness. The trail follows Fish Lake, climbs, and heads into the Coastal Range to the south. After approx 2.5 hrs of running time we reach our trapper's wall tent camp at dry creek. Overnight in Wall tent (B,L,D). |
| Day 6: | Ptarmigan flats. From the wall tent camp, weather permitting we will make a run to the top of the mountain above tree line to Ptarmigan flats where there is a good chance of seeing large flocks of these beautiful white birds and having some wonderful sledding on miles of wind blown snowy hill tops along side the Ibex mountain range, and at the base of mount Granger. There have been frequent sightings of caribou and moose in this area. Back to the wall tent camp for night (B,L,D). |
| Day 7: | Whitehorse. After a musher's breakfast, we will start mushing back to the Ranch. The dogs pull us steady westbound with the Coastal Mountains in plain view ahead of us. Way too soon you return to civilization and have one night at a downtown hotel before beginning the second part of your adventure. In the late afternoon we drive you to Whitehorse where you spend your night in a downtown Hotel. |
| Day 8: | Base Camp. You will once again be picked up by our van at 10:00 am in the hotel lobby. Here you also have the chance to do some last minute shopping. Afterwards we drive along the Alaska Highway through a frozen winter world 50 km until we reach the base camp for our journey's next leg. You move into your cozy cabin. The dogs are waiting to meet you. After lunch in the main cabin you will be introduced to your new dog team and guide, and then taken on a short run to get the feel of your new team and surroundings. After taking care of the dogs we enjoy a hearty meal. You might want to take a sauna or just relax on the couch beside the stove, and of course listen to the dogs howling outside. Overnight in cabins in Base Camp. (L,D). |
| Day 9: | Base Camp. While the morning sun slowly lifts over the horizon we prepare for our daytrip after breakfast. We feed and water the dogs and harness them up at around 11 am. We cover about 40 km in distance, mainly going along a flat training trail and over the frozen Takhini River. Just the slight sound of the working dogs and runners in the snow will be with us for that day. Overnight in Cabins in Base Camp. (B,L,D). |
| Day 10: | Ibex Valley. Today we head towards beautiful Ibex Valley. This used to be an old trading route of the Champagne Aishihik First Nations. We easily cover between 40 and 60 km. Slowly a new feeling of life will creep in. In harmony with the running rhythm of your team you will enjoy nature in a way never experienced before. The evening we spend again in our cozy log cabins. Time for a shower? Enjoy and relax in our sauna. Overnight in Cabins in Base Camp. (B,L,D). |
| Day 11: | 37 Mile Lake. For three more days we leave behind all the comforts of civilization and head out for an unforgettable adventure. Your team of Huskies pulls you and your loaded sled to remote 37 Mile Lake, along the Yukon Quest Trail, the toughest Sled Dog Race in the World. Driving across unnamed lakes we reach our preset wall tent camp. Everything we need will be packed with us on the sled. We go out to cut some firewood, cook together on the woodstove and share stories. If the group decides, we might even take a few of our new four legged friends in the tent. We have a great chance to meet Elk or Caribou. Overnight in Trappers tent. (B,L,D). |
| Day 12: | Quest trail. From Camp we start a day trip further down the Quest trail. If the weather allows there is a possible ascent to the Sifton Range. This offers stunning views in all directions. Aishihik Lake to the west, Whitehorse to the east, Braeburn to the north and the impressive Coastal range to the south. The evening we spend in our trappers tent, where warm tea or soup are waiting on the stove. In this surrounding the meaning of freedom gets a new dimension. Overnight in Trappers Tent. (B,L,D). |
| Day 13: | 57 Mile Lake. Today we head to 57 Mile Lake, a high mountainous lake. We visit old Annie Ned's cabin, drive through high alpine landscape with its very own charm. Your driving skills will be tested again, as a few trails demand your attention. By now you and your team travel in harmony. Overnight in Trappers Tent. (B,L,D). |
| Day 14: | Whitehorse. After a last musher's breakfast, we will start for our final day of mushing. The dogs pull us steady southbound with the Coastal Mountains in plain view ahead of us. Way too early we return to civilization and most difficult of all, you will have to leave your new friends, the dogs, behind. In the late afternoon we drive you to Whitehorse where you spend your last night in a downtown Hotel. Overnight in Hotel (B,L,). |
| Day 15: | Transfer. The hotel van brings you to the airport for your southbound flight. |
travellers' tales
The bond that generated with both the people and the dogs at the ranch is also something I carry in my heart as a very sweet memory... A truly amazing experience: I have been back for three weeks now, but I still dream about it! (more)
travelling with a local operator
This holiday is operated by a company based in the holiday destination and they will be able to provide expert local knowledge. They will be able to tailor make your holiday to suit your requirements not only concerning the dates of travel but also typically the standard of accommodation, and thus price. It is rare for local operators to be able to help with the booking of your flights.how this holiday makes a difference
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The experience staged here is fittingly harmonized with this land’s history and the meeting of cultures it has made possible since the Gold Rush days. The ranch offers simple comforts without running water nor electricity. We use propane lighting; we burn wood for heat, much like the first visitors of European stock did in the late 19th century. If the rugged northern landscape of the Yukon River basin maintains much of its wilderness character today, this operation only enhances it for visitors.
Our trips are not escorted by snowmobiles or any type of motor vehicles. Snowmobiles are used only for emergencies and sometimes to haul supplies to the camp. Transportation is by dog sled and horse only. The impact on the environment is minimal in the sense that we take out everything we bring onto the land. Refuse and human waste are bagged. Conservation officers come out regularly to monitor our activities, which are licensed by a territorial wilderness tourism regulatory body which requires us to submit annual reports on everything from the number of guides we use and their qualifications, to the number of guests we take over the land and the specific areas we visit with them throughout the year. Trip duration and type, as well as any secondary activity we might engage in while guests are with us are also reported as part of this process. Because of the way we run our trips, the Kwanlin Dunn First Nation allows us to travel over their land for part of our journeys. We, in turn, give them access to our land. Dog sledding is an integral element of the local culture throughout Yukon. It allows travellers to look at the land through a different lens, one that engages participants in a profound manner; one that capitalizes on the ancestral relationship between humans and their domesticated canine friends. Most of the guides are native to the area, they keep coming back to lead trips year after year because of the income, but also because of the opportunity this responsible tourism offering provides the staff and guests to help preserve a tradition that is very much part of the cultural fabric of the Yukon Territory. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |