After seeing movies such as Balto, Snow Buddies, and Snow Dogs, it was a dream to experience a dog sledding adventure in Alaska. How exhilarating to feel like a small part of the infamous Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race! After researching the ports of calls on the cruise onboard the Norwegian Bliss, we decided on dog sledding on a Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.
Related: Review of the Norwegian Bliss
In my past blog post, I discussed how I researched and decided on a shore excursion company outside of the ones offered on the cruise ship. After researching several companies in the area, I booked with the company Alaska Shore Excursions. Booking directly through this company saved us approximately $100 per person.
The helicopter ride:
A bus picked us up at the cruise terminal and took us to the helipad in the Mendenhall Valley. Alaska Shore Excursions provided you with snow boots that went over your shoes to help you walk on the glacier. You were to leave your belongings in the lockers. The documentation recommended to bring and wear sunglasses on the tour, as the glare from the sun on the snow would hurt your eyes.
The helicopter fit 6 total tour guests. The tour started with a scenic helicopter ride that took about 20-30 minutes. With in flight communication devices, my son was able to ask the pilot any question he chose (and he never stopped talking).
The helicopter ride was over a glacier and in between peaks of mountains. The views were amazing! We even got to see the Mendenhall Glacier from the air!
The glacier:
Once on the glacier, we met about 80 dogs and dog handlers who reside on the glacier with the dogs. Sleeping in small huts warmed only by their body heat, the dog trainers live on the glacier during the training season. They have propane tanks they use to warm during the day but they turn them off to sleep for fear of fire and/or gas poisoning.
The daily tour groups serve as training as the dogs are getting ready for the Iditarod. We were assigned a dog trainer and a set of dogs where we learned quickly the different personalities of the dog themselves. The dogs did not look like a traditional husky and they were excited to take us on a ride.
The dogs constantly barked in excitement to get started again whenever the sled came to a stop . With only one other person in our group, the tour was very personal and it felt as if we were the only ones on the glacier. The entire tour was about 3-3.5 hours in length. Can you say you have dog sled on a glacier?
What were the highlights of this tour?
- The helicopter ride was not only something my son had never experienced but the scenic views were something we will never forget.
- My son got to see snow for the first time in his life. It was just wonderful to watch him make his first snow ball and snow angel, which he may have liked as much as petting the dogs!
- The dogs! A definite highlight of the tour were meeting the dogs. Eager to please and absolutely adorable, petting and dogs was an amazing experience.
- We got to each take a turn driving the sled. This was definitely a thrill for adults and kids alike! We can actually say we were the musher of a dog sled on a glacier.
In Summary:
I would highly recommend to dog sled on a glacier while visiting Alaska. This once of a lifetime experience turned out to be one of the highlights of our trip.
Have you been dog sledding? What did you think? Drop me a comment. I’d love to hear from you.
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