Ever wonder what sled dogs do in the summer? Here at Wild Adventure Yukon, professional race dogs from all over the north join us for their summer training, where our experienced mushers adapt their daily activities according to the weather. The choice of our daily tour is based on the wellbeing of the dogs.
On most Yukon days it benefits our dogs to work in harness, and we offer a Dog Cart Ride. On the rare Yukon “hot days”, we switch to socialization activities and offer an ATV Ride and a Meet and Greet with our canine athletes.
As it’s not always possible to predict the weather, it’s not always possible for us to predict which tour option will run on which day. For more information about how we decide whether or not our dogs will work in harness, please click
Yes, the dogs are pulling, even with the motor. We use a motorized cart for the wellbeing of the dogs, as this enables us to slow down when the team is going too fast and assist the dogs when required.
Further, the motorized cart that we use here allows us to simulate fall training, where dogs run with a motorized all-terrain vehicle before there is snow on the trail.
Our experienced mushers are able to optimize the dogs’ training by watching the tug lines (lines that attach to the back of the harness) and either assisting the dogs if they are working too hard or letting off on the gas if they are not pulling enough.
Our dogs are born and bred to pull sleds, and in the winter they race at the professional level. In the long-distance races, a team will pull around 300lbs of weight for 50 miles at a pace of about 10 miles an hour. We are able to replicate real race conditions with our motorized cart by controlling the speed and the weight that is being pulled.
Because there is no weather station in Carcross, it is not possible for us to accurately predict the weather ahead of time. Instead, we watch the temperature and humidity conditions that are measured on our thermometer in real time. We may choose not to run cart rides based on high temperatures or humidity, the health and energy of the dogs (as observed by our experienced dog care professionals) and factors beyond our control ie: mechanical issues. We reserve the right to change tour options last minute for any reason.When the dogs are working in harness, we ensure that they are wet before, during and after the tour. Our custom staging area is outfitted with sprinkler hoses and the trail has pools of water to help keep the dogs cool while running in the summer.Information about the risks of exercising dogs in the heat as well as temperature guidelines can be viewed here:
https://www.vets-now.com/summer/when-is-it-too-hot-to-walk-a-dog/
On any given day, you can choose between a 15 minute and 30-minute experience, however the 30-minute experience must be pre-booked as space is limited.
Space for the 15-minute experience is available in person on a first-come, first-serve basis until space fills up.
15 minutes: $60/person
30 minutes: $75/person
Note: pricing does not include museum admission.
Free for infants and children (under 5)
All tours are booked in Alaska Time.
*Online bookings are only available for the 30 minute dog experience at 10:30 and 1:30 time slots. Other time slots are booked on a walk-in basis.
**Time on the trail may vary slightly based on temperatures, trail conditions, and specific team you are riding with.
**Wild Adventure Yukon reserves the right to change tour options last minute.
