Dog Sled Tours in Jackson Hole Wyoming


If you ever get to Jackson Wyoming check out my new favorite thing to do there

- Dog Sledding!


I booked a trip through a great outfit, the Jackson Hole Iditarod Dog Tours. I had heard they did an excellent day long trip up to Granite Hot Springs where you sled to the hot springs, take a soak, have some lunch and sled back. The trip didn't disappoint. Up Hoback Canyon, south of Jackson, owners Frank, Stacy & their guides keep 170 dogs active and happy with beautiful mountain scenery for a backdrop. It's an awesome sight to see all those dogs jumping and playing in such a beautiful setting.




After we meet our guides and make sure we are outfitted for the weather we get to meet a few of the new puppies who are being socialized. They are incredibly cute. Then head out to meet our teams who are, to say the least, enthusiastic! They bark & yelp excitedly in anticipation as our guide puts each dog in its harness and attaches it to it's position. Each dog has a specified position within the team where they are comfortable. The two lead dogs are the kingpins. They are the ones to guide the rest of the team where their musher tells them.






As soon as the dogs are all hooked in we board the sled and we're off and on the trail!
The squealing and yelping of the dogs becomes silence as soon as they turn their energy and enthusiasm to pulling. On the trail out and away from the kennel all you can hear is the crunch of the snow under the runners, the wind whistling through the trees and the occasional creak of a tree branch as it sways under the weight of its new layer of snow.




The scenery on the 10 mile trip up to the hot springs is lovely and dramatic. Narrow trails lead through dense, snow covered pine forests or along frozen streams that have small channels of glacial blue water bubbling up from one fissure only to fall back into another further downstream.
And everywhere there is snow...





But the dogs don't mind, they are in their element and they gently guide us down the trail. What I didn't expect about dog sledding is that it has more in common with windsurfing or snowboarding than traditional sledding. The sled itself is very flexible and the upper portion moves from side to side. The musher stands on the runner extensions behind the sled and it's her job to keep the sled behind the dog team by leaning right or left as we go over varying levels or terrain or around corners. You learn to lean your weight almost as thought the sled has edges - very cool. And you never get too cold as you can always help the dogs along by pushing off with one of your legs or hop off and trot along side the sled for a while. In fact I would recommend layers as I got downright warm on my turn mushing the sled.





The magical winter scenes everywhere along this route are enchanting. There are fields and meadows, streams and forests everywhere.





And finally we make it to the hot springs and stop for lunch.
We get a chance to enjoy ourselves in the hot springs while the dogs all wait expectantly for us to return and hit the trail again.






But their wait is not without its rewards. These dogs are so focused on sledding but are also very affectionate and love attention. Our guides each have their own teams they regularly work with because the bond between team and musher is important. The dogs need to build a strong bond with their team leader so it's important for our guides to spend lots of time taking care of their dogs as well as encouraging them both on and off the trail. Dogs pull because they want to ... or not. That's what makes the relationship of the musher to the dogs so important.







After lunch and our soak the dogs are VERY ready to hit the trail again! It is so awesome to see a team of dogs come rushing out of the trees and bounding through the snow. What a kick!







But ultimately we must make our way back down the trail to home.







Taking with us only great memories of what it is like to be out in the snow covered landscape with only a sled and the dogs and a picture or two to remind us of how great it is to be out with the dogs.

If you get a chance, go - you won't regret it.

And yes Patti, I still do love snow.

Especially when being pulled through the white winter behind a great team of dogs...

Check out our website at lunasara.com

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