dog sledding under the northern lights / Shutterstock
Ever wanted to feel the thrill of mushing a pack of huskies across a frozen wonderland?
B.C. is home to a number of places that will put you in the driver's seat of one of the most exhilarating experiences on earth.
Have a look at five of the most exciting dog sledding experiences in our beautiful province.
Happy mushing!
Dog Sledding in B.C.
Sun Peaks
https://youtu.be/akAAtrGX7Dg
Sun Peaks offers a thrilling experience across the expansive frozen back county at the resort. Mountain Man Dog Sled Adventures shows guests how the dogs live, and then takes them behind the sled for an incredible experience commandeering the sliding push of canine power.
Callaghan Valley
Whistler Blackcomb is only an hour and a half to two hours from downtown Vancouver and offers breathtaking mountain vistas as well as a thrilling experience behind a sled. A company called Blackcomb Dogsled offers two and a half hours of mountain mushing through the awe-inspiring Callaghan Valley. The location is just south of the Whistler Village, and allows you to join the musher for the "harnessing and staging." During this time you'll learn commands as well as how to handle a sled.
Barkerville Historic Town & Park
Here, visitors may partake in the legacy of the Gold Rush Trail Sled Dog Run by sledding or simply viewing this fun annual affair. "For the past 26 years, on the fourth weekend of January, dog teams and dedicated mushers from near and far, who have been sworn in as official mail carriers have carried Canada Post mail in their dog sleds over the Gold Rush Trail to Barkerville." The event commences in Quesnel and then goes Wells before ending in Barkerville.
"Special Mail Run envelopes are designed each year with artwork by local artists, printed and sold from this website, or at local outlets, stamped “Carried by Dog Team” and hand cancelled by volunteers in Quesnel, Wells and Barkerville, the three post offices along the route. Once delivered to Barkerville, this mail enters the regular mail system for delivery anywhere in the world."
Big White
https://youtu.be/OdzICWEIUgo
Candle Creek Kennels offers beautiful tours across this popular resort. The tours include time beforehand where guests are introduced to the world of dog mushing. Following this, enthusiastic and powerful dogs take visitors on a journey they won't soon forget.
Valemount
The Canadian Rockies make the dog sledding experience an other-worldly affair. Not only are the views breathtaking, but the dogs bring the forest alive with their enthusiastic barks and drive. Valemount offers a number of ways to get your taste of this freeing feeling. You may have a musher take the reins while you lay cozy in the sled, or have the full mushing experience yourself. Cold Fire Creek Dog sledding offers a variety of tours – from 60 minutes to overnight expeditions.
