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Take part in a escorted dog mushing expedition to the very base of the most massive mountain on earth - Mt McKinley. Accompanied by professional guides, each expedition member will drive his or her own team of sled dogs on wilderness trails through Denali National Park and Preserve. Our primary mission is to teach our guests to have a safe, fun, comfortable trip. We supply dog sleds, tents, stoves, food, pads, seats, etc. We provide a detailed list or recommended personal gear, and we have some winter clothing to loan. Maximum six people.
Accommodation
We'll stay in cozy walled tents heated by wood burning stoves and eat delicious homemade hearty meals (no freeze dried). Our guides do the camp chores, but our guest mushers have told us they enjoyed learning winter camping skills and sharing the chores as well as dog care and feeding.
The dogs
These dogs pull you and your gear up and down hills, over frozen lakes and streams, in all kinds of weather, cheerfully and without complaint. All they ask is a full belly at night, a bed of straw, friendly petting and a few kind words. They are the best trail companions in the world!
Scenery
This is Alaska's wilderness at its best. Stunning mountain scenery, light shows courtesy of the Aurora Borealis, operas by 60 happy huskies with guest vocalizations by Canis lupis, the wild Alaskan wolf. Our highest camp on the expeditions, at the toe of the Straightaway Glacier is within 7 miles of Denali's Wickersham Wall, the steepest and highest piece of unbroken terrain on the planet. The scenery on these expeditions is absolutely spectacular!
Temperature & Northern Lights
The interior of Alaska is an arctic desert getting 8-12 inches of precipition a year counting snowfall. Between October and April we have total accumulation of three to five feet of snow, which can be swept away as it is so dry. The snow stays until the hot April starts the breakup process, which lasts until around May 25th when we can start using the boats on the lake.
The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis activity is taking place every day but due to the almost 24 hours of daylight, you cannot see the Northern Lights between April 15th and August 15th. The best viewings are October - March in an area free of artificial lights, if it is cloudy there are no Nortern lights.
February has about 8 hours of daylight and temperature ranging between +25°F in the day to the coldest of -30°F at night. March 21st, we have 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. It can still drop to -25°F at night but it can be above freezing in the day. |
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