Our family of four had a wonderful time. We each got to mush a sled! We started with a safety and dog familiarization talk. We even got to help hook the dogs to our sleds. We went out on a trail that they regularly use so the dogs knew just what to do. It is so impressive how much "dog" power a team of 8 or 10 dogs can generate. We were told that each dog can generate about 50 pounds of sustained pulling force...more than enough to zip a sled along...we were cautioned to NEVER let go of the sled while driving...the dogs would just keep going!Would highly recommend for people of all ages. Also...try to go at an off-peak time...we did and had the event to ourselves.
When I called to make reservations, I was told that the trip would last around 2 to 2.5 hours and that everyone would be given the opportunity to "drive" the sled if they were so inclined. In reality, the time riding with the dogs was less than 1 hour. The rest of the time was spent waiting around, hitching up the dogs and paying the price of a poor decision. Our trip included 5 sleds. Each sled carried 3 people with a 4th person driving. The poor dogs could barely pull the sled. The passengers (including me) were extremely uncomfortable to be smashed into a sled with strangers. My 10 year old daughter was freezing for most of the ride because there was not enough room in the sled for her to sit so she had to ride standing in front of the guide, exposing her to the elements. In hindsight, when I saw that there was not enough room for my daughter to ride in the sled, I should have saved myself $220 (1 adult, 1 child) and left. But hopefully I can save someone else from this miserable experience by writing this review.
Our 2 and 4 year old had a terrific time on the 2 hour dog sledding trip through the wilderness of Lone Mountain in Big Sky. This was the highlight of our trip. Beautiful scenery!
My family enjoyed this great afternoon of fun! We were given an opportunity to pet all the dogs, and then were given a brief introduction of sledding. All who wanted helped hook up the dogs. I rode in the lead sled with the owners son, JJ in control. My daughter (14) and her friend shared a sled, and my husband chose to drive with our 2- 9 year old girls. Everyone had the opportunity to drive if they wanted to. The trails provided some beautiful scenery of Lone Peak.
I went on the dogsled trip with my wife, 6 year old daughter and 4 year old son. It was fantastic. The kids loved everything about if from getting to walk around petting the dogs to watching me help hook the dogs up to the sled.The guides and everyone there could not have been nicer. It was a very cold day and the provided some extra clothing and hand warmers for some of the people who were not properly prepared (I don't know that they are always able to do this so prepare yourself). The ride followed a route that had some beautiful scenery and we stopped halfway through for some hot chocolate and cookies.Our kids had a great time and it was my 4 year old sons favorite part of our trip to the Big Sky area.
Was here with my adult daughter as part of a father/daughter weekend. This is just a blast! The scenery is beautiful, the dogs absolutely fly, and the experience is unique. The dogs are affectionate, and clearly love to run. The mushers are professional, personable, and informative. You can drive the sled if you choose, and will be given instruction whether you choose to drive or not, which was interesting. We chose to let the pro drive our sled (everyone in our group who elected to drive themselves turned the sled over at least once). You will be shown how to walk the dogs to the harnesses and will assist in harnessing the dogs for the run. Cookies, hot chocolate, and a leg stretch at the midway point was nice. Just a really fun way to spend part of a day. My daughter and I would do it again tomorrow if we could. If you are without a car (we were) they will shuttle you from your hotel.
What a memorable way to experience the beauty of Big Sky! Our guides were very professional and provided a thorough introduction to the sport of dog-sledding. The dogs were generally very social and friendly---and clearly very excited about hitting the trail! Despite the canine cacophony as the teams were harnassed, the actual ride was silent and peaceful. There was even something very romantic about snuggling with my honey in the sled as we glided through the exquisite snowy scenery (though a team of dog butts in your face might not be everyone's vision of romance). I began to feel that we had somehow arrived in Narnia, especially when we stopped midway for a warm drink and Turkish Delight (ok, hot chocolate and cookies). But truly, this was a magical experience, not to mention great fun!
We really enjoyed this experience - something I've wanted to do for a long time! Our youngest daughter loved it (big dog lover) and wanted to move to Big Sky after the dogsledding. It was incredibly beautiful. The only caveat is the cost relative to the length of time. I have no problem spending money on great experiences, but this is quite a lot of money for a relatively short time. I think they overbooked our ride. We had a party of 12 - 4 adults and 8 kids. We were told we would be 2 to a sled and 1 person could drive to the mid-point and the other person drive back. We ended up having 3 to a sled and only one adult drove on the way out on one of the sleds while their drivers drove on the other 2 sleds, so on the way back we had to stop twice to switch drivers. Because of that, no one got much drive time other than the one adult who drove on the way out. In talking the other people on the ride, they booked it last minute. I think they took the booking and we ended up getting shorted because of it. This didn't impact our kids having a great time, but I felt somewhat cheated. The drivers were great and they worked hard. Our daughter was upset by the way they were treating the dogs when we got back, but I didn't notice. Overall, I'm glad we did it, but I wouldn't do it a second time due to the cost.
The scenery is the very best running through forested trails gazing up at the mountain peaks. Hands on with the dogs and driving the sled or just gliding along warm and cozy in the covered sled. The dogs are treated well and are very friendly, great for kids and adults of all ages.
My 11 year old son and I recently had the opportunity to go dog sledding with this group. It was, without a doubt the experience of a lifetime. To see all the beauty of Big Sky in a dog sled was truly amazing. The guides and leader were excellent, explained all about their set up, how things worked, allowed us to be a part of setting up the sleds, interact with the dogs and overall have a great time. Our guide was friendly and attentive and did an excellent job explaining everything to me and my son. Truly a thrill! I would highly recommend this for anyone in the Big Sky area as a not to be missed outing! If you do go, make sure to wear snow pants, warm boots and such....we were grateful to have all of our layers.