The highlight of our recent weekend getaway to Steamboat Springs, Colorado was dog sledding! I came across Grizzle-T Dog & Sled Works randomly when searching Steamboat Springs on Pinterest (gotta get the vacay inspo) and was so glad I did. From pre-booking questions to the actual experience, it was a great time that we will never forget.
Tour Options
Grizzle-T Dog & Sled Works offers two different trail tours to choose from: West and South. The main difference between these two are duration and trail length. The West is about two hours in the backcountry where the South Trail is about an hour along the shores of the Stagecoach Reservoir. Both tours are $200/each for adults and give you the chance to “drive your own team” to see what it feels like to be behind the sled of six powerful, pure-breed Alaskan Huskies. Some dates also have the option for a “Guide Driven” tour, but these are more expensive and, honestly, not as much of an experience for you.
What to Wear Dog Sledding
It is colddddd outside in March. While other months might be warmer, the guides recommend wearing what you would wear snowboarding or skiing. I am not a winter sports person, so I ordered a few things off of Amazon before going on our trip. Items included snow pants, fleece leggings to put under them, warm layers, a hat, and snow gloves. I already had a good pair of winter boots from Sorel and a winter coat from North Face that were perfect for the occasion. The only part that got cold, for only a few minutes, was my face. See what made up my winter outfit below!
Transportation
Grizzle-T Dog & Sled Works offers a great transportation perk where they pick up and drop you back off at your hotel. The staff did a great job of communication for the pick up, which made me feel more at ease about the tour. They picked us up right in front of the lobby of the hotel we were staying at, The Steamboat Grand, and we made one more pick up before heading to the location for dog sledding.
The Warming Hut
The dog sledding destination consists of a porto potty, the dogs & sleds, and what the guides call “the warming hut”. That’s it! Inside the warming hut are extra boots and snow goggles in various sizes, as well as hot chocolate, cider, cookies, and some alcohol to add to it 🙂
Meeting the Dogs
After getting a quick sled driving lesson, and I do mean quick, the guides will introduce you to your team of dogs. Each team consisted of six pure-breed Alaskan Huskies. They were so friendly and learning their names was awesome. All of them were from different ‘themed’ litters; the candy litter, the Harry Potter litter, the Zodiac litter, etc. Some of the dogs were more shy than others, however one they see you petting the others they will usually change their turn and want some love as well. After being introduced to the team you will be given the chance to help put the harnesses on the dogs. This can be a bit tricky as the dogs are now so excited to run and take the sled out. I was able to get the harness on Hershey, a dog on our team that kept nuzzling up to me, however we let one of the guides do the rest.
Driving Your Own Team
It’s important to note that driving your own sled is a physical activity. Navigating turns on the slippery ice and holding down the track to slow down when needed takes the ability to switch weight between your feet, have good balance, and slight squatting when needed. Because of my recent hip injury, I had to sit out the driving portion of the tour (usually they let you switch drivers half way in), however Vince was a trouper and reported that it is indeed a full body activity, including your upper body and wrists. While it may be hard to get the hang of it at first, by the end you’ll be a pro! It’s OK to laugh it off if you tip over, everyone on our tour did at one point and it wasn’t as scary as you think it would be.
After the Tour
Once done with the tour, everyone has a chance to say good job to their dogs, take pictures in front of the gorgeous mountainous background, and grab more refreshments from the warming hut. I’d say we stayed about 20 minutes before getting back in the van to head back to our hotel.
Overall, dog sledding was awesome! The experience was defiantly something unique and a great experience that can fit into a weekend getaway. Have you gone dog sledding before? Comment where below!
