Dog Sledding - The Maine Winter Sports Series
Have you always dreamed of competing in Alaska’s annual sled dog racing adventure, the Iditarod? Alaska may be a little far off for you, but you can have the same great sledding expeditions here in Maine’s cold winters. Even if you don’t know the first thing about dog sledding, don’t worry — there are plenty of guides throughout the state ready to show you the way.
Photo by Martin Male
In dog sledding, a team of six to eight dogs (usually Alaskan huskies) guides a sled carrying one or more humans and all necessary gear. The human in charge of the dogs is known as the “musher.” It takes experience to be a good musher; the dogs will not take commands from just anyone. If you’re new to dog sledding, you’ll want to find a commercial musher with his own team of dogs who can lead you on an exciting dog sled adventure through the Maine woods. Here are a few of the companies that offer dog sledding tours in the state of Maine.
About 2 hours from Portland, the mountain town of Bethel is one of Maine’s most popular areas for skiing. But this town is also a great spot to hit the slopes with a pack of Huskies, too — for the past 9 years, New England Dogsledding has offered dog sledding trips through Maine’s beautiful mountain region. A variety of packages are available, depending on how long you want to stay: the company offers 1 hour or 3 hour rides for a simple day-trip, or, if you want to learn to mush and guide your very own team of dogs, you can stay in the beautiful Telemark Inn for three nights, with guided half-day sledding tours each day.
New England Dogsledding
591 Kings Highway, Mason Township, Maine 04217
Phone: 207-836-2703
www.newenglanddogsledding.com
Just north of Bethel, Mahoosuc Guide Service has over 20 years of experience leading a variety of outdoor activities, including skiing, snowshoeing, canoeing, and yes, dog sledding. The company offers a variety of day trips, weekend packages, and longer trips for dog sledding enthusiasts — including a once-in-a-lifetime dog sledding adventure that will take you all the way to Quebec, led by Cree Indian guides who’ll share some great tips about hunting, trapping, and fishing. For meals, you’ll be offered delectable game meat, including bear, moose, and beaver. If you want to plan your own itinerary, custom-designed trips are also available — just ask for details.
Mahoosuc Guide Service
(207) 824-2073
www.mahoosuc.com
Maine Dogsledding Adventures at Nahmakanta Lake Falls is just south of Mount Katahdin, the large peak that marks the end of the Appalachian Trail, in Millinocket, Maine. Like the other tour companies, Maine Dogsledding Adventures offers a variety of dog sledding packages to fit your needs, ranging from a half day ride, which includes opportunities to feed and play with the Huskies and to chat with the experienced mushers about dog sledding; to the Northern Explorer Trip, a 3-day, 3-night excursion where you’ll get to guide your very own team of dogs. Accomodations for overnight packages are rustic, yet cozy: you’ll be staying in one of 8 insulated wooden cabins, accessible only by ski, snowshoe, or dog sled.
Maine Dogsledding Adventures at Nahmakanta Lake Falls
PO Box 544 Millinocket, Maine 04462
(207) 731-8888
E-mail info@mainedogsledding.com
www.mainedogsledding.com
So if you’ve always dreamed of your own Jack London-style adventure, but never made it up as far north as Alaska, there’s no need. It’s all right here for you in Maine.
Written by Kathy Hawkins on June 27, 2007
Filed Under Maine, Wildlife, Sports, Recreation, Animals
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