In Fairbanks, dog days of winter

Mary Pemberton

Summertime in the Land of the Midnight Sun is an obvious hit with visitors, but what about winter?

For many Alaskans, winter is their favorite season, and it offers the opportunity for a quintessential Alaskan experience: mushing a dog team through the wilderness under the northern lights.

Visitors wanting that experience for themselves will find over a dozen kennels in the Fairbanks area that offer dog mushing tours to fit just about any style and budget. Tours range from just an hour to full-blown wilderness adventures.

Visitors can learn to run their own sled or ride in the sled basket; learn about dog mushing and how to harness and care for the dogs; or how to photograph the aurora.

Fairbanks likes to call itself the dog mushing capital of the world, and rightly so. Alaska's second-largest city is home to some of the biggest names in the dog mushing world.

Fairbanks is home to some of the biggest names in the dog mushing world. Pictured, a team from the 2007 Open North American Sled Dog Race. Photo Credit: Jade Frank/Explore Fairbanks

Take, for example, four-time Iditarod champion Lance Mackey; his Comeback Kennel is offering tours ranging from an hour-and-a-half to a seven-night Alaskan sled dog adventure billed as "Christmas With Lance Mackey" where guests will tour Alaska's interior accompanied by one of the superstars of the sport.

Mackey said a young man from Albuquerque, N.M., went on the Christmas tour last year and ended up spending about a month with him. "There is nothing else like it in the world," Mackey said about mushing dogs in the Alaska wilderness. "This is the closest to heaven as I want to be for a while."

Between dog mushing, aurora watching and ice sculpting, it is hard to know which of the three big Fairbanks wintertime activities tourists like most, said Amy Geiger of Explore Fairbanks. While aurora watching is a bucket-list item for many tourists, it is the dogs that oftentimes win their hearts, she said.

"They are really charmed and thrilled by the experience of dog mushing," she said.

Paws for Adventure offers winter tours beginning in mid-October ranging from a half-hour to a three-day, overnight adventure in which guests mush their own dog teams 20 to 30 miles before stopping along the trail and sleeping out in Arctic Oven tents.

Sirius Sled Dogs in Fairbanks is a small, family-owned kennel that offers aurora tours beginning in September. Visitors can choose from a wide array of choices that range from a four-hour tour to one that comes with a photography workshop on how best to shoot the aurora.

Black Spruce Dog Sledding about 25 miles northwest of Fairbanks is offering aurora mushing tours from September to March. It is located near Murphy Dome, one of the best places to view the aurora.

Once there is enough snow on the ground, Chena Hot Springs Resort outside Fairbanks will be offering short sled dog rides to its guests. After the dog sled ride, visitors can choose from a slew of other activities, including relaxing in the hot springs or visiting the ice museum and taking an ice carving class.