I've been coming to Steamboat for 23 years now, and this was the coolest thing I've ever done here. I can't believe it took us so long to try dog sledding, but now this will definitely be a yearly tradition.
They picked us up in a van directly from our condo at the base of the mountain, so that was really convenient. Then we drove about 45 minutes from Ski Time Square out to the location with the dog sleds. The drive went by pretty quickly, since there was so much scenery to take in. But if you get carsick easily you may want to prepare yourself for the windy roads as you get closer to the location.
The facility was modest, but it had everything we needed. There was a little shed with hot chocolate (and some adult beverages to help us stay warm), cookies, extra boots and gloves in case ours weren't warm enough, and hand warmers for us to use while dog sledding. I'm so glad they had these, because we all realized that what we thought were warm boots were not actually as warm as the ones they had. So several of us borrowed boots and all of us took some hand warmers. The staff made us feel welcome to take anything we needed. Just great hospitality. There's also a porta potty, which actually ended up being as clean as they get. And in the cold, the smell wasn't bad at all. I appreciate them having some kind of restroom facility, because we would've essentially been stranded out in the woods with no bathroom.
The timing of everything felt really relaxed, which was super nice. We had plenty of time to get ready in the shed, play with and learn about the dogs, take pictures, and get ready to drive home after we finished sledding. And even though the sledding part wasn't incredibly long, it felt like the right amount of time for amateurs like us. At the end we were just starting to get a little tired from driving the sled without it being too exhausting. It wasn't rushed at all, and the timing was spot on.
The staff was outstanding. They made us feel comfortable and were super friendly and helpful the whole time. They taught us about dog sledding races and answered any questions we had. They showed us how to put the harnesses on the dogs and we got to harness a few dogs. They showed us how to drive the sled, then we just started going! We rode/drove in partners while the staff rode snowmobiles alongside us to guide us and do damage control whenever necessary. Our group had one guide per sled. I accidentally let my sled get away from me once, and one of the guides was able to jump off her snowmobile to catch my sled before the dogs ran too far (my bad, but also super impressed by the staff for that save). We stopped a few times along the way and they were super friendly and asked if we wanted any pictures.
Advice for this is to dress more warmly than you think. Wear your warmest shoes with your warmest socks. Make sure you have sunglasses or goggles, and a hat that won't fall off. You also may want to have something to cover your face, because the wind hits your face in the sled. I dressed like I was going skiing, which ended up working out. I did end up using their boots and hand warmers though. Make sure to tip the staff well, because they really make the whole experience lighthearted, fun, and they really know their stuff.
If you have the opportunity to try dog sledding, definitely go with this company! read more