Dog sledding is the Alaska State Sport and the most dependable means of travel through the Alaskan wilderness. Taking in the beauty of Alaska by dogsled is a unique adventure few will ever experience. You will be mesmerized by the quietness as the amazing canine athletes glide your sled effortlessly through spruce forests, open vistas, and across frozen lakes. Your activity begins in our spacious visitor center with an informative and entertaining video presentation. Your guide will then ensure you are sporting all the gear needed to stay warm before heading out to meet your team. After greeting each team member you will step onto your sled and with your experienced guide at the helm you will head out into a winter wonderland, 6 miles on actual Iditarod training trails. After your ride spend time petting and taking photos with your 4-legged Alaskan Husky ambassadors.
This stop was part of our tour and turned out to be the highlight of the tour. So glad we went. It was amazing and very informative. W enjoyed learning about this sport and the dogs were amazing. We got to play with them, pet them and even hold some puppies. The staff was very friendly and made us feel right at home.
The highlight of all my Alaskan experiences! I highly recommend Happy Trails Kennels!! Martin Buser runs a top notch operation.
This is the first thing we did upon arriving in Alaska and it was all we expected and more. The staff were so friendly, helpful, and knowledgeable. Don’t even bother with your own gear, theirs is included and so much better. Having the experience of standing and sitting as the dogs pulled was great. The experience was well worth it and we spent a significant amount of time out riding which of course was the highlight.
This is a once in a lifetime experience. Not only did we have an amazing time, we learned so much! Everyone we encountered was so nice, friendly, and knowledgeable. Chad was our tour guide. We did the learn to mush and a rider. Chad was extremely helpful. He made us feel very confident, safe, and prepared for anything. We had a few stops along the ride. He even explained what areas we were looking at, where we were on the path, and offered to take photos at every location. Might I say he should also be a photographer! Our photos are awesome! He even took a quick video to share the dog’s names. You can tell he loves what he does and was excited to share his knowledge. We cannot thank Martin and Chad enough for everything. This is something we will never forget. 💕
Everything about the place is fantastic! The sled ride was magical, learning about the dogs and the Iditarod was fascinating and Martin and Chad couldn't have been more friendly. This is a must visit!
Our adventure began with a very informative video about dog sledding and the dogs that pull the sleds. I also learned a lot about the famous Iditarod Race! Martin and his team provide cold weather gear if you don’t bring enough to keep you warm. There were super soft and cute puppies available to cuddle and pet too. The actual ride was extremely relaxing and the views were spectacular! Our guide Tim made sure to point out specific views to us and stopped for photos! There were three in our party so we were able to change positions on the sled were the full dog sledding experience! Martin Buser was very gracious with our request for a photo with him! If you’re lucky enough to visit Alaska we highly recommend stopping by Happy Trails Kennel for their dog mushing experience!
My wife and I have relatives who introduced us to Shawn Sidelinger who invited us to tour the Kennel—the facility. We met and chatted with Martin Buser and Shawn, we socialized with the dogs, and we learned incredible history and facts about dogsled digs, equipment, and strategies as well as the history of the Iditarod.
We had an amazing visit at Happy Trails Kennel. Martin, Kathy, Chad, and Sue were excellent hosts. We were able to meet the new litter of pups and well as many of the other dog "athletes" team members. If you are looking for a kennel to learn about the Iditarod and the mushing profession, Happy Trails Kennel is the place to visit, you'll walk away with an entirely new perspective about the race and the role sled dogs play in Alaskan culture. 6/2025
Happy Trails Kennel is fantastic. You get to tour the facility, meeting both adult sled dogs and puppies, and being led by guides who have ran in the Iditarod. Martin, the owner, is a four-time Iditarod champion who helps show you around, as well as gives a demonstration of what the dogs look like in action. You will leave with a better sense of what life is like for these racers and their dogs, as well as having a happy heart from all the puppy love. 10/10, would recommend to anyone for any occasion.
Our experience over delivered. The passion Martin and his team have for the dogs and the sport was inspiring. Chad was our tour guide and he was wonderful, knowledgeable and personable. Martin himself was there as well. It was exciting to hear from a 4 time Iditarod champion. And you get to pet dogs!!
This was truly an experience of a lifetime - Ms. Sue and Musher Tim were outstanding and so informative- the puppies amazing and views only surpassed by the serenity!
This was one of the most wonderful experiences I have ever had. Martin runs a top-notch operation with Happy Trails. We stayed in the B&B on the property and the experience of hearing the dogs get up in the morning, seeing the care of the dogs and the energy that the staff brings to the visitor center, was absolutely amazing. We went in December 2024 and signed up for a 2-hr. mushing adventure and it did not disappoint. I could have done this all day!! First you get a wonderful 20-minute video that explains how this all came to be and then they gear you up to ensure you stay warm. Not once during or 2-3 degree 2-hour adventure did we get cold. Our Guide Tim was outstanding, and being a current Iditarod participant, he had great stories of his experience out on the Iditarod trail. Most of all, the dogs were AWESOME!! They are very well taken care of and truly treated like family at the kennel. The entire experience was something I'll never forget.
Great experience with the family. Vey professional and friendly staff. Super friendly dogs. One on a lifetime experience.
This was on the top of our list to-do when we planned our winter Alaskan vacation. And this exceeded all of our expectations. Everyone at the kennel was so nice and helpful, outfitting us with their warm gear. Our musher was Tim and he was very informative, personable, answered all of our questions, and gave us ample time to take pictures along the way! The ride was so scenic that pictures don’t do it justice! The dogs are energetic, very social, playful and all want to go on the rides. Playing with puppies afterwards was a fun experience as well. Driving to the kennel from anchorage was a pretty drive. We highly recommend a dog sled ride with Happy Trail Kennels.
We really enjoyed ourselves. Martin and Chad are great. They both gladly took pictures with attendees and were very informative. We leaded so much about the sled races and dogs. The facility was clean. The opening video shared a lot of helpful information. I am glad we took the time out to go to Happy Trails.
This was very educational and informative; I had no idea how much time and preparation went into dog sledding. You get to meet and pet some of the dogs. They explained how much the dogs love to run and how they have to hold them back to make sure the dogs get enough downtime. They have a demonstration of how the dogs are harnessed to actually pull something. There was no snow on the ground when we were there, so they pulled a 4-wheeler around the property for us. Toward the end of the tour, we got to hold some puppies.
Great tour! Friendly folks, great to learn about the dogs, informative, and the sled dog puppies were SO cute! They dogs are so well loved and cared for, the video was interesting, and we learned a lot about how mushers race in the Iditarod!
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