We chose this trip because we really wanted to see some of the Klondike and experience time with the sled dogs and their puppies. We also wanted to experience riding with the dogs knowing it would be on a cart of some kind, as there is no snow in there in the summer (read the tour description people). Some travelers initially thought this would be a snow sled dog experience, (which would require an expensive helicopter trip to a glacier), however Mike explained this when he provided an overview as to what to expect and they still were very happy with the trip.
Skip the railway trip and go on this one because you will cover the same Klondike route up to Frasier, but this provides many photo stops and a whole lot more past Frazier. Plus it is very difficult to take pictures out of a moving train standing on the platform between the cars, or taking bad pictures through the moving train window.
Mike has an amazing amount of local Skagway knowledge, the history of the Klondike, the gold rush, the life of the miners going up the passes and the White Horse Pass Railroad. He is very well traveled and could talk about travel adventures all over the world, which added another dimension to the trip. You need to have a passport with you as you cross over the Canadian border.
Along the way, Mike talked about the various sled dog races and explained that you have to work your way up to the Iditarod race by doing well in various shorter races. He also explained that Michelle Phillips is the best female musher in the Iditarod, and it is her training camp that we would be visiting. We saw some mountain goats and stopped several times for amazing pictures. We also made a rest stop where there are many historical pictures and markers showing the Yukon Gold miners. We even stopped to take pictures of a wildfire burning across the valley which was burning out of control. It is too remote to fight it conventionally, so the Canadians were hoping for rain to put it out.
Once at the camp, we went through the store where they have people snacks and a few souvenirs for visitors and went into a very large fenced yard with many sled dogs and puppies. There was a photo opportunity at every turn with the puppies and the many dogs that were ready to go on a sled pulling trip. You can pick up the puppies for great photos, and you can buy some treats to spoil them. When it was time to get the dogs hooked up to pull the double seat 4 wheeler, all of the dogs started barking as they wanted to be chosen to go. We got great photos and videos of them being hooked up by Michelle, and she took pictures of us in the vehicle. Then we were off and running fast and hard for a thrill ride of a lifetime. Along the way we passed a pond where the dogs all jumped in to cool off, get a drink and there were plastic baby pools there also for cooling. Michelle got out and took some more photos of us and then we headed back to the starting point. Michelle then took us into her shed where she has her Iditarod sled and gear for a show and tell. She explained all of the things she takes, the features on the sled and shared some of her Iditarod adventures.
On the way back from the camp, Mike stopped at the Yukon sign and the Alaska sign where he took photos of you with your camera standing in front of the signs. Mike offered the option of either dropping you off in town (which is what we did) or going back to the cruise ship. We got dropped off in front of the gourmet popcorn shop where we bought some delicious bags of popcorn and shopped our way back to the ship. Mike also told us where the liquor store and the IGA Grocery store were located as we wanted to pick up a few items.
The Bottom Line:
You can take a train ride or take a small and intimate van tour up the White Horse Pass, but the van tour offers so much more. All of the local scenery photo stops and history markers along the way, an extremely well informed tour guide who could tell you anything about the area including the gold rush history, the mountain passes that the miners took, the history of the railroad plus you get puppies !!! It was a very special and intimate tour to meet Michelle, visit her training camp, learn first-hand all about the Iditarod, see her equipment, get pictures with the puppies, go on a sled dog trip and thoroughly enjoy one of the most unique experiences of a lifetime, and that is The Bottom Line !!!
Réponse de l'hôte
Jun 2019
What an Amazing review. Thank you so much for taking the time to to leave such a detailed review. It really gives people a firsthand idea of what makes us ( a small locally owned and operated tour company ) stand out from ( the cruise ship owned ) train. We really appreciate people taking the time to help us educate future tourists on what it is that makes us so different. And in most peoples opinion, so much better. We as locals rely on tourism so with that in mind we try to make every customers experience the best that we can. Because unlike the cruise ship owned train, we rely on repeat and referral business in order to stay alive. Hence, you will always get a more personable tour with us than the train.
Thanks again, for the very detailed review. I'm sure you will help put people at ease in their decision to book with us after reading this review.
Thanks again,
All of us here at Skagway Day Trips