About our Tours
At Redemption Dog Sled Tours, we pride ourselves on offering unique and unforgettable dog sled rides. We understand that planning is important, which is why we’ve created this page to give you an idea of what to expect during your ride.
The Sled
We use a sled called a "double driver". It has a seat in the front where we can put children, ages 4 - 10. The musher drives the sled from the second row, and guest ages 11+ ride standing in the back, behind the musher.
Restrictions:
Because our adult guest is standing, it is important to have the physical capability to stand for long periods of time in cold conditions.
We go up and down hills, over bumps, and around sharp turns. Guests should consider their ability to stand and balance themselves before registering for a ride.
For the safety of our dogs, we cannot accomodate guests weighing over 250 lbs.
We cannot allow children younger than 4 years of age to ride. We've found that it is difficult for small children to hold themselves upright on the sled as we go downhill and around turns.
Check In
In order to stay on schedule, we ask that you plan to arrive 10 - 15 minutes before your ride time.
You may park in the Library parking lot, overflow parking is across the street from the library. For directions to the Library building, please click here.
Go along the back of the building and follow signs for "Dog Sledding Check In".
We require all persons 18 years and older to sign a waiver for themselves and all persons under the age of 18 must have a parent or legal guardian sign a waiver.
Once your waiver is filled out you will be assigned a ride number. Numbers are assigned in the order in which people check in.
How to Ride
Sitting Riders
For sitting children, they must sit all the way against the back of the seat. They will be instructed to hold on to the sides of the sled. Children must be able to hold themselves in an upright sitting position as we go up and down hills and move around turns.
Standing Riders
Guests standing for their ride must be able to balance and hold themselves upright for the duration of their ride.
We strongly recommend solid shoes with good tread on the sole as the sled runners can become packed with snow and ice and become slippery.
Facing towards the front of the sled, you will put one foot on each runner. You will not stand with your feet parallel to the runner. This can make balancing more difficult and increases your chances of injury. You will place each foot with toes pointing outward and your heels pointing in (similar to a duck's stance). Keep your knees flexible to absorb any bumps.
To avoid over-steering, we do not want our riders to attempt to lean around turns. You will see the musher leaning, toe dragging, and moving from side to side on the sled. Do not try to imitate them. As best you can, keep your weight centered on the sled. When you feel the urge to lean to one side or the other, we ask that you instead bend your knees and get low in the center of the sled. The lower you squat, the more stable you will feel going around turns and the easier it is for our mushers to guide the sled.
Last, hang on to the handle bar. Our dogs are very eager to run, often resulting in a sudden jolt as soon as we remove the brake. Most of our guest falls occur upon takeoff when guests are not holding on tightly. If you want to take pictures on the trail, let your musher know and they will let you know when you are on a section of trail where it is safer to use your phone or camera.
Short Rides
Our Short Rides are split into two sessions, 8:00AM - 10:00AM and 10:30AM - 12:00PM. Check in for the 8:00AM session is from 7:45AM - 8:00AM, with the first sled going out at 8:00AM. Check in for the 10:30AM session is from 10:15AM - 10:30AM with the first ride of the second session going out at 10:30AM. We assign ride order the morning of your ride at check in. Guests that check in first, receive earlier ride times. While you wait for your ride, we will have a film on inside the Doak Room as well as some coloring pages and hot chocolate.
We have two sleds moving in continuous loops on the trail and they are staggered so that one sled is leaving while the other sled is about halfway through their tour. The trail for short rides is approximately two miles long and can take anywhere from 15 - 20 minutes to run. Snow conditions are the biggest factor in ride time. If it hasn't snowed in some time, the trails can become packed and icy, meaning your ride will be shorter. If we have received a lot of snow, pulling will become more difficult and your ride will be longer.
In addition to the musher, we can put a child (ages 4 - 10) in the front of the sled, and an adult (ages 11+) standing on the back of the sled. We cannot have two adults riding at the same time. Ask one of our staff about the best way to make sure you have photos or videos of each member of your group on their ride. We're happy to advise on where to stand to get the best shot.
Dogs that are taking a break from running are available for guests to interact with. Please be aware that each dog has his/her own unique personality and some of our dogs prefer being approached by only one new person at a time. Our staff are happy to talk with you about each dog and what goes into their care and training.
Long Rides
Our Long Rides are split into thirteen individual sessions. Please arrive 15 minute prior to your session time to allow for timely check in and riding instruction. There will be coloring pages and a film playing inside the Doak Room if you are needing to warm up or wait for a member of your party to finish their ride.
We have two sleds moving in continuous loops on the trail and they depart and return within 10 minute of each other. The trail for Long rides is approximately four miles long and can take anywhere from 30 - 40 minutes to run. Snow conditions are the biggest factor in ride time. If it hasn't snowed in some time, the trails can become packed and icy, meaning your ride will be shorter. If we have received a lot of snow, pulling will become more difficult and your ride will be longer.
In addition to the musher, we can put a child (ages 4 - 10) in the front of the sled, and an adult (ages 11+) standing on the back of the sled. We cannot have two adults riding at the same time. Ask one of our staff about the best way to make sure you have photos or videos of each member of your group on their ride. We're happy to advise on where to stand to get the best shot.
Dogs that are taking a break from running are available for guests to interact with. Please be aware that each dog has his/her own unique personality and some of our dogs prefer being approached by only one new person at a time. Our staff are happy to talk with you about each dog and what goes into their care and training.
Riding on a dog sled can be physically challenging. We move up and down hills and around sharp turns and there can be bumpy terrain. Before booking a long ride consider your ability to stand and ride on a sled for 40 minutes. If you are bringing a child consider their ability to sit in the cold for 40 minutes. We can always return early, but refunds will not be given.