Summer dogsledding sounds like a contradiction until you realize where it happens: on permanent ice fields high above Seward, cold enough year-round to run a full team of dogs in July. There's no road to any of it. A helicopter is the only practical way to reach a glacier dogsled camp, which is exactly why the experience gets bundled onto the longest of the local helicopter tours.
How the Glacier Dogsled Experience Works
The flight itself follows the same coastal route as the standard glacier tour, but instead of turning back after the second landing, the helicopter continues on to a dogsled camp set up directly on the ice. These camps operate through the summer specifically because glacier ice stays cold enough for the dogs to run comfortably, even when it's warm down in Seward.
What Happens on the Ice
- Meet the team. Time to get close to the dogs, hear about their training, and get a few good photos before boarding the sled.
- A mushing lesson. A quick rundown of commands and technique from an experienced musher before the sled moves.
- A real sled run. A short ride across the glacier behind a full dog team, guided by the musher.
- Time on the ice. A chance to walk around the camp and take in a landscape almost nobody sees without flying in.
Meet the Team
The dogs living at a glacier camp are working animals, bred and trained for distance and cold-weather stamina, and mushers who run these camps typically split their year between glacier tourism in summer and long-distance racing in winter. It's a genuine look at a working sled dog operation, not a staged photo stop. Expect a lot of noise and excitement right before the run starts, sled dogs tend to bark and lunge in harness simply because they want to run, and go almost silent the moment the sled actually moves.
Why It's Only Reachable by Air
There's no trail or road that reaches a summer dogsled camp on a glacier, and that's exactly what keeps the ice cold enough for the dogs to work through the warmer months. A helicopter is the only realistic way in, which is also why this experience only exists bundled with a helicopter flight rather than as a standalone tour.
Dogsled Experience at a Glance
| What's Included | Approx. Price |
|---|---|
| Round-trip helicopter flight, glacier dogsled camp visit, mushing lesson, and sled ride | ~$629 |
What to Wear and Bring
- Waterproof, insulated boots, glacier ice is wet as well as cold
- Warm gloves you don't mind getting damp
- A windproof outer layer, wind picks up quickly at elevation
- Sunglasses, glare off the ice is stronger than most people expect
Like every other helicopter tours seward visitors book, the dogsled add-on starts with the same small aircraft, the same weather-first safety approach, and the same four-guest cap per flight, just with a very different kind of landing at the end.