Canmore activities - dog sledding

In 1908 in Canada's Yukon territory dog sledding became one of Canada's oldest official sports, although of course it had already been in existence for thousands of years. Native North Americans, including the Canadian Indian and Inuit tribes, had relied on their four legged friends for transport, friendship and survival in the harsh terrain, long before it became a sport.

But what does it offer in the 21st Century? Well this is one of those absolutely must do activities. You can mush along the shores of the spectacular Spray Lakes experiencing the exhilaration of handling your own team of sled dogs.

Imagine you're racing across the frozen wastes, with nothing more technological than your wristwatch, and your team of trusty dogs. Leave your computers, phones and cars behind and pit yourself and your dogs against frozen Nature.

Interested? Check out our vacation/sports services page for more details.

There is no more quintessentially Canadian experience than dog sledding, and come the first accumulations of snow in the Fall the dogs (Alaskan Huskies or Siberian Huskies), and their keepers, know that it's time to welcome visitors eager to experience the thrill of running their own dog team, be it for an hour, a day, or a multi-day tour.

But it's not all about running your own team, there's also the opportunity to take things a bit easier and sit on the sled enjoying the view, while a highly trained guide directs the dogs for you. The best part of dog sledding is that no experience is needed, and it's accessible to people of all ages and fitness levels.

The one thing that you can be sure of as you race across the snowy landscape... pooch power rules!

Canmore used to play host to the Alberta International Sled Dog Association's Canmore Classic, a weekend of sled dog races which were held at either the Canmore Nordic Centre or Spray Lake, location dependant on the weather and snow conditions.

Unfortunately since the hugely successful 2007 races there hasn't been the opportunity to run the races again due to a lack of people willing to give up a lot of their spare time to get the races organised.

For more information on the 2007 Canmore sled dog races visit our sled dog races page.

If you want to experience the thrill of dog sledding in the Canadian Rockies then there are several dog sled operators in the Canmore area, check out our vacation/sports services page for more details.