Squid Acres Kennel Dogsled Tours

Deanna Leung (Okajima)

2024-04

Wowowow! My husband, friends, and I had the privilege to experience mushing with all the beautiful huskies in Denali! It was magical! Cody, Paige, and Laney and all of their huskies were absolutely incredible and inspiring. Their lifestyle and commitment to and care for their dogs is so evident! It was an honor to be able to meet them and learn a bit about them in the 1.5 hr ride! They took a group of 9 of us and 3 of us per sled with 12 huskies leading each. We are from southern CA so this was all unfamiliar and very exciting to us!!! They were great hosts, very communicative, passionate about their work, and flexible with our group size and timing. We are so grateful for their expertise and for keeping us safe while giving us an incredibly unique ride through the snowy mountains! Definitely recommend! Also they were one of the few places within driving distance from Fairbanks to offer a full 1.5 hr ride, many other places just did 30 minute rides for a lot higher cost! This experience was worth the money!

Mary French

2024-03

Incredible experience! Cody is a great guide and host! Food was delicious! Dogs are amazing and friendly! Mushing is so peaceful! Highly recommended

Nick Jaworski

2023-05

My 10-year-old daughter and I did an overnight trip. It was a fantastic experience. Cody and Jeff were great guides, very patient and helpful. Sledding was non-strenuous, so you get a chance to just take in the amazing scenery. It gets cold, but it's not bad as long as you bring the right gear and Squid Acres has some of the heavier winter stuff you can borrow if you don't own everything, which was nice since trying to pack that thick stuff into a suitcase wouldn't be easy. Since we got back yesterday, my daughter can't stop talking about the trip and the dogs. She's decided she wants to run the Iditarod now when she's older. It's definitely a pricey trip, but if you're looking for a once-in-a-lifetime experience while you're in Alaska, don't miss this one.

Julie “Jubot” B.

2023-08

Great informative, personalized and fun small group experience!! Cody ( the red haired one) was very knowledgeable, passionate, had an evident love of the dogs, and was really funny. This was the highlight of our trip to Denali!!

Carol Horne

2023-05

Hands down best experience of a life time. If you want beautiful memories with stunning views and experiences with wonderful dogs. You have to book you summer or winter dogsledding trip with Squid acres. Mitch and Annie were my guides and they were phenomenal.I would do the trip again in a heartbeat if the opportunity comes around again.

Vincent Salinas

2023-05

If you're in the area looking to take a dog sled tour, THIS IS THE PLACE FOR YOU! Cody and Page are experienced and very informed mushers ready to share their love for the sport and the dogs with you. They're very welcoming and just create an all-around great experience. Can't wait to take another adventure with Squid Acres!

Amy Steckman

2022-05

Squid Acres was great! We took some time researching various places to ensure the dogs were being treated as humanely as possibly. Paige and Cody answered all of our questions honestly, and truly seemed to care about their dogs. We love CHEVELLE and NOVA! Thanks again guys!Until next time…-Tera & Amy

Sherrill Gross

2023-05

We had the most amazing tour. Our guide, Cody, was fantastic. He answered all of our sometimes off-the-walk questions and was very informative. The dogs are so sweet and love the attention you give them. They had four puppies who had so much energy. It was a great tour and I would highly recommend ithem.

Dakota Kauffman

2022-05

This is the must stop place in Cantwell. For a reasonable fee you can visit with all of the sled dogs, learn about the the roughest races in all of Alaska, and even go out with the sled team as they do they're training. It was one of the best experiences we've and we still think about it to this day. You can also stay at Squid Arce in a dry cabin and live like a true Alaskan. The location is close to Jam Jam's Spot for some food and about 25 mins to the Denali park entrance. The cabin is clean and has power, heat, a fridge and very comfy bed. The place was well kept and even the outhouse was in tiptop shape. This is place to rough it in style during your trips to Denali or the outlying areas.

Katie Foley

2023-05

We knew our trip to Alaska was going to be a special one but we are dog people and were really looking forward to a true dog mushing experience. We did extensive research and ultimately decided on the half-day mushing tour with Squid Acres Kennel. The owners of Squid Acres Kennel, Paige and Cody did not disappoint. They provided us with a once-in-a-lifetime, customized, 4-hour dog mushing experience that we will not forget. From start to finish, they made sure we had everything we needed to enjoy our time with them and really get our money's worth.We started in a heated yurt, learning about the sled, the dogs, and how to operate the joint system. They allowed us to interact with three of the pups (the youngest was about a year old) as we learned and donned our warm gear. Paige provided us with large parkas to go over our winter jackets, large musher's mitts that hung over our shoulders, and overshoes that went over our winter boots. It was the last day of February and around zero degrees (and dropped into the negatives with the wind-chill) so we all elected to wear/bring all the layers she offered. Ultimately, we were thankful for her attention to detail and words of advice!Most of the Denali Hwy shuts down during the winter months and is only accessible by snowmobile or dog sled- which is a great opportunity for people like us who wanted the full mushing experience. So, after we bought some souvenir tee-shirts, we drove about 2-miles on the Denali Hwy from the base camp to the "trail head" where the highway shuts down. There, Cody had all three sleds laid out for us already and the Alaskan Huskies were eager to be hooked to their sleds. Paige and Cody got us all hooked up and made sure we knew how to operate our new rides. Then we were off. The route was straight and the dogs knew their jobs so we really only needed to know how to start (a command of "ready, let's go!") and stop (the break bar and "whoa").Paige led on a sled of her own with extra dogs in case one of the sleds needed the extra fur power, and Cody followed behind in the snowmobile. Despite the initial overcast, the view and thrill from the driver's seat was breathing-taking. We stopped every now and then to take photos but were able to go about 8 miles out before turning back. Cody was also nice enough to take some awesome photos and videos from the snowmobile which he happily uploaded to Google photos per our request. Tip: phones act crazy in the cold. Put a hand warmer on the back of your phone to keep it warmer so you can take photos along the way.The Denali Hwy gets it's name because Denali can be seen in all her glory at the west end of the highway. While it was too overcast for us to see Denali herself, the clouds cracked enough to show us a bit of the sunset over a smaller, closer mountain. We finished our tour mushing into the sunset and, when we got back to the car, Cody gave us some refreshing hot coco. We made the rounds petting the tired pups and thanking them for hard work.While the experience was amazing, we really appreciated how well taken care of Paige and Cody's pups were. All the pups were clearly well-loved and extensively enjoyed their jobs. Despite being working dogs, most of them (especially after the run) were sweet and well-mannered. They were medically well cared for and physically fit without being skinny- which was different from a couple of the tourist dog sledding locations we also visited. It was obvious that Paige and Cody spent time making sure each pup was tended to properly.All-in-all, we could not have been happier with our choice to do the half-day dog mushing tour with Squid Acres Kennel. HUGE thank you to Paige and Cody. It's going to be hard to resist a return trip to join them again!

Christina Stam

2022-05

I’ve been in Alaska for four years now and hadn’t had the chance to visit sled dog kennels, so I was over the moon excited to finally get to go. Our trip was awesome! I learned so much about sled dog racing and got to meet puppies!! I highly recommend squid acres! So much fun!

kcar9242

2023-07

We had the best experience with Cody & Paige of Squid Acres in June. We spent 24 memorable hours at their incredible Susitna Adventure Lodge. There was an ATV tour, canoeing on their lake, fishing and time spent with their amazing sled dogs. We didn't want to leave. It was the highlight of our Alaska vacation!

Krisha Powell

2023-07

We had the best time here visiting the kennel. Myself and my 3 kids ranging from 13-18 all enjoyed it.We were given such great info on how the kennel is run, the races and how to be prepared! We loved meeting all the dogs and seeing the new puppies too!The owner, Paige, of the kennel was so great and we’re so grateful for our time we got to spend there!

Justina Girod

2023-08

These guys are awesome! Cody was super informative on all things Dog Sledding. The dogs were super cool, and we even got to harness them ourselves for our trip. We ended the day playing with their newest litter of puppies. Definitely recommend!

Aaron Rubin

2023-08

Paige and Cody were absolutely wonderful! Their breadth of knowledge coupled with their passion were both educational and inspirational. They were all around wonderful and I would highly recommend this for everyone from any background.

Lisa Wagner

2022-05

This was such a fun experience! Paige explained so much about mushing, the big races, how the dogs work together, answered our many questions and so much more. After we got information about dog sledding, we go to take the dogs out for a run as pulled us on an ATV. It was amazing, getting to see the pups in action and how excited they were to pull and work was awesome. I highly highly recommend Squid Acres Kennel Dogsled Tours if you’re looking for a dogsled tour.

Chandra Venkatagiri

2022-05

Fantastic hands on experience with 14 lovely husky mutts pulling your sled/ATV. The host is patient, detailed and a musher herself. The show begins in a yurt and goes into the mushing gear and wear details. Kids were excited to try some of the gear on! Then the tour actually begins outdoors with the canine stars. The dogs were well behaved and loved, you get to yoke a couple of dogs to the pulling line. The dogs were so excited to be running. They pulled around a couple of turns for a quarter mile and stopped for a quick drink of water at a small pond. Then we headed back to camp. We got to see and pet the puppies before their mom was brought around to feed them.The tour was an absolute highlight of our Alaska trip for our suburb bred kids. We also drove a bit further (25 mi) along Denali highway 1 and saw foxes and bears. So this is a highly recommended activity 👍

Shealey Imgarten

2023-09

These people, these dogs...more than a "tourist activity". Cody took the time to tell his story and in doing so, de-mystified the sport, and made it seem digestible for someone who is interested in pursuing it one day. These dogs will make your day.

Glenn Zior

2023-05

Such a great experience. All the tours are private. The first hour we learned all about the kennel, dogs and racing. The second hour they hooked up a team of dogs to an ATV for we went for a ride and got to meet the dogs. They also had 4 week and 4 month puppies to play with.

Cass Capen-Housley

2022-05

We were visiting in July and went on the tour with Mandy. Loved meeting all the dogs and hearing about racing the Idiotrod and Yukon Gold. Really informative tour. Kaputo was the best host too! Had so much fun! Finally got to wear my kicka@@ Squid Acres Sweatshirt too!

Atsy88

2022-05

Really glad we were able to book with Squid Acres since we couldn't find any availability in Healy where we stayed because of the Iditerod. It was an easy 50 minute drive to Cantwell and we were greeted by our guide Dillan. He provided all the warm gear we needed and led us to the trailhead to start our 2 hour trip. We appreciated that he told us so much about mushing and his passion for it clearly shined through. He really made the sled ride about us and we had lots of opportunities to take photos and meet the dogs. We never felt rushed which was very refreshing. Highly recommend Squid Acres and Dillan!

Ashley Threadingham

2022-05

Paige, Cody, and May are wonderful and our group had so much fun during our trip to Squid Acres. You can really tell the dogs love what they do, and the care given to them is evident. Highly recommend!

Vicky Alender

2022-05

Squid Acres tour is a really fun and interactive tour. You learn a lot about mushing. And you get to help harness up the dogs and have a great experience with them. Mandy was our guide and she is fantastic.

Amy Tran

2023-08

It was a great experience learning about the sport and the sled dogs, and the puppies were adorable! Shout out to Cody (employee) and Jack for being great guides.

Leota Tennant

2023-05

Wonderful personalized tour and a great chance to meet a team of sled dogs and puppies!

Kathy Burke

2023-07

The women's mushing retreat was one of the best and most memorable vacations I've ever take. Truly a trip of a lifetime!

Tammie Miller

2023-07

Took our crew! Boy, I knew it would be fun but it was so much more! We had an awesome time. So good we are doing it again!

Jessica Pelletier

2023-05

Stayed in one of the cabins through Airbnb. What a find - great access to Denali State and National Parks!

Eloise Laubach

2023-07

Loved your presentation on the sled dogs. Ir was very interesting and the dogs were amazing.

Cheyenne B

2018-05

Such a great afternoon. Eli showed such passion and love for the craft and the canine athletes. A great experience.