absaroka dogsled treks

We visited Chico Hot Springs as part of our Tauck tour in January, so we came in a day early to take a dogsled trek. Wow, what a blast! There were 5 guests and 4 mushers on our trek. We chose the Yukon which is a 10 mile round trip with a stop for a picnic lunch at the halfway point. Three guests rode in the basket of their sleds, but my husband and I were in a tandem sled, so my husband sat in the basket, I stood behind him gripping a bar and our musher Clark stood behind me. We were pulled by 10 amazingly strong dogs, all beautiful. Clark was so interesting to listen to when he talked about the dogs while we were underway. I appreciated him answering my endless questions. The next day some other Tauck guests said they had taken the shortest trek and they wished they had taken the longer one. We would highly recommend this as a fun outing. Hannah and Mat are wonderful and their dogs are well cared for. This was a very unique experience for us, and I do hope we get to do it again someday. We had gorgeous weather that day, temp in the upper 20s or low 30s (we bundled up well with long underwear, snow pants, parkas, hats, boots, glove and foot warmers, etc.), lots of snow on the ground. The scenery is gorgeous. It was exhilarating.

I did the full day Denali trek with Mat and his dogs and it was absolutely amazing. To have your own team is a thrilling experience. Mat takes you clearly and effectively through the steps of beginners mushing. To feel in sync with the dogs and experience nature from a dogsled is truly magical. Mat and Hannah love their dogs, and it shows, they respect them back. They are very passionate about their work. We stopped for a deliciously grilled lunch midday high in the mountains while the dogs were resting. I highly recommend!!!!!

Absaroka Dogsled treks is Great.What fun it was to be around people who Love Animals and the outdoorsHannah and Matt and their staff love the dogs and want to share their joy with you.All you need to do is bring a good attitude and a willingness to Adventure.

I had a wonderful time mushing on the Denali trail! The dogs were great, the scenery was breathtaking, and Mat and Hannah were wonderful. It was the best mushing trip of the 8 mushing trips I have taken in the U.S. and Canada. Stacey Evans

Going on a dogsled trek was something I had wanted to do for several years, and it was worth the wait. It was a gorgeous day on the trail, and was incredibly peaceful... just the sounds of the dogs, the sled and sometimes a breeze. The dogs are so excited to go... they're just fun to be around, and Mat and Hannah were great. Be sure to bring a camera - preferably a GoPro - to document your day.This is one of my favorite adventures. I would go again in a heartbeat.

Went on 12/17/14.... From start to finish a truly amazing experience. First you meet Matt, a man who is truly following his bliss is a beautiful thing to behold. Then to watch the dogs so excited to run and be out on the trail in pristine wilderness with captivating silence; there simply is no other experience on earth like it!

What fun my friend, her friends, and I had on a winter day dog sledding. We were all in our early 70's except for one 60-something and had so much fun. The crew was great and had lots of work to do before we could get going. The dogs were so excited one could probably hear them yipping and yelping in the park. It was an unusually warm day and we certainly did not get cold. It was sunny, the mountains sparkly and the sky was blue. Afterwards we sat in the hot springs at Chico.

I had a great time with Absaroka Dogsled Treks. Mat and Hannah are great hosts and it shows how much they love the dogs and Paradise Valley. I went on the half day Yukon trip, but next time I will book the full day Denali Trip. You can tell how much the dogs love what they're doing, and I really like that Mat keeps the groups small and make sure that you really get the full experience of dog sledding. Amazing!

It was a fabulous experience. I was nervous about dog sledding as I have arthritis in my knees and was not sure I would be comfortable sitting or able to stand to drive the team and that my husband might tip me out when he was driving. But it sounded so great I wanted to give it a try. There was nothing to worry about. Mat, Hannah, Ryan and all the guys were very reassuring and so nice. We went on the Tenderfoot and I was actually disappointed to see the end of the trail come into view because I was having such a wonderful time. The surroundings are beautiful and the experience is exciting but peaceful at the same time! And the dogs are amazing - smaller than you would expect but so eager to run. Don't miss this opportunity!

We booked the 'Tenderfoot' excursion. It was an amazing experience. We did this on a very, very cold day. Our hands, feet and faces were very cold. We used warmers in our boots. We did wait a while in the office before the dog teams arrived. I think this was because they had to load so many teams as they were full on their treks. It takes time for the teams to be 'hitched' up, so you should be prepared to wait for a while before you actually begin the journey. We would definitely recommend this adventure. We saw some beautiful countryside and the dogs were amazing.

December 2012 - full day dogsledding trek was amazing and something we will never forget! My husband and I were looking for adventure and beauty in Montana and we found it on our Denali trek with Absaroka dog sled treks!!! We were amazed by the whole trip. It was incredible from start to finish and is something we will talk about and treasure for years to come. We started out at Absaroka headquarters at Chico Hot Springs. We walked in and met Mark and his sweet little dog. Mark welcomed us and went over the details of what we be doing that day and demonstrated on a model sled what we would encounter and how to control the sled while mushing or riding in the basket. We also were fitted with clothing that would help us through our journey. Soon after, we met our wonderful guide , Carr. Carr then rode us out to the location where we would go dog sledding and then get set up for our awesome journey. We arrived at our sledding start point in the magnificent Gallatin National Forest. Wow! The area around the trailhead was a beautiful winter wonderland and was breathtaking. Carr started to get the equipment ready for our trek and my husband, who loves to learn , asked Carr if it was okay to help him set up the dogs and lines. Carr was enthusiastic and very personable and was was glad to let my husband help out. They set up both sleds with our dogs and Carr introduced us to all of the dogs and gave us instructions on how to get the dogs to follow commands and how to steer and brake on the sled. We had 8 dogs on our sled. Our journey began and it was a beautiful day! We ascended through the mountain and enjoyed the beautiful terrain. I was in the sled basket wrapped up in my cozy sleeping bag while my husband mushed on. We thoroughly enjoyed the ride and the dogs did a great job. One thing we didn't realize , as inexperienced mushers, is that you help the dogs out on steep inclines and hard areas to trek. My husband and I both agree , as moderately conditioned people , that it is helpful to have experience with running or another cardio/ aerobic type workout to endure this trek. It reminded me of the motion of riding a skateboarding and digging the pavement with your feet to keep the speed at the proper cadence. At one point , my husband told Carr that he wanted to switch out and let me mush.. Which I was very excited to do. After the switch, I mushed for 10-15 minutes. Boy- was that a workout! Lol. I had a great time though and it was quite a magical experience! What excitement I felt as I realized I was in charge of the team of dogs! How cool! We stopped at a very beautiful area to have lunch. At this area had thick snow and gorgeous trees. Carr and Orlando got the dogs tied up for their lunch time and their rest period and Carr began to feed the dogs some treats. What happened next was impressive to say the least. Carr set up a wonderful picnic area and lunch for us. It was really very romantic for my husband and I in a way. Here we are with these amazing dogs and we are surrounded by this winter wonderland Splendor, and we are having an amazing lunch on this sleeping bag that has been specially arranged for us. The first course of food was appetizers . Breads, cheeses, and veggies with dip. As we ate our appetizers, Carr started a campfire and grilled us some fish and steak. Oh.. My .. Wow.. It tasted amazing. Kind of like camping, but an upscale camping. The steak was some of the best I have ever tasted. We has vegetables with the main course and then we got to the cheesecake. Also some of the best I have ever had. Carr was a wonderful host and we stayed for probably about 45 minutes to an hour at that spot and asked questions about the dogs and got to know Carr a little better. The whole lunch experience was top notch.After lunch, we packed up and my husband mushed our sled. I have to say that he only dumped me out of the basket on a couple of sharp turns 2-3 times! Lol! We got some good laughs over that! We enjoyed the remainder of the journey and continued back to our point where we entered our trek. What an exillerating trip! We were so impressed with the whole tour. The dogs were beautiful and well behaved. We felt that we might have needed a couple of more dogs to get us up the hills better, but it was good exercise for my husband , the energizer bunny. Carr couldn't have been any better of a guide than he was. He is an asset to the absaroka team. As we packed up and headed back to the store front, we were exhausted , but very impressed and enriched because of this experience of a lifetime. We are very thankful to absaroka dog sledding treks for a wonderful trip and We will give this a 5 out of 5 star rating! It's a must do adventure! Thank you ! Sincerely, Angie and Orlando GomezFrom Pensacola, FlAge range : 40-ish