Dogmush to Denali

Denali West Lodge will lead dog mushing expeditions to the very base of the most massive mountain on earth. Accompanied by professional guides, each expedition member will drive his or her own team of sled dogs on wilderness trails through Denali National Park and Preserve.

Accommodations
Our primary mission is to teach our guests to have a safe, fun, comfortable trip. We supply dog sleds, tents, stoves, food, pads, seats, etc. We provide a detailed list of recommended personal gear, and we have some winter clothing to loan. Call us with your size to see if we can fit you.

We'll stay in cozy walled tents heated by wood burning stoves and eat delicious homemade hearty meals (no freeze dried). Our guides do the camp chores, but our guest mushers have told us they enjoyed learning winter camping skills and sharing the chores as well as dog care and feeding.

Our dogs
These dogs pull you and your gear up and down hills, over frozen lakes and streams, in all kinds of weather, cheerfully and without complaint. All they ask is a full belly at night, a bed of straw, friendly petting and a few kind words. They are the best trail companions in the world! View our dogmushing photo gallery.

Scenery
This is Alaska's wilderness at its best. Stunning mountain scenery, light shows courtesy of the Aurora Borealis, operas by 60 happy huskies with guest vocalizations by Canis lupis, the wild Alaskan wolf. During your entire 9 day trip you will never be more than minutes away from a spectacular view of "the mountains". If the famous yet elusive Denali (Mt.McKinley) decides to come out from behind the clouds, then you will get the view of a lifetime. You will "mush" your own dogteam to within 12 miles of the Wickersham Wall. This is the sheer 1 mile tall north face of Denali. You will understand why Judge James Wickersham was unable to climb Denali because he was unable to find the alternative to scaling this sheer cliff fraught with avalanches. Instead, "the wall" was named in his honor. We stand with our dogteams at an elevation of 2,000 ft. above sea level. Then we tilt our necks back until we can see the North peak of Denali which is 19,470 ft. above sea level. I always have to be careful not to fall backwards. It is truly an awesomely incredible experience. I am trying to explain with words and pictures. However, there is really no substitute to seeing for yourself.

For more information
To get references of someone who has been on one of our mushing trips or to receive our color brochure and mushing details, please contact us at info@denaliwest.com or call (907) 674-3112.

2009 Dogmush To Denali Dates

Trip #1: March 2 - 10 (9 days long)

Trip #2: March 13 - 18 (6 days long)

Trip #3: March 21 - 30 (10 days long)

View price information.

Winter List: What To Bring

1. Dedicated skiiers should bring their own skis and boots as we have a lot of old equipment, which we are updating. We have lots of snowshoes and adjustable poles.
2. We provide the outer winter parkas and heavy boots and snow pants.
3. Your own personal inner layers of polypropylene for your legs and chest.
4. Sweater/vest with lightweight windbreaker jacket
5. Sunglasses, suntan lotion and sunhats as skiing on open frozen lakes and tundra
6. Binoculars and camera (extra film and batteries)
7. Ski mittens and gloves
8. Heavy socks that are not cotton
9. Headbands and a hat or ear warmers
10. Extra chemical handwarmers (we provide some)
11. Daypacks

Northern Lights & Winter Temperature Information

Current Weather at Lake Minchumina

The interior of Alaska is an arctic desert getting 8-12 inches of precipition a year counting snowfall. Between October and April we have total accumulation of three to five feet of snow, which can be swept away as it is so dry. We just keep packing the snow down so that the trails have a great base for dog, ski or even foot travel. The trails are wide and for lots of skate skiing and skijoring, which means skiing with a dog in harness. A line comes off the back of the harness and attaches to a padded belt, which the skiier wears. The hands are free to use ski poles. Our snow stays until the hot April starts the breakup process, which lasts until around May 25th when we can start using the boats on the lake.

The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis activity is taking place every day but due to the almost 24 hours of daylight, you cannot see the Northern Lights between April 15th and August 15th. The best viewings are October - March in an area free of artificial lights, if it is cloudy there are no Nortern lights.

February has about 8 hours of daylight and temperature ranging between +25°F in the day to the coldest of -30°F at night. March 21st, we have 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. It can still drop to -25°F at night but it can be above freezing in the day. No worry about mosquitos until June.

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