THIS TRIP ADDED VALUE TO OUR TRIP IN ALASKA - The one thing we make an effort on when we vacation is never join a group tour. If we can avoid it. We prefer doing it on our own. Building our own itinerary. Managing our own time. Customizing our experience. Making vacation activities our own. without being under the mercy of cookie-cutter tours. It also allows us more fully informed and educated about the people, places, and events we visit. This past trip proved , spending our vacation time our way reaps many benefits. Prior to getting on this trip, my wife suggested we do dog sledding. I was having second thoughts (very rare for me, especially for activities we haven't done before), what with her back surgery, etc. But she was persuasive, and before I knew it, we were booked for a dog sledding tour to be done by Trail Breaker Kennel Sled Dog Tours. A local mushing outfit in Fairbanks. We arrived at the site located less than 10 minutes from our vacation lodge. We were scheduled last to go on this adventure so the parking lot was empty. We liked this for good reasons, we got the chance to soak in all the natural winter wonderland landscape. The quiet and serene environment that's been transformed by the natural fallen snow. We were met by an energetic and pleasant Anna. Originally from Maryland, she's been traveling all over the country and has been with Trail Breaker fairly recently. Then came in Tekla. A wide smiled, also equally energetic young woman who has been "dog mushing" (sport or transport method powered by dogs) since she was 5 years old. Tekla made our first time adventure relatable, approachable and interactive. She's hospitable in so many ways, making us feel more than welcomed. With her willingness to take our pictures, videos, boomerangs and other shenanigans. They even baked cookies and offered proper coffee for all of us. Now remember, we were the last ones scheduled to dog sled. Needless to say, the whole place was noisy fun with all our laughs and ruckus. Tekla educated us about their trail, their outfit, the basics about the Iditarod, her mother, the love, care and maintenance they do for their most valuable members - their alaskan huskies. This was - from start to finish - an EXCELLENT WAY to do an adventure within a planned trip. Meeting the locals, immersing in nature, being proper thankful for time. A commodity in life, we all tend to neglect. There were four of us in this trip and give this adventure an enthusiastic and ruckusful TWO THUMBS UP ! Many thanks Tekla and Anna for taking care of us. This adventure added value to our planned Alaska trip!

An Epic Experience! - I had an amazing experience at Trail Breaker Kennel. We went on a dog mushing tour where we went around the lake and trails. The mountains were visible which was a big plus. Our guide Katrina was super knowledgeable, she answered all my questions about the dogs and racing. The dogs themselves were super happy and friendly. 5/5 stars! Thank you Trail Breaker Kennel!

Friendly, beautiful, great experience - Trail Breaker Kennel provides an amazing experience which includes meeting the dogs, learning about mushing and dog care, and learning first-hand from the hard working TBK mushers! Super friendly and VERY knowledgeable staff, healthy and happy dogs, and beautiful scenery. Do not miss!!

Dogsled experience. - Yesterday I took a half-hour dogsled ride at Trail Breaker Kennel. I had visited the kennel 14 years ago as part of the paddlewheeler tour, which was nice, but this ride was the experience of a lifetime. Although it was 20-some degrees below zero, I was toasty warm wrapped in my blanket on the dogsled. My musher was wonderful and had a great relationship with her team (I think her name was Katrina, but I'm not sure. I also met David and his daughter.) At the time I was the only guest there, so the experience was much different than seeing the dogs with a group of hundreds of people. I had plenty of time to meet and interact with the girls and their pet dog as well, while I waited for my driver. The dogs on the team were so enthusiastic about running, and were very friendly - had the opportunity to pet and thank them afterwards. I only wish I could have taken a longer ride.

Caring and personal experience - The girl was amazing even before us getting to the Kennel. We got dropped off about 2 miles away and called Trail Breaker Kennel to let them know it will be a while to get there. The girl was sooo nice, she came to pick us up. The experience was amazing, beautiful views and most importantly I loved how well cared the dogs are in that place. You could sense the passion and love for the dogs at the Kennel. At the end of our tour we couldn’t get a ride back and this very nice girl gave us a ride back to our hotel. She went out of her way for us and really made of our experience something we will always remember. Can’t recommend this place enough. Thank youuuu!!!

An Alaskan must-do Experience! - Katrina was an excellent guide and giving us the scoop in her experiences with dog mushing. We really enjoyed learning all the things about the dogs, races and how she cares for the doggies. We really enjoyed the sampler experience and honestly, what is better than beautiful, serene scenery and the cutest pups? Our children had an exciting time on the trail and this experience is wonderful for families. I highly recommend Trail Breaker Kennel for any Alaska visitors.

Unique and unforgettable family experience - we loved it! - Whenever friends ask about our family trip to Alaska in February, our afternoon at Trail Breaker Kennel is at the top of our list of experiences to share. Our family of five (kids aged 12-18) had so much fun and adventure on our 'Learn to Mush' experience. All of the Trail Breaker guides were super helpful and friendly, the dogs were energetic and fun, and the experience was one of our favourite activities we've ever done as a family. There had been a big snow a couple of days before our visit, and I really appreciated how Tekla made sure we were safe and taken care of, with extra guides on snow mobiles to offer support. The guides impressed us with their kindness and expertise. We all felt like we learned a lot, that we understand mushing far more than we had before, and we just loved the experience so much!

Fur the Love of Huskies - This was an amazing Alaskan experience! We chose this kennel based on other raving reviews, their variety of ride options, their flexible cancellation policy, and the accommodation of 2 riders in the same sled. Now, having experienced the ride ourselves, we would return based on the incredible care and compassion the mushers have for their dogs, the great health and safety of the dogs, and the pure fun of it. Trail Breaker Kennel offered us an unforgettable Alaskan ride, unlimited Q&A opportunities to learn about the dogs, and hands-on interaction petting and meeting every member of the dog team. The ride was beautiful, the dogs were the stars of the show, and we loved every minute of it.

Amazing! - This was the highlight of my trip! I was visiting friends in North Pole and decided to check out the dogsledding scene. I was really impressed by the facilities of Trail Breaker Kennel, how happy the dogs all were, and how informative, friendly, and extremely helpful the staff was. Katerina was an amazing host, and answered all my questions and more. I loved meeting the sweet dogs and learning how much work goes into mushing. My car got stuck in the snow on the way out and the whole teamed helped shovel me out and get me going again. It was a really magical experience, and something that was nice for me to be able to do as a solo traveler too.

Our 40th Anniversary Dogsledding Adventure - We met Katrina at Pikes Waterfront. She was very personable, we scheduled on the spot. Katrina was waiting for us when we arrived. Katrina provided a very good description of dogsled racing and the Iditarod and Yukon Quest as well as interesting things about each race. She shared the history of the kennel and Susan Butcher. Not to mention the dogs that pulled our sled on the most memorable ride. We really enjoyed the stories and information that Katrina shared. The dogs were amazing, they really do love what they do. Katrina loves what she does and cheers the dogs on. If you have ever hunted over a good dog or worked with herding dogs, then you will appreciate this adventure. We had the best time with Katrina and the dogs. We also made a new friend. You can't go wrong with Trail Breaker Kennel and Katrina as your Musher.