DOG SLEDDING, CANMORE, AB

Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours was founded by Connie Arsenault in 1983, and for decades the company has been providing dog sledding tours to share the excitement and beauty of the wilderness. The respect for both the mountains and dogs has been passed down, and Snowy Owl Sled Dog Tours is now run by Connie’s son Jereme. While there are many dog sledding opportunities in Canada, what piqued my interest about Snowy Owl was that you have the option to have an instructor-driven sled or a self-driven sled. Thus, CJ actually mushed the dogs all by himself, which was a very cool experience!

And while there is an option to have a self-driven sled, please know that throughout your journey, there are trained guides all around you. Whether they are on another sled in front of you or behind you, you are always in safe hands with Snowy Owl. CJ and I chose a two-hour excursion, which includes a 30-minute intro, an hour of dog sledding, and 30 minutes to warm up by a campfire. However, Snowy Owl also offers four-hour, eight-hour, and even two-day overnight dog sled trips.

To start our adventure, we drove into Canmore’s town centre and checked in at the Snowy Owl Office. From there, we climbed onto a bus with other groups that also booked dog sledding tours. It took about 20 to 30 minutes to get up into the Canadian Rockies where we were given our 30-minute introduction and instruction before we took off dog sledding. We stopped a lot because of how many other groups were with us, as there was a bit of a dog-traffic jam, but the snow-topped surroundings were beautiful and it was a treat to hang out with such rambunctious and friendly dogs!

If you find yourself in Canmore (or Banff, which is very close), don’t miss out on this fun outing!