newsminer.com

FAIRBANKS, Alaska — In the winter, Alaska goes to the dogs. Even in summer, when it’s generally too warm to hook up a team of thick-furred huskies, visitors can still get a taste of Alaska’s state sport, mushing. Several businesses in Fairbanks and the Denali National Park area offer kennel tours and talks with long-time mushers.

• Mary Shields, the first woman to finish the 1,049-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race has shared her Tales from the Trail with visitors for 25 years. She has written five books and has been featured by PBS. Meet Mary and her big friendly huskies as she talks about her experiences racing, mushing and living in Alaska. Bring your curiosity and questions about a “path less traveled.”

This two-hour tour is designed for adults and children over 8. It begins daily at 7:30 p.m. Reservations are required. Group size is limited. Groups of 10 or more may want a customized tour during the day.

Adults $28; children (under 12) $20.

Visit www.maryshields.com or call 455-6469.

• Meet the Miller family at Sun Dog Express in their winter dog yard and enjoy a dog sledding demonstration. The presentation includes history, equipment and stories from the trail and lasts 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Call 907-479-6983 or visit http://www.mosquitonet.com/~sleddog/ for times. Reservations are required. Cost is $25 per person, with special rates for larger groups.

• Head out to Chena Hot Springs Resort for a dip in the springs and a dog cart ride through the resort. Chat with mushers and about their mushing lifestyle and hear their stories. Dog kennel tour — $15; dog cart ride, all ages, $60 per person, about 20 minutes. www.chenahotsprings.com

• The sled dog kennel at Denali National Park and Preserve are world renown. These are the only sled dogs in the United States that help protect a national park and the wildlife, scenery, and wilderness, and it has been this way since the park’s beginning.

Demonstrations are given at 10 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. every day during the summer. Visit www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm for more information.

• Just down the road from the park entrance, join an intimate group for a personal tour of the homestead and kennel of four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King and his wife, well-known wildlife artist Donna Gates King. Meet King’s champion sled dogs and see summer training in action. Reservations are required for the 7 p.m. daily tour and transportation is provided from area hotels.

$49 for adults; $29 under 12 years old (not recommended for children under 3 years.) http://www.huskyhomestead.com/

• On the famous Stampede Road just outside Healy, stop by Earthsong Lodge for an informal tour of Jon and Karin Nierenberg’s sled dog kennel. $10. For more information, visit www.earthsonglodge.com or call (907) 683-2863