Denali Dogs: How Alaskan sled dogs help maintain and entertain at Denali National Park

Excitement filled the tour bus as we pulled into Denali National Park and Preserve in the Alaskan interior. For most of us, it was our first time visiting this storied national park. Many visitors had hopes of viewing Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America. Others scouted trail maps for hikes and the possibility of spotting the park’s famous moose or catching a glimpse of the willow ptarmigan, Alaska’s state bird. Me? I wanted to see the sled dogs.

Party waits for her chance to lead a sled dog demonstration at Denali National Park. Photo by Carrie Dow.

Denali National Park in Alaska is the only national park to have a sled dog kennel and the public can get up-close visits during the summer months. The kennel is along Denali Park Road, the only road that brings people into the heart of the park. The park recommends visitors take one of the regularly scheduled shuttle buses, so visitors don’t miss the daily sled dog presentations they offer. A few bus mates and I chose a second option to reach the kennels: hiking the Rock Creek Trail, a 2.4-mile uphill trail beginning behind the park’s visitor center and gently winding through an alpine forest with views of the Alaska Mountain Range.

After 45 minutes of easy up-hill walking, we arrived at the top end of the trail where we found restrooms and several park buildings along a walking path with the dog kennels at the far end. The dogs were leashed outside their wooden dens and easily accessible to the public. Some were laying on the ground sunning their bellies in the spring sunshine. Others were standing or sitting on top of their dens, tails wagging, looking at the people around them. As I walked through the entrance, staff members placed colorful harnesses near each dog. I approached a young staff member to ask questions.

A dog harness hung near a kennel. Photo by Carrie Dow.

“I love my coworkers!” announced Emily with a smile when I asked about her job. She told me that she was a pre-veterinary student from California University in Pennsylvania (which is now PennWest University in California, PA). She came to Denali for a one-time, post-graduate summer job, but has been enjoying it so much, she might resign for another season. I asked what she was doing with the harnesses.

“We get the harnesses out early, before the presentation so the dogs don’t get too excited.” Because all they want to do is run, staff hang the harnesses next to each dog to let them know they’re going on a demonstration run soon, but give them time to settle down and not tire themselves out. Emily said it was ok to pet the dogs – who have names like Cupcake, Venture, Happy, Bos’n, Jolie, Royal, and Party – but only if we can do so without entering their kennel space. However, the spaces were separated by loose rope so it’s easy to lean on the rope and get a few extras inches closer to any dog whose belly was out of reach. The dogs are friendly and used to visitors so they will often approach people making it easy for adults and kids to pet them.

Signs and a path lead visitors to the kennels inside the park. Photo by Carrie Dow.

Other, mostly younger dogs were kept in fenced pens with concrete flooring. A sign next to them explained that rotating the dogs throughout the different types of kennels was good for them. Sometimes a fenced-in kennel is the best option for female dogs in heat, young puppies in training, and dogs who eat the pebbles in the roped area.

Emily said Denali dogs eat a high-calorie diet rich in protein and fat to keep up their endurance. The food comes in kibble form and they mix in water for extra hydration. In the summer months, the dogs were only fed once a day, but in the winter – when they do the most work – they are fed twice a day.

I mentioned to Emily that the Denali dogs looked much bigger than the sled dogs I had seen in Fairbanks earlier in my Alaska trip. She explained that Denali dogs were working dogs so they’re thicker and taller. They haul stuff. Heavy stuff. The dogs in Fairbanks were racing dogs, used in competitions like the Iditarod, so they’re smaller and sleeker.

Emily then explained to me that the park can’t function without these dogs. They are a vital part of maintenance operations in the park because during the winter, the only road in the park is closed. Sled dogs transport people, supplies, and equipment so staff can maintain the roads, trails, and structures within the park to support the annual summer influx of visitors. They also transport scientific research equipment and sometimes the scientists themselves for wildlife research during the winter. Originally, the dogs used to patrol the park for poachers. While poachers are not the threat they used to be, the dogs still do patrols to make sure everything in the park is running smoothly. Even with all the modern ways of transportation we have today, dog sleds are still the most efficient way for humans and supplies to get around this six-million-acre park during harsh Alaskan winters.

Visitors can pet the dogs as long as they don’t enter the roped-off area. Photo by Carrie Dow.

After chatting with Emily while petting several dogs, I noticed that the demonstration area was filling up with people from the park’s shuttle buses, so I made my way over to get a good spot. The park website states that the sled dog demonstrations are one of the park’s most popular attractions with over 50,000 visitors every year.

The demonstration began with a ranger explaining the history of Alaskan sled dogs. The use of sled dogs in Denali was older than the park itself. Native Alaskans have used sled dogs to get around difficult winter terrain for centuries. The park’s first superintendent purchased several sled dogs from the natives shortly after the park was established in 1922 and there have been sled dogs at the park ever since. The park’s website estimates that the dogs patrol an average of 3,000 miles each winter.

While staff members harnessed the dogs to a metal sled with wheels, the ranger then introduced the driver and the dogs. She said that Denali dogs are Alaskan huskies, a specific dog breed, however, it is not recognized by the American Kennel Club. They come in a variety of colors, but they all resemble huskies, except taller with big thick paws.

“They are bred for ability, not appearance,” she noted.

She introduced us to the lead dogs Summit and Party. She mentioned the harnesses are around the dog’s chest so the dogs pull with their bodies, not by their throats. These dogs are the reliable ones and will follow the driver’s commands and keep the sled going in the right direction. The second row or position is the swing position and they may only have one dog in that row. The third row is called the wheel position or wheel dogs. These dogs are the sled’s engine and power the sled as they move through snow. The ranger then says that a sled can have more positions or rows if the load is especially heavy.

The dogs are friendly and visitors can walk around and visit each dog. Other dogs, mostly young ones still in training, are in fenced kennels. Photo by Carrie Dow.

As the ranger spoke, the dogs were put in their positions one by one. All were jumping and barking, excited and ready for a run. When the ranger finished, the driver shouted his command and the dogs took off. The “track” was a small dirt oval and as the dogs hit the first turn, they disappeared behind some trees. In less than 2 minutes, the dogs and sled round the other side, coming into the home stretch of the oval track back where they come to a stop right where they started. The dogs were rewarded with yummy treats while the appreciative crowd made their way to the kennels to visit and pet the dogs like I did earlier.

As I walk down the Roadside Trail back to the visitor’s center to meet my bus mates for the return trip to Fairbanks, I imagine the terrain covered in snow and the dogs running along pulling sleds filled with lumber on the way to a remote cabin outpost. For the park’s humans, they are invaluable workers and companions. For the dogs, it’s just another day doing what they love.

Getting the dogs ready for a trip around the track. Photo by Carrie Dow.

Denali National Park gives sled dog demonstrations three times daily during peak season (June 1 through early September). Times are 10 am, 2 pm and 4 pm, and presentations last about 30 minutes. However, if visitors can’t make the demonstrations, they can see the dogs in the kennels anytime from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. One or two demos per day are given in the shoulder season (mid-May and mid-September). The park’s free shuttle buses leave the visitor’s center approximately 40 minutes prior to each demonstration. There is no parking at the kennels, but visitors can walk the 2.1 miles Roadside Trail to get to them. No personal pets allowed at the kennels either. An American Sign Language interpreter can also be available for presentations if requested in advance.

For more information on Denali National Park and Preserve, visit the NPS website:

https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm