husky homestead

This experience was the highlight of our time in Denali. The Homestead is set up to be welcoming - you start the experience getting to hold a puppy! Of course they want to sell you the photo, but the staff is equally happy to use your camera for you. The appearance is that you are in a very commercial place, and you are, but Jeff's stories are wonderful, and the opportunity to experience the dog yard is priceless. Perfect for any age! You'll become a fan of Jeff's and also of the Iditorad.

First thing that happens after you get off the tour bus is that you get handed an adorable puppy. Of course, we wanted to keep it! The tour was fun and very informative, well worth it.

My sister had told me that visiting "Husky Homestead" was the highlight of their month long Alaska visit and she was right! We got this unique experience last July, 2014 as part of our Princess Cruise/Tour and it was so wonderful. When you arrive a puppy is placed in your arms for all the hugging and puppy kissing you could ask for (yes, you do have to give them back at some point) Seeing how excited all the dogs became when putting the sled together was amazing. Being a total animal person, you want to know that the critters involved in any activity are having as much fun as the people. Jeff King is such a "character"--I could have listened to him for hours on end. The love for his dogs was obvious and the tales about racing were mesmerizing. Horse racing and dog sledding are alike in that human and animal become one complete athlete. I have a whole new appreciation for dog sledding. The humans and the dogs who go on to win races like the Ididarod are truly incredible (and somewhat crazy). Of course I tell my girlfriend that runs the Western States 100 the same thing. Any trip to Alaska would not be complete without a visit to the "Husky Homestead", and you will be talking about it for years to come. We got so jazzed about dog sledding that we will be booking our adventure at Squaw Valley/ Lake Tahoe this winter--CAN'T WAIT!!!!

The first thing you should know is that the moment you arrive, you get to play with a puppy. This may sound like it's just for fun, but what you soon learn in this incredibly informative tour is that socialization of the puppies from an early age is critical to their success as sled dogs.And this is not the only thing you learn. We actually learned a LOT about sled dogs and the Iditarod, and all with a sense of humor.Yes, some of it is marketing geared up towards selling you stuff at the end, but it was a small price to pay (no pun intended) for an informative, fun, and playful experience.

Our tour in Alaska took us to the Husky Homestead. We played with the puppies, learned all about dog sledding as a sport. Go with a tour group. Well worth the time and money to learn about this amazing sport and these amazing dogs. You will be surprised

Jeff King knows how to put on a great show. Learned a lot about the dogs. Well worth the dollars. Got up close to the dogs and pups. His team of trainers are excellent. A lot of history was learned about his dogs and his goal to win

We visited the Husky Homestead as part of a Royal Caribbean Alaska Cruise tour. It is Jeff King's mushing dog training facility. After holding one of the puppies, we heard from one of the trainers and saw the dogs' excitement as they hitched several up for a training run. We were amazed at how excited the dogs got as some got chosen, and how quite they became once the group took off on the run. After hearing about the dogs' training, we went inside to meet Jeff King and hear about the Iditarod. His talk was very entertaining and informative. We are looking forward to keeping track of the race this coming year. If you are in Denali, make sure you don't miss this.

Thank you for your review dick_ayre! We are so sorry to hear that you were disappointed with your visit to Husky Homestead.The Seavey's are a great family and run a top-notch tour themselves, however they do differ from us in a number of ways - one being the "riding in a dog sled" part. We do apologize if you thought that your visit with us was going to include a ride. (We have never offered rides and do not advertise that rides are offered.) Training our dogs continues year round for us, and if we didn't have guests visiting that is what our entire day would be about! So, in order to get the best of both worlds for our dogs and our guests - we choose to do those runs during our presentations so that we can share with our guests the enthusiasm the dogs have for what they do!As for the hands-on part... we of course have our "puppy time" when guests arrive, and then we have several adult dogs that we bring around to greet guests during the tour. We have so much that we want to share with you about our love of the dogs and the sport - that we have found this is the best way for guests to experience our Husky Homestead.Again, we surely didn't mean to disappoint - and if you make it back to Denali, give us a call! We'd love to have you back again - this time on us. :)Kind regards,Carrie SManager

This is Jeff King, Iditarod champ's, sled dog training facility. Their nice buses pick you up at your Denali hotel and bring you to the facility. When you get off the bus, you are handed a puppy to hold! We got to hold 5-week old huskies who were so adorable. Our bus was first there, so we got to play with the puppies for almost 20 minutes.Afterward, there is a very informative talk either indoors or outside, depending on weather, and Jeff King himself did most of the talk. It was entertaining and very educational.We left not only with a desire to smuggle out a puppy, but with a much better understanding of the Iditarod race and how it works and what it requires of the dogs and mushers. Once there, you truly know that the dogs were born to run and want nothing more than to be running with that sled!

Hi TerrynJean_Quinn,Thank you for your review! It's funny that you should mention using the wheel as an alternative energy source - we recently had a phone call from an "power guy" who was interested in testing dog power. While we do think it is a great idea, we would only do it just to see what it could produce - a "one time only" kind of thing. Thanks for visiting us! Best,Carrie S.Manager

I'm a huge animal lover so was not too sure what to expect when we booked an excursion to Husky Homestead where Jeff King trains and lives. I was blown away. As others have mentioned, the presence of puppies pretty much sealed the deal. They were six weeks old, beautiful and friendly, and already ready to run! There's a wheel in the puppy enclosure which they jumped on, all by themselves, and started running around! Then, so much information from folks who work at the Homestead: about the dogs themselves, their care and training, and their lives, and then about the Iditarod itself. It's a whole different world, but one which was great to get a glimpse of.

This was our second visit to Husky Homestead; the first in 2000. We were traveling with friends who had to see "the puppies" so we decided to go along. This is one of the best ways of learning about the dog sled racing that is such a part of the Alaskan culture. After getting to hold the sweet puppies we went indoors to learn about dog sledding from three different people, including Jeff King. Very interesting! It's such a hard endeavor, but they love it.Did I mention that they count the puppies before we leave....Awwwwwww!To fully experience Alaska, a tour like this is a must. And learning about it from a 4-time Iditarod champion is such a plus!

How can they miss when they hand you a husky puppy the moment you arrive? The husky pups alone were worth the price of admission. We booked this tour at the last minute, really because we had nothing else to do that evening. We were so pleasantly surprised when the program was very informative and entertaining. Jeff is a hoot. (and, oh , did I mention the PUPPIES?) … Anyway, we gained a whole new appreciation of the sport of dog mushing and a fascination for the madness of the iditarod and the Yukon Quest. (and, did I mention we played with Jeff's puppies? They explained our interaction with them was part of their training...) We will surely be tuned in for the Iditarod every year. We will look for familiar faces among the dogs in King's team. Especially now that we can brag that we have helped trained two of Jeff King's huskies!

I loved this visit. Very informative and interesting. I loved the Huskies and especially their puppies. Go if you can.

My wife and I went to see the sled dogs at the Husky Homestead. My wife and I enjoyed seeing the puppies and learning what it takes to run the race but we had gone to see the dogs at Denali National Park the day before and could have skipped this one.