Full Day, Half Day, And Private Group Trips
Day Trips
Dogsled Day Trips
Wintergreen dogsled day trips are "hands-on" experiences on which you'll be driving your own dogsled powered by a team of our friendly, handsome Canadian Inuit dogs. Our guides will accompany you on skis to help out as needed, point out signs of wildlife and sights of scenic interest and share northwoods lore. No experience is needed. Persons ages 5-85 have enjoyed these trips. Rental clothing & boots available.
Day trips are offered every Sunday and holiday Monday from Dec 15-Mar 23. For groups of 4 or more, other days may be available. Options include half-day morning (9-12) or afternoon (1-4) and full day (9-4).
Half day rates: Adults $200, Youth(12-17) $150, Kids(5-11) $100
Full day (includes lunch): Adult $350, Youth $275, Kids $200
No registration needed. Just email us with your date preferences, contact info & ages to book your trip.
Feeling a bit more adventurous? Consider one of our Lodge Based Trips or Camping Trips.
Day Trip Rates
Wintergreen's dog teams and guides are fully booked most Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays December to March with our overnight vacation packages, so day trips options are generally limited to Sundays as outlined below (although for groups of 4 or more we can sometimes arrange Mon, Tues or Wednesday trips).
Half-day trips: Morning 9 AM - 12 PM or Afternoon 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM
Full-day trips: 9 AM - 4:30 PM (includes picnic lunch)
Half Day Rates
Kids (5-11): $100
Youth (12-17): $150
Adults: $200
Full Day Rates
Kids (5-11): $200
Youth (12-17): $275
Adults: $350
These rates are per person with 2 guests per sled on our extra-wide sleds. On these specially designed sleds (a Wintergreen exclusive), 2 guests stand side-by-side and drive the sled together (or one can sit in the basket while the other drives). For a one-person “solo” sled, the rates are 50% more. Groups of 6 or more get 10% off each (maximum group size is 12). Our day trips typically involve a mix of 6-8 guests traveling in a caravan of 3-4 sleds accompanied by 2-3 guides. No special fitness or experience is needed, but please note that persons over 250 pounds may find it difficult to balance on the sleds and younger kids generally prefer a half rather than a full day of sledding.
Reservations
Email us or call us (218) 349-6128 regarding your preferred date options. We'll alert you to availability, hold a spot for you and provide you with our Day Trip Registration Form by email, fax or mail. After you submit it, we'll respond with a confirmation letter that reviews details about your trip and outlines rental clothing/boot options. No deposit is required & payment can be made by cash, credit card or check following your trip. Price does not include a guide gratuity, so if your Wintergreen experience proves to be exceptional, our guides will appreciate the recognition of a job well done. Please be advised that you will be engaged in an adventure activity and sledding on remote wilderness trails where there is an element of risk. While Wintergreen day trip participants have never sustained serious injuries, all participants must sign a risk acknowledgment & liability release form before dogsledding.
Sample Itinerary
Private Group Dogsled Trips
Groups of 4 to 12 can book their own private, customized lodge-based dogsled vacations or dogsled camping trips -- generally at about 10% off our regular rates. In fact, nearly half the trips we offer each year are booked for family or classmate reunion trips, school groups, outdoors clubs, wedding parties, and corporate team-building trips. Just let us know your date options and the interests of your group and we'll suggest some itineraries. The many "variations on the theme" that we've arranged for custom trips over the years include these: 4-night lodge-to-lodge trip with 1 night of optional camping, 5-night lodge-to-lodge trip with 3 days of dogsledding and a 1 day ski/snowshoe trip to the protected Indian pictograph site, a 4-day winter skills trip capped off with an orienteering challenge course, and a "lap of luxury" honeymoon trip with a visit to the local spa and personalized tours of the wolf & bear centers. Call us (218) 365-6022 for more info.
Weekend Vacation Idea:
Wintergreen Dogsled Lodge is filled almost every night with our dogsled vacation package guests, but other lodging options are available for our day trip guests. Many of our guests come up on a Saturday and stay at the Grand Ely Lodge, which offers a substantial discount for Wintergreen day trip guests (www.grandelylodge.com, 218-365-6565, 877-472-6335). Another downtown option is "A Stay Inn Ely" which is new & very nice, has great rates PLUS a 10% discount for Wintergreen guests (www.stayinnely.com, 888-360-6010). Our day trip guests often visit Ely's International Wolf Center (www.wolf.org) and North American Bear Center (www.bear.org) on Saturday afternoon (winter hours for both are Fri/Sat 10-5 & Wolf Center Sun 10-2 ), and then they come out to Wintergreen on Sunday or Monday for a half or full-day dogsled trip. Other near-town lodging options that offer discounts to Wintergreen guests: Timber Trail Lodge (log cabins & motel units with kitchens, ski trails, just a few miles from Wintergreen) 800-777-7348, www.timbertrail.com
Flash news! Wintergreen guests are now eligible for discounted stays at our area's finest ski resort: The Lodge at Giants Ridge, with an on-site restaurant, superb downhill and nordic skiing (60km) & full ski or snowboard rental packages. Call toll-free 877-442-6877 and ask for their "Wintergreen discount rate" on lodging (15% off), http://www.lodgeatgiantsridge.com