Dogsledding: Let's Go Dashing Through the Snow

One of the most popular winter experiences at Nemacolin is dogsledding. Overnight guests and members truly clamor for this experience, but there are others that love it even more — the dogs!

At this time, Nemacolin is home to a large team of 22 sled dogs. Do you have this experience reserved for your next Nemacolin resort getaway? If so, you’re probably excited. As you’ll see when the dogs get dressed in their harnesses for your ride, they are excited, too! The Wildlife Team likes to say that every dogsledding run for the dogs is like their birthday and Christmas morning wrapped up in one. Their big hearts and enthusiasm will win you over before the sled begins moving.

Dogsledding at Nemacolin

The Wildlife Adventures Team at the resort offers dogsledding from the end of November through March, with the weather as a determining factor. Snow is one element, but the temperature is even more so. Once real-feel temperatures reach 40˚F or below (4˚C), the pups are ready to go, go, go. The Nemacolin team is a group of working dogs, and for the safety of the animals, that real-feel temp is a safe threshold for the work they do. It can be disappointing to a guest to have the experience canceled or postponed, but it’s done for the dogs’ safety when the weather is too warm for them to risk overheating.

When the temperatures are right but the snow hasn’t yet covered the ground, a team of 9-12 dogs will pull a Fritz Dyck Touri cart over the grassy fields and meadows along the Mystic Rock and Shepherd’s Rock golf courses, past Falling Rock, and along the former polo field at the resort. The cart (pictured above) can handle the grass, mud, water, and light snow giving riders a thrill! A musher serves as a safety guide for guests and dogs, and guests are seated in one or both of the seats (with weight considerations). A resort Club Car made for the terrain follows along to assist the musher and dog team and to carry additional guests in the same party.

When the snow falls to a solid thickness, the sled comes out. Instead of wheels, the dogsled has runners that glide over the snow. The ride’s scenery is similar to the three-mile course on the Touri Cart, yet the path and course differ to handle the sled’s runners. No matter the course, cart, or sled, the ride is exhilarating during this unique experience.

Many of the dogs at Nemacolin are from generations of pups working at the resort. Others come from long lines of dogs who have pulled sleds, raced, and worked across the snowy parts of the United States. At Nemacolin, you’ll see Alaskan-Type Huskies and an Elkhound mix. The gene pool from this mixed breed is diverse, and you’ll see that in their size, personality, coat, and look. In other parts of the world, a number of different breeds serve as sled dogs: Siberian Husky, Alaskan Husky, Samoyed, Alaskan Malamute, Chinook, Norwegian Elkhounds, and more.

Dogsledding Terminology

Let’s become familiar with some dogsledding terminology:

Touri Cart:  The dogsledding vehicle Nemacolin uses most frequently.
Sled:  The dogsledding vehicle used when there’s a good snowpack.
Hike:  Go!
Gee:  Go right!
Haw:  Go left!
Musher:  The person controlling and giving instructions to the dogs.
Lead Position:  The dog that listens to commands and pulls the least amount of weight.
Swing Position:  The dogs who help turn the team with placement behind the lead position.
Team Position:  The dogs in the middle keeping the line tight and maintaining speed.
Wheel Position:  The back four dogs pulling the most weight. These dogs have physical strength and tenacity as the engines of the team, pulling more weight than the other dogs.
Gangline:  The line that attaches the dogs to the cart or sled.
Mush:  This word isn’t a dogsledding term to make the dogs go. Movies about dogsledding often use it, but dogsledding teams don’t. A musher is a person on the sled or cart telling the dogs where to go, and hike actually means go!

Meet the Dogs

And now let’s get to know some of the dogs you may encounter:

Crow | Male | 4 years old | photo unavailable | Crow is one of the newer additions to Nemacolin dogsledding. He came to us all the way from Wisconsin, where he was a part of a racing sled dog team. Though he is one of the younger dogs in the kennel, he is one of the most hard-working dogs. Crow is one of the command leaders and loves to be in lead and have the team go fast, yet he’ll run in just about any position on the team from lead to team to wheel. He likes to run with his best friends Salem and Sedona. A fun fact is that he, Sedona, and Salem all come from the same kennel.

Dobby | Male | 3 years old | photo unavailable | Dobby came to the resort at the end of 2022, and he’s still has the personality of a puppy. When the pack of dogs gets excited, Dobby is one of the loudest! He’s a beginner on the team, and he’s still learning the courses and getting used to the various obstacles. He’s a pup who thrives in the snow, and when it covers the ground, he’s tough to keep still as he wants to go, go, go!

Holly | Female | 7 years old | photo unavailable | Holly came to us from a mid-distance race team in Wisconsin last year, and she’s proven to be a mature and hard-working lady that sets the example to some of the younger pups. She’s an Alaskan Husky with a very dense and short coat compared to some of the other dogs in the pack. She’s a veteran runner in a number of famous races, even having visited Alaska to teach people about dogsledding. She’s a serious, reliable, and focused wheel dog who likes to pull. Since working with the dogsledding team, she’s come out of her shell showing of her loving side, and she enjoys getting scratches .

Knit | Female | 3 years old | photo unavailable | Knit looks and acts a lot like a coyote, but she’s a younger dog full of #alaskanhuskyvibes! She came to Nemacolin with her sister, Riddle, in 2022, and she’s “knitted” herself seamlessly into the pack and team. She shines in the swing or team positions, but she shows promise as a future leader. Her size can be misleading, especially when she gets to put her strength to the test in the wheel position. She’s a dog that can always be counted upon to provide a fun and exciting dogsled run.

Lucy| Female | 7 years old | photo unavailable | Lucy joined the Nemacolin team from a racing dog kennel. She is trained as a trail lead, meaning that if there’s a path available, she’ll follow it. In working with the pack, the humans on the team have discovered that she fits best in the middle group of dogs between the swing (first set of dogs who follow the leader) and the wheel dogs (the two dogs closest to the cart or sled). She’s been doing some running with Crow (one of the lead dogs), and she’s shown that she’s willing to learn the commands to be a future leader here at Nemacolin. She’s a shy one, but she’s also very affectionate with the human team members she’d gotten to know more closely.

Panther | Male | photo unavailable | Panther joined the team at the end of 2022, coming from a mid-distance race and touring kennel from Minnesota, where it was regularly in the single digits (which most sled dogs love). He was a little bit shy and slow to warm up to people, but he’s become a very affectionate boy who demands attention by showing off his “fancy paws” to those who walk by. He’s tall and lanky, yet he’s a powerhouse who loves to run. He can run in every position except for lead, and he’s a reliable partner. If you get to meet Panther, be sure to ask how to scratch him to get his tippy-tappy feet going!

Pi | Male | 8 years old | photo unavailable | Pi is one of a kind. He is the hardest-working dog on the team, and his drive is unmatched. Pi came to Nemacolin from a competitive racing kennel, and he brings that power to the team when he runs in the wheel position. He is always eager to go on a sled run, putting 110% into every single experience. The Wildlife Team likes to say that the cart is pulled using Pi Power! It is undeniable that he loves what he does.

Riddle | Female | 3 years old | photo unavailable | Riddle came to Nemacolin last year from a famous long-distance race team in Wisconsin, but she was born and raised in Alaska. Many of her siblings will run the Iditarod Race this year. Like most of the other dogs in the pack, she’s an Alaskan Husky. She’s super smart, has a fun spirit, and she’s great to work with, showing great promise as an up and coming leader on the team. She enjoys the competitive side of having a dog run beside her, and she’s recently mastered her gee (right) and haw (left) commands.

Sedona | Female | 9 years old | photo unavailable | Of all the positions on a sled dog team, no one really pulls as much as the wheel dogs. One of our wheel dogs is Sedona, who could run for miles on end without complaining. She often runs with her best friend, Pi, and together they pull most of the weight. When the team stops for a break, Sedona is always ready to go again! However, she is not all work and no play; Sedona loves to get scratches after the run by guests and our mushers who make sure she knows she did a great job.

Vinny | Male | 10 years old | photo unavailable | UPDATE: Vinny is now retired and available for adoption. | Vinny is one of four brothers who are veterans on the Nemacolin sled dog team. His brothers are Squirt and Diesel. Vinny is energetic and in his younger years, he often ran in the wheel position and was known as a patient teacher for younger dogs joining the team.

Doggie Downtime

The dogs have heated dog boxes and fresh straw in their kennels in the winter. It’s in their genetics to have a thick, water-resistant double coat that naturally keeps them warm, so they are often seen sleeping on fresh snow. They’re fed a performance blend food, and they enjoy special treats, baths, enrichments, and care from their keepers. The dogs will go on one or two runs a day, with two or more days off a week.

The sled dogs at Nemacolin are well-loved and cared for by the wildlife and veterinarian teams. In the off-season, they enjoy their summer vacation with playtime in the yard, smaller playgroups with their best buddies, some mild weight training, endurance exercises, and strict protocols and cooling systems in place to keep them from overheating.

Reserve Your Experience

To reserve a dogsledding experience as a part of your overnight winter getaway or membership with The Woodlands Club, please contact a Resort Reservations Specialist at 866.344.6957. There’s often a waiting list for this popular adventure, so it is recommended to make your reservations well in advance. Click the following for more suggestions on dining, spa, wellness, golf, and experiences at our Pennsylvania playground. There’s an adventure for everyone at Nemacolin!