Mushing at Bearskin

New!  2021 schedule for dog sled trips

Mushing available on the following dates.  More may be added later if any dog sled races are cancelled.

  • Saturday, March 6 (reservations from Bearskin guests only until February 28)
  • Saturday, March 13 (reservations from Bearskin guests only until February 28)

Important day-visitor info: Due to Covid-19, the Bearskin Lodge building is mostly closed. There is no indoor waiting area and no food service. If you are not staying in one of our cabins, you will need to wait in your car or outside. The restrooms for visitors will be outdoor porta-potties. We recommend that you do not bring extra family members along to wait while you take your trip; unlike previous years, when Grandma could be left behind in a rocker beside the cozy fire, there is no indoor place for her to wait this winter. We understand this will be less comfortable than usual and we apologize for the less than optimal situation. We optimistically hope that we can return to being gracious hosts again next winter.

Details

Each mushing trip will be an approximately 30-minute ride (depending on trail conditions) with extra time to meet the dogs and learn about mushing.  Expect to be outside for a minimum of 45 minutes.

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Trips will go out 5 times a day at 10 AM, 11 AM, 12 PM, 1 PM, 2 PM
$90/ages 13+
$60/child riding with another adult or with another child.
300 lb total weight of riders per sled.
Maximum two sleds at a time.
2020 special rules:  Only one adult per sled. An adult plus a child may go together. The mushers will not be taking two adults in one sled this year.

Our mushers

Mushers Erin Altemus and Matt Schmidt will be returning to Bearskin this winter to offer a limited schedule of dog sled trips on site at Bearskin. As many of you know, our long-time musher Erik Simula retired. (Guests often ask — Erik is doing great and is now director of a local historical society).  Erik was a hard act to follow, but Erin and Matt, who offer an equally outstanding dog sled experience for Bearskin guests.

Matt and Erin started running sled dogs at YMCA Camp Menogyn on the Gunflint Trail 15 years ago. Several years later they started their own kennel and began racing. Now they have almost 40 dogs in the deep woods off the Gunflint Trail and a preschooler daughter Sylvia, who aspires to run the dogs someday. Matt and Erin take turns racing the dogs in the Gunflint Mail Run and Beargrease every year and often run races in Michigan and Maine as well. This year they bring their guiding experience to Bearskin to offer tours and education about mushing.

Erin and Matt are professional dog sled racers. Watch for them in major Minnesota dog sled races — it’s always fun to have a special musher to follow. When they aren’t racing, they’ll be at Bearskin to give dog sled trips. Everything fills up well ahead of time, so give us a call early if you’re hoping to experience a dog sled trip during your Bearskin stay.