Howling Dog Tours

Howling Dog Tours

Howling Dog Tours
4.5
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Monday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Tuesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Wednesday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Thursday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Friday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Saturday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
Sunday
8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
About
Howling Dog Tours provides dogsled tours in the backcountry near Canmore, Banff and Kananaskis. Based out of Canmore, this family operated company has been in operation since 1995, and is eager to share their love of dog mushing after spending their early years on the sprint race circuit. The fully guided tours include the option to drive your team with a guide, harness the dogs, and reward the dogs with a biscuit and water after the run. Transportation is provided from Canmore and Banff (surcharge applies). Enjoy the scenic ride through the Canadian Rockies! Two hour tours are offered from December through April, and the four hour tour runs from January through March. The dogs are Alaskan and Siberian huskies that come from a racing background. About 60% of the dogs are adopted in from other kennels, giving them a second chance at being a sled dog! The kennel follows the practices of Mush with PRIDE, an international organization promoting sled dog wellbeing.
Canmore, Alberta, Canada
Meets animal welfare guidelines

Awards
Travellers' Choice
2024

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.5
4.5 of 5 bubbles494 reviews
Excellent
420
Very good
43
Average
11
Poor
3
Terrible
17

Allie W
Sarasota, FL50 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
My husband and I wanted to do something unique and see the beautiful mountains while in town. Howling Dog Tours had great communication from start to finish. The sled ride was great and our Musher, Addie, was amazing!!! It would have been better if we didn't have to stop so much due to other sleds, but safety first AND it gave us time to chat and get great pictures. I recommend this as an easy, one of a kind activity. Dog sledding has a great cultural background and the fact that they rescue all their dogs vs breeding them is amazing :)
Written December 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It's great to hear that you appreciate our choice to adopt rather than breed pups; we take great pride in that! We are glad you enjoyed Addi as your guide and appreciate your support. Thankyou for joining us.
Written February 3, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

MeccaDog
Atlanta, GA10 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Feb 2022 • Family
I’ve personally wanted to experience dog sledding for as long as I can remember, so I’m grateful that Howling Dog delivered. Honestly I was hesitant at first given the cost for a large family but after seeing the amount of work and people needed to make this happen, it felt very reasonable. The tour took place in a beautiful, remote lake area in the mountains. All of our experiences with the staff were great, and our guide Renee was the absolute best. Her love of the dogs, sledding, nature - it was infectious. It was the highlight of our entire trip, thank you.
Written February 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We will be sure to pass on your kind words to Renee! Thank you for joining us, we are glad it was a highlight for you!
Written March 13, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

fisher1962
Sydney Australia236 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2021 • Couples
It was a good experience. Our guide was great. Knew all the dogs and was very friendly and chatty with us. The dogs are the stars of the whole experience. Happy, well looked after and eager to run. It was -30 so we dressed for the day and we had lots of warm blankets. I found it pricy for what it was. Because of covid we could not be picked up so spent $24 on the bus there and back but we were not offered a discount which would have been nice. The ride itself was not long. 25 mins there and back in the bus from the office so that’s 50 mins out of the advertised 2 hours. $250 plus for say an hour all up getting the dogs leashed and starting off, Stopping for a hot drink, so I think it is pretty pricy but they have huge overheads I would guess with all the dogs and staff they need to look after. Would not go out of my way to do it again.
Written December 27, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Nicky G
1 contribution
1.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2024 • Solo
If I were to listen to the reviews I would have saved me a lot of time.. worst customer service ever the agent lady was super rude did not empathize with my situation. They do not reply to any emails nor pick up phone calls. Do not book with this money hungry company. They have the time to reply to every review but not have the time to fix up their customer service, interesting.
Written December 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It would help to know your situation - emails are never ignored and we respond to all voicemails if someone cannot get through our busy phone lines.
Written January 3, 2025
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

JasminVS
Sandton, South Africa12 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2023 • Family
Awesome experience. From our driver Bob's storytelling on some history of Canmore to our Musher guide being personable. We felt like part of the pack engaging with the dogs too! We were 2 adults and 1 toddler and we were comfortable and got the opportunity to help the musher guide the sled. Great day out and will definitely go back once another opportunity arises.
Written January 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Julie C
8 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2024 • Couples
My husband and I decided one evening prior to register for a dog sled adventure with Howling Dog Tours. We found them by doing a simple internet search…so happy they had a spot for a couple…next day at 4p.

The experience was top notch from the start!! Pickup/dropoff in Canmore and a beautiful drive to the starting location (approx. 30 minutes). All guests are invited to help get the halters on “their” team and hooked onto the lead line. We met each of team members and they won our hearts! Our driver, Chris, was excellent and also explained the ins and outs of the sled. Our dogs included Flake and Denali…and 3 others whose names escape me!

Our ride was perfect! Exhilarating! We returned to the starting spot as the sun was setting and helped with providing water and cookies to each of our team! Then had a chance to snuggle and thank them!!

Looking for an amazing and unique adventure? Look no further…Howling Dog Tours! 25+ years experience!
Written January 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We appreciate the positive review and will pass on your kind words to Chris. The dog interaction is definitely a focus on our tours, it's great that you rewarded them for a job well done - they love a good cuddle. Thank you for joining us!
Written February 3, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

jfchave
Los Angeles, CA6 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2022
This was one of our best experiences when visiting Canmore; I highly recommend it.

Howling Dog Tours takes you from their base in Canmore to Spray Lakes and from there, you help your guide, hook up the dogs and learn a bit about them. I never knew the nuances of dog sledding, from lead dogs, to follow dogs, to having an odd number of dogs in a group, rather than an even number. Once you're in the sled, you have two options: You can sit in the sled and the guide can mush, or you can hop out and mush with the guide as well! We did both and both were great experiences. Don't worry about bumps and falling off, our guide Renee has never had someone fall off her sled and she isn't about to start anytime soon! About halfway in, you'll have a break to pet the dogs, let them rest, and have hot chocolate and an oatmeal cookie if you so desire. Then it's back to the sled and to the finish line!

Our guide, Renee, was absolutely amazing. We enjoyed this bucket list item because of her! Props to her for calmly navigating us through every obstacle that came our way. We had tons of questions about the dogs and their lifestyle as we were curious, and Renee answered each and every question with ease. She shared her ambitions of one day doing professional dog sledding on her own! Fingers crossed for you Renee!
Written March 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It is with pleasure that we will share your kind words with Renee! Thanks so much for joining us.
Written March 25, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Nick & Sue
Melbourne, Australia73 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Dec 2023 • Couples
This is such an amazingly exhilarating and most of all thrilling fun ride.the booking process is straightforward and easy to follow.
Bus transfer from Canmore to Spray lakes area was good, Bob, the driver, gave commentary on the way.
Arriving was exciting as dogs were excited too !
Our guide Faye was extremely knowledgeable, cheerful and really made our experience an enjoyable one.
You couldn’t wipe the smiles off our faces as we felt immersed in this unique adventure.
All topped off by getting to give the dogs their deserved treat and food at the end of the run!
Overall thoroughly recommend this tour and we would not hesitate to do it all again!
Written December 2, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you kindly for such a glowing recommendation! It was a pleasure to have you on the tour, our opening day this season!
Written February 3, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Linda E
Edmonton55 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jan 2022 • Couples
We took the 2 hour sled dog tour to celebrate a 60th birthday. We were five adults and took three sleds.
It was fabulous right from the pick up at the office in Canmore. We travelled by van up the mountain to the park area and were treated to lots of local information by our driver,
It was quite a sight when the dogs started getting excited about the upcoming tour. Our drivers were very capable and personable (Sara, Slavic and Jon) and the friendly dogs were top notch. The drivers know the dogs very well and the dogs are very friendly and well cared for.
The stop for hot chocolate was a very welcome opportunity to warm up and to interact with the dogs. We were given the opportunity to drive the sled, harness a dog, hold the line while the dogs were hooked up and treat/feed them at the end.
Full blast heat was very welcome on the van ride back to town!
The photo taken of my daughter and me in the sled was so good we thought it could be on the website!
Be sure to put this experience on your list and do it!
Written January 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for the detailed feedback - we will be sure to pass this on to the guides, they do appreciate hearing that they are good at their job!
Written February 7, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Becky R
2 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Mar 2021 • Family
Would just like to say we LOVED the tour. The mushers were phenomenal. Very friendly and professional, they took the time to get to know us and provide an incredible experience. Would like to thank them all for such a great time.

The dogs were so friendly and personable. Which was a total bonus. Definitely made our day!

HOWEVER. The owner Rich was very unprofessional. There was an avalanche that caused our group to be stuck on the mountain for an extended period of time. No big deal, it happens. Except for the fact that for the 2+ hours we were stuck there we witnessed the owner yelling at and belittling his staff multiple times. The staff tried to engage with the customers and encourage us to enjoy the extra time with the dogs. The owner however made this time extremely uncomfortable for the customers.

We can not comment on wether the tasks he had them complete were important or not. However from a customer service stand point and a boss/employee relationship stand point; we found this quite disturbing. Something to reflect on for the future.

Again, I would like to be clear that the rest of the tour was fantastic and I would highly recommend it to anyone considering this adventure!
Written March 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are glad that the dogs and staff were enjoyed, as that is the focus of the whole experience. Unfortunate circumstances led to a delay in the vans returning back to the site after a road closure due to an avalanche. This meant that there was extra time for the guests at the site, which is not planned for. After a lengthly break, the staff were given direction to complete tasks relevant to the safety of the site, and to not leave the dogs out in the direct sun. We don't feel that it is fair to judge a supervisor/employee relationship or the relevance of direction to staff when they have no experience managing a dogsled tour company. Rich spent most of the extra time grooming the trail, and gave direction to the staff to complete specific tasks. Everything that is asked of the staff is directly related to ensuring that the tours run smoothly. No one was yelled at or belittled; all direction to staff was given for a specific reason. We feel this opinion is unfounded and unreasonable.
Written March 19, 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

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