Dog Sledding in Luleå: What to Expect on a Northern Swedish Winter Tour
If you are visiting Luleå in winter, you have probably come across dog sledding as one of the things you can do while you are here.
But what is a dog sledding tour actually like?
Do you drive the sled yourself? How cold does it get? What should you wear? Can children come along? Do you need any experience with dogs or sledding? And what does a few hours behind a team of sled dogs really involve?
We run our dog sled tours from our home outside Luleå. Our trails take us through the boreal forest, across frozen waterways and into the winter landscape that surrounds us for much of the year.
So rather than giving you a sales pitch, here is what we think you should know before booking a dog sledding tour around Luleå.
What is dog sledding in Luleå actually like?
Dog sledding is a simple way of travelling through the winter landscape.
There is a sled, a team of dogs and a trail through the forest. There is no engine and very little between you and the landscape.
The dogs do the pulling. You learn how to work with them and the sled, and then settle into the rhythm of the team.
Around Luleå, that landscape is primarily boreal forest, frozen lakes and waterways, marshland and open clearings. It is not the mountain scenery that many people picture when they hear the word "Lapland."
It is the northern forest.
And for us, that is an important part of the experience.
You are not being taken to a constructed attraction. You are travelling through the same kind of landscape that surrounds our home and that our dogs run in throughout the winter.
Do you drive your own dog sled?
That depends on the tour you choose.
On a passenger tour, you can sit in the sled and let us handle the team.
On a driving tour, you learn to handle the sled yourself and work with your "own team of dogs."
You do not need previous experience.
Before setting off, we explain how the sled works, how to work with the dogs and the basic techniques you need to stay safe and comfortable on the trail.
Driving a sled is physical, but you are not expected to arrive as an experienced musher.
The dogs know their job.
Your job is to learn how to work with them.
Do I need experience with sled dogs?
No.
Most people who come dog sledding with us have never handled a sled dog team before.
You don't need to know the commands, understand harnessing or have any previous experience with mushing.
What you do need is a willingness to listen, learn and pay attention to us and the dogs.
Because a sled dog team isn't a machine.
Every dog has its own personality, strengths and quirks. Some dogs love being in lead. Others are happiest working behind them. Some are extremely enthusiastic about cuddling. Others need a little more persuasion or simply do not like to cuddle with strangers.
Learning to notice those differences is part of learning to work with a team.
When is the best time to go dog sledding around Luleå?
The main dog sledding season follows the winter snow season.
December through March normally gives us the core winter conditions, with the possibility of good sledding continuing into April depending on snow and trail conditions.
But different parts of the winter feel very different.
December and January
This is the darker part of the northern winter.
There are short days, long evenings and often plenty of snow. If seeing the Northern Lights is important to you, the long hours of darkness give you plenty of opportunity to be outside after sunset.
February
February is still proper winter, but the days are noticeably longer.
There is usually plenty of snow, while daylight begins to return and makes longer daytime activities particularly enjoyable.
March and early April
This is when northern winter starts becoming spring.
The sun can be surprisingly strong, temperatures can vary considerably and the days are much longer.
You can still have excellent snow conditions, but the character of the landscape starts changing.
There isn't one universally best month.
The right time depends on whether you are looking for deep winter, long dark evenings, Northern Lights opportunities or bright spring days.
How cold is dog sledding in northern Sweden?
It can be very cold.
Temperatures around Luleå can vary enormously during winter, and a dog sledding tour can involve spending several hours outdoors.
But cold itself isn't necessarily a problem when you are properly prepared.
The important thing is understanding the difference between being active and sitting relatively still.
When you are driving a sled, you are working.
When you are sitting in the sled, you aren't generating nearly as much heat.
Wind, humidity, sunshine, your clothing and the length of the tour all make a difference.
For that reason, we pay attention to the weather and trail conditions before heading out. Sometimes a change in conditions means changing the route, shortening an experience or deciding that it is not a suitable day to run a particular tour.
That is simply part of operating outdoors in northern Sweden.
We don't control the winter.
We work with it.
What should I wear for dog sledding?
The best advice is simple:
Dress for spending several hours outside in winter, not for walking from a hotel to a restaurant.
Layers work better than relying on one enormous jacket.
We recommend:
A warm base layer
An insulating mid-layer
A windproof outer layer
Warm winter trousers
Proper insulated winter boots
Wool socks
Warm gloves or, preferably in very cold conditions, mittens
A warm hat
A buff, neck warmer or balaclava
Extra gloves and socks
Your hands, feet and face are usually the areas that need the most attention.
If you are visiting northern Sweden from a warmer climate, don't underestimate the importance of proper winter clothing. Being comfortable outside makes a huge difference to how much you enjoy the experience.
Read more about clothing on our journal entry on the subject - HERE
Can children go dog sledding?
Yes, children can enjoy dog sledding, but the right experience depends on their age, the weather and the type of tour.
Children lose body heat more quickly than adults, and sitting relatively still in a sled can be surprisingly cold even when they are having a great time.
For families, we therefore prefer to look at the whole situation rather than simply saying that a tour is suitable for everyone above a particular age.
How cold is it?
How long will you be outside?
Will the child be comfortable sitting in the sled?
Would a shorter experience make more sense?
If you are travelling with younger children, talk to us before booking. We can help you work out what is likely to suit your family and the conditions during your visit.
What happens during a dog sledding tour?
A dog sledding tour starts before the sled moves.
You meet the dogs.
You see how the team is organised.
Then comes the safety briefing and introduction to the sled.
Once everyone is ready, the dogs are connected and we head out onto the trail.
And this is where the experience changes.
A team of dogs can be noisy and energetic when they are waiting to run. Once they settle into their work, the atmosphere can become remarkably quiet.
You hear the runners moving over the snow.
The dogs breathing and working in front of you.
The forest around you.
Sometimes there is conversation.
Sometimes there isn't.
There is something quite different about travelling through the forest without an engine.
How long should a dog sledding tour be?
There is no single right length.
A shorter tour is a good introduction if you have never tried dog sledding before. You get to meet the dogs, learn the basics and experience travelling behind a team without spending an entire day outside.
A longer tour gives you more time to settle into the rhythm.
After the first excitement wears off, dog sledding becomes surprisingly calm. You stop thinking about the fact that you are riding behind a team of dogs and simply start travelling with them.
Our tours range from shorter experiences to several hours, so you can choose depending on how much time you want to spend outside and how involved you want to be.
Can you see the Northern Lights while dog sledding?
You can, but not with us as we only do tours during daytime.
If you choose to go with someone else its important to remember this:
They can never be guaranteed.
The Northern Lights depend on solar activity, darkness, cloud cover and a number of other conditions outside anyone's control.
What is the landscape like around Luleå?
One of the things we particularly like about this part of Norrbotten is that the landscape is not one-dimensional.
Our home is surrounded by boreal forest, with spruce and pine, birch, marshland, small lakes and waterways.
In winter, many of those waterways become part of the landscape we travel through.
The forest changes constantly with the weather and light.
A clear February morning can look completely different from a grey December afternoon or a bright March day when the sun is already beginning to have some strength.
This is northern Sweden at a fairly intimate scale.
You aren't looking at the landscape from a viewpoint.
You are moving through it.
Is dog sledding ethical?
It is a reasonable question to ask.
Sled dogs are working dogs, and their welfare has to come first.
That means appropriate food, veterinary care, exercise, rest, shelter and attention to each individual dog's condition.
But welfare is also about knowing your animals.
Which dog is feeling good today?
Which dog needs more rest?
Which dog works well in lead?
Which dogs work well together?
Which dog would rather be somewhere else?
When you live with a sled dog team year-round, those things aren't abstract questions.
Our dogs aren't something we take out of storage when guests arrive.
They live with us.
We train them, feed them, care for them, work with them and spend the rest of the year with them when there is no snow.
For us, that relationship is an essential part of our life.
Where can you go dog sledding near Luleå?
There are several dog sledding operators in and around Luleå and the wider Norrbotten region.
The area is well suited to sledding because of its winter snow, extensive boreal forests and network of frozen lakes and waterways.
We are based outside the city, in the countryside north of Luleå.
We aren't trying to recreate a wilderness experience somewhere else.
We live here.
Our dogs live here.
And the trails we use are part of the landscape around our home.
What else can you do around Luleå in winter?
Dog sledding is only one way to experience northern Sweden.
Depending on the season and conditions, you can also explore the area by snowshoe, ski, on foot or across the frozen waterways.
Ice fishing is another traditional winter activity, while the coast and archipelago around Luleå take on a completely different character once the sea freezes.
And if you have several days here, you don't need to fill every hour with organised activities.
Sometimes the best way to experience northern winter is simply to spend time outside.
So, what should you expect from a dog sledding tour?
Expect cold.
Expect excited dogs.
Expect to learn something.
Expect the weather to matter.
And expect the experience to be a little quieter than you might imagine.
Dog sledding isn't just about being pulled through the snow by huskies.
It is about travelling with a working team of animals through a northern winter landscape.
For us, that is the part that matters.
The dogs barking while we prepare.
The sudden silence when they settle into their work.
The forest passing slowly around you.
Stopping for a fire.
Talking about the dogs.
And eventually heading home with a smile on your face.
That is what dog sledding looks like from our side of northern Sweden.
Not something we have created specifically for visitors.
Something we already live.
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