This must be the year of the dogsled because I just received my third dogsledding assignment in the past month. It must be the rare chance to get lost in the woods for an hour, day, or week that has propelled dogsledding from a marginal sport to the mainstream. All across the snowbelt, outfitters are popping up to lead guests on trips.  This is also true in warm-weather months, when Iditarod riders offer dogsledding on wheels to cruise passengers in Juneau making their way up Alaska’s Inside Passage.  With an average speed of 12 miles an hour, you can get out in the countryside faster than a typical cross-country skier. Plus, you don’t have to deal with the noise or smoke coming from a snowmobile. But the best part is hugging those cute little furballs.

In Maine, go with Mahoosuc Guide Service, offering trips ranging from one day to one week.  They also partner with the AMC in Maine to feature a sporting camp-to-sporting camp trip in late January. Wintergreen Dogsledding Lodge has been offering Lassie-led trips into Minnesota’s Boundary Water Canoe Area for 30 years. Using Wintergreen’s large chalet as your base in Ely, you and the other sled teams in your party will cover 5 to 10 miles daily, gliding across the ice on one of the Boundary Water’s mind-boggling 1,100 lakes.