Although our Skagway excursion was about the journey more than the destination, the Caribou Crossing Trading Post was the main stop along the way. We had lunch there, took a dogcart ride, played with puppies, and explored the trading post.
Formerly known as Frontierland, Caribou Crossing Trading Post is a tourist attraction just north of Carcross. There is nothing historic or authentic about it, although it has an old-timey feel. It exists simply for tourism. The main draw (for us at least) was the sled dog puppies and dog cart rides, but there are also two museums (the Wildlife Museum and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Museum), a petting zoo, gold panning, and a few other miscellaneous buildings and exhibits to explore.
We could tell time was tight from the moment we got there. We were immediately ushered off the bus and into the lunch line, where we picked up our BBQ chicken lunch (a vegetarian option was also available). The food was ok although nothing to write home about, but the kids loved the unlimited supply of free homemade cinnamon donuts. Before we had even finished eating, out tour guide Anne was in the dining room, helping us clear our plates and telling us we had to get on line for the dog cart ride right away. I wasn’t a huge fan of having to throw away half-eaten meals and literally run across the facility to make it to the cart ride but we definitely didn’t want to miss the ride.
But dogs have a way of making everything better! We got on the line for the dog cart ride and the dogs immediately began barking, jumping up and down, and just generally going crazy. They knew what was about to happen, and they were ready to run.
A driver pulled a cart around and started to hitch up the dogs. I have to say I was completely shocked to see it was a motorized cart, and I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a little disappointed. We had passed on the uber-expensive helicopter to a glacier for an authentic sled ride on snow, but I was expecting this to be a similar experience albeit with wheels and dirt instead of sleds and snow. I was not expected a motor-assisted ride.
So of course the first questions we asked the driver were why they used a motorized cart and if the dogs were actually pulling us. He assured us that they were and that the cart just allows the mushers to adjust the pace (either up or down) if need be. These dogs were all professionals who race in the winter, and this type of summer training with a motorized cart helps the mushers to replicate real race conditions.
After getting over the initial surprise at the motorized cart, it didn’t really detract from the experience. In fact, I’m sure this cart was more comfortable than a non-motorized vehicle would be. It was hysterical to watch the dogs – they ran and yipped like there was no tomorrow. They actually looked a bit disorganized to me, bumping into each other, nipping at each other, even trying to go to the bathroom mid-run (much to the boys’ entertainment). It was not the beautiful synchronized running experience I had imagined, but they got the job done. The musher was really knowledgeable and shared a lot of information on the dogs and their training, and we all really enjoyed the unique experience.
After the ride we got to visit the husky puppies. As we left the dog cart area and headed towards the puppy pen, my husband spotted two mountain goats in the hill above us.
Or did he? I’m embarrassed to say that I fumbled to quickly take out my zoom lens, excited to get a better shot. The zoom definitely helped… to reveal that they were fakes. The staff must have been laughing at yet another sucker tricked into thinking they saw some wildlife.
So… onto the real animals. The puppies were adorable! These future athletes jumped and bounced and played and enjoyed some cuddles as well. After the ride, you can stay in the pen as long as you’d like, but once you leave, you cannot go back in. The boys wanted to spend every last second in there and had a blast.
We maxed out our time with the puppies and had no time left for the gold panning or the museums. The wildlife museum in particular is supposed to be fantastic so it may be worth carving out time for that if you are visiting. We did wander through the petting zoo area on our way back to the bus and checked out the alpacas and miniature horses.
We only had time left to quickly walk through the rest of the property. As with everywhere we stopped in the Yukon, the location was gorgeous. The buildings definitely had a manufactured tourist feel, but it was interesting nonetheless.
Our entire visit was a whirlwind of activity squeezed into an hour and 15 minutes. I have to say that while I LOVED the sled dogs and puppies, this was probably the least enjoyable part of the excursion. It just felt way too rushed. And while the whole place had a touristy vibe, we would have liked to have time to explore the whole thing.
It would appear that we were not the only ones who felt this way. I’m assuming Chilkoot Charters heard this feedback quite a bit this summer because they are no longer offering the rail and bus “With Dog Cart Experience” anymore. The regular Yukon Rail & Bus Excursion still includes a stop at Caribou Crossing but says that “dogcart rides can be purchased separately upon arrival at the lunch facility if seating is still available.” Not knowing how likely it is to be able to book the dogcart ride on site, I have mixed feelings about this. I agree that the stop was too rushed but I think a lot of people will be really disappointed if they get there (with throngs of other cruise ship passengers) and can’t get a ticket.
So while this stop did not quite live up to my lofty expectations, it was still well worth a visit. It fulfilled an Alaska bucket list item of taking a dogcart ride and playing with sled dog puppies. I knew that this excursion had an aggressive tour schedule but I wouldn’t want to eliminate any part of it. The entire overall experience was incredible.
