Is a Skagway Helicopter and Sled Dog Excursion Worth It for Families?
- Victoria Ogier
- Aug 12
- 7 min read
There are certain travel experiences you book without thinking twice.
And then there are the experiences that make you stare at the total, close the browser, reopen it, discuss it with your husband, close it again—and eventually decide, “Okay, we’re doing it.”
Our helicopter and sled dog camp experience in Skagway was definitely the second kind.
Helicopter excursions in Alaska are expensive. Add the White Pass Scenic Railway—which we also did that day—and our family spent nearly as much on excursions in one port as some people spend on an entire vacation.
That’s not an exaggeration.
But during the entire walk back to our Disney cruise ship, Bill and I just kept looking at each other and saying, “Oh my gosh. That was so worth it.”
And it truly was.
Flying to a Sled Dog Camp on Denver Glacier
We booked the Glacier Sled Dog Experience with TEMSCO Helicopters, the primary helicopter tour operator located near the Skagway cruise port.
The experience begins at TEMSCO’s helicopter base, where the team checks everyone in, provides glacier gear and walks passengers through a detailed safety briefing. My family is no stranger to flying. Bill is a pilot, and our girls have spent plenty of time in our small club aircraft. Even so, I was impressed by how patient and reassuring the TEMSCO team was with every traveler.
We watched the staff work with other families and children who were clearly a little nervous about getting into a helicopter. Nobody was rushed or made to feel silly. The safety process was clear, organized and thorough. Then it was time to fly.
Our pilot was from Austria, and he was fantastic—knowledgeable, personable and very focused on safety. On the way to the glacier, he took us through incredible mountain passes and gave us time to see the icefields, peaks and changing landscape from above.
Our flight to camp felt like it lasted around 20 minutes, while the return flight was much shorter. Flight times and routes can vary based on weather and glacier conditions, but the journey up was much more than transportation. It was a major part of the experience.
Seeing Alaska from a helicopter is completely different from seeing it from your cruise ship. You begin to understand just how enormous, remote and wild it really is.
What Happens at the Skagway Sled Dog Camp?
We landed at the sled dog camp on Denver Glacier, where we met the camp director, mushers and racing dogs.
One important detail for travelers: the current Skagway experience includes a live sled dog demonstration rather than a ride on the sled. If riding behind a dog team is important to you, your Good Trip advisor can help you compare the sled dog excursions available in different Alaska ports.
Even without riding the sled, our experience at camp was fascinating.
We sat inside one of the camp tents and learned about the history of the Iditarod, the lives of professional mushers, how racing dogs are trained and cared for, and what it’s like to move an entire team of dogs onto a glacier for the summer.
The dogs were, of course, the stars of the show.
We had plenty of time to ask questions, interact with the racing dogs and cuddle the puppies. Our family was on one helicopter, with another small group arriving separately, so the experience felt personal rather than like we were moving through camp with an enormous cruise-ship crowd.
Our daughters were 11 and 13, and this excursion was a perfect fit for their ages. They were old enough to understand what they were learning but still young enough to completely melt over the puppies.
To be fair, the adults also melted over the puppies.
More Than an Excursion for Our Daughters
One of my favorite parts of family travel is introducing our girls to people whose lives look completely different from ours.
During this one experience, they met a helicopter pilot from Austria and learned from a professional dog musher who had moved his dogs onto a glacier for the summer.
Throughout Alaska, they also met tourism workers who had traveled from Utah and other parts of the country to spend a season working in the cruise ports.
These aren’t careers, hobbies or lifestyles our daughters encounter every day in Iowa.
Travel gives children a chance to see how many ways there are to build a life. It introduces them to people who followed an unusual passion, moved across the world, chose seasonal work or built their lives around flying, animals, adventure or the outdoors.
Am I ready to help either of my daughters acquire 50 dogs and relocate to a glacier? Absolutely not.
But I love that they now know someone else has made a life out of doing exactly that.
That kind of exposure is everything—especially during these impressionable preteen and teenage years.
The Question Every Parent Is Secretly Asking
When you spend this much money on an excursion for your children, there’s always a little fear involved.
Are they going to enjoy it? Will they understand how special it is? Are we going to spend the entire time saying, “Do you know how lucky you are? We never did anything like this when we were kids”?
We work hard to afford experiences like this, and I know many other parents feel the same way. You want to create incredible memories, but you also want to know that the experience will be worth the investment.
This was one of those rare moments when we didn’t have to wonder.
We could see the joy and awe on our daughters’ faces throughout the experience. They loved the thrill of flying in the helicopter. They were fascinated by the glacier and the dog camp. They loved meeting the mushers—and, naturally, snuggling the puppies.
The experience connected with each of them in a different way.
As a parent, that’s what makes a family vacation feel truly worthwhile. It’s not just checking something off a list. It’s watching your children become curious about the world right in front of you.
Should You Book Through the Cruise Line or Independently?
We booked independently and had a wonderful experience.
Our group felt smaller and more private, and we saved money compared with the cruise line’s pricing available for our sailing. Booking independently can be a great option—but that doesn’t mean it’s automatically the best decision for every traveler.
Cruise lines sometimes reserve a significant amount of excursion inventory, so an experience may appear unavailable independently while the cruise line still has space. A cruise-line excursion may also include transportation, a representative meeting the group near the ship, more guidance throughout the process and additional peace of mind surrounding the ship’s departure time.
Independent bookings may offer lower pricing, smaller groups, more personal attention or different departure times. However, the traveler is responsible for understanding where to meet, when to arrive, the cancellation policy and how the excursion fits into the ship’s schedule.
Neither booking method is always better. The right choice depends on the excursion, operator, port schedule, price difference and your comfort level. This is exactly the kind of decision your Good Trip advisor can help you evaluate.
Getting to TEMSCO from the Skagway Cruise Port
TEMSCO’s Skagway helicopter base is located at 101 Terminal Way, close to the cruise docks.
The company advises travelers that the base can be approximately one mile from the furthest pier. From our Disney cruise ship, the walk felt very easy and took us less than 10 minutes.
After the excursion, TEMSCO offered to drive us back to our port, and several shuttles were available.
Travelers booking independently are currently expected to make their own way to the helicopter base at the beginning of the tour. A local shuttle is another option if you don’t want to walk. Transportation details can change, so always follow the directions included with your specific reservation.
If you book through your cruise line or another excursion provider, round-trip transportation may already be included.
Important Things to Know Before Booking
The weather controls everything. Helicopter and glacier experiences are extremely weather-dependent. Routes, timing and glacier conditions can change, and tours can be canceled when conditions aren’t safe. Don’t build your entire emotional well-being around one excursion happening exactly as planned. That’s good advice for any Alaska cruise.
Accurate passenger weights are required. Helicopter operators need every traveler’s accurate weight—including clothing and gear—to safely balance the aircraft. Travelers weighing 250 pounds or more may need to pay a surcharge because additional space must be reserved. This isn’t a judgment or an arbitrary fee; it’s part of the aircraft’s safety and weight requirements.
Dress for the glacier—not the weather at the port. It may feel pleasant beside the ship and much colder after landing on the glacier. Wear layers, and bring gloves, a hat and sunglasses. The operator provides the necessary traction overboots.
Mobility matters. Guests need to board the helicopter and walk a short distance over snowy, icy or uneven terrain. This particular experience isn’t considered accessible for wheelchairs or travelers with limited mobility.
Bags stay behind. Larger bags aren’t permitted on the helicopter and must remain at the base. Bring only what the operator allows, and carefully review the instructions provided before your tour.
Are Alaska Helicopter Excursions Worth the Price?
For our family, this one absolutely was.
We originally included a helicopter experience in our Alaska cruise budget. Then we hesitated and decided not to book it. At the last minute, we changed our minds—and I’m incredibly glad we did.
Yes, Alaska excursions can be expensive.
The cruise fare gets you to the ports, but the excursions are often what take you into the Alaska people dream about seeing.
The towns are adorable. We loved walking around the ports, shopping and exploring. But if you never leave the port area, you may miss the scale, wilderness and incredible natural beauty that make Alaska so different from other cruise destinations.
You don’t have to book the most expensive excursion in every port. You don’t have to do everything. But if there’s one experience that truly matters to your family, build it into the budget from the beginning.
For us, flying over the mountains, landing on Denver Glacier, learning about the lives of professional mushers and watching our daughters fall in love with a pack of racing dogs was that experience.
It wasn’t cheap.
It was also one of the moments we’ll remember most from our Alaska cruise.
Ready to Plan Your Alaska Cruise?
If you’re already working with a Good Trip advisor, don’t hesitate to ask questions about your excursion options. We can help you compare booking through the cruise line with independent options and talk through timing, transportation, mobility, cost and the risks involved.
And if you’re just beginning to think about an Alaska cruise, submit a Good Trip inquiry at http://goodtrip.biz/inquiry.
Our team’s firsthand Alaska experience can help you choose the right cruise, itinerary and excursions—and decide which bucket-list moments are truly worth building into your vacation.
A Note About This Review: We paid in full for the travel experiences and services shared in this post. No discounts, complimentary services or other compensation were provided in exchange for this review. These are our honest opinions based on our personal experience.
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