(Image Credit: Curtis Goodrum / CFJC Today)

By Curtis Goodrum

DOG SLEDDING

Barking dogs and high speeds: sled tours offer a unique Sun Peaks experience

Jan 16, 2026 | 6:05 PM

SUN PEAKS, B.C. – Dog sledding, usually reserved for Arctic regions, has a home in Sun Peaks. Mountain Man Adventure Tours has been operating out of Sun Peaks for 15 seasons and, despite a recent drop in snow conditions, the family-owned tour company has had a strong start to this season.

“Every year, we’ve been getting busier and busier, which is great. We’ve also seen a significant increase in regional visitors since the pandemic. A lot of Kamloops families have been coming up to celebrate birthdays and anniversaries and really special occasions, which is really wonderful,” said Taryn Schwanke, co-owner of Mountain Man Adventure Tours.

The dogs are bred specifically to do one thing, and that’s pull the sleds across 10 kilometres two-to-four times a day — but it’s not against their will.

“This is their favourite thing to do. It’s kind of a constant conversation that we have with the dogs. ‘Do you want to go for a run?’ and most of the time, the answer is a very excited, ‘yes.’ But if they have got an injury or just aren’t feeling it for the day, there’s usually plenty of others who are happy to go,” said Schwanke.

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The cross-country tour takes about an hour and Schwanke says the six dogs are having the time of their lives.

“I think my favourite part is when we take off with the dogs because the guests are super excited. The dogs are super excited about it. They don’t really know how fast the sled goes, so when we zoom off, you know, they get really excited,” added Luke Sparkes, a tour guide at Mountain Man Adventure Tours.

Sparkes is from Australia and had no prior experience driving a dog sled, but says it’s not as complicated as it seems.

“It’s pretty simple to drive these sleds. You just have to mostly love dogs and you just have to balance on them, really, like, you always look out on the lines making sure these dogs aren’t getting tangled up. You control the speed and the balance of the sled. But yeah, it’s a fairly simple learning process,” said Sparkes.

The tour company says they hope to see a strong end to their season before the dogs head for their summer break.