Who sits where? Seating arrangements on our husky tours
One of the questions we get asked most often before winter is not only “Which tour should we book?” but also: “How will we sit in the sled?”
And honestly, we understand why.
Travelling with huskies is not quite the same as booking seats on a bus. We are working with real dogs, real sleds, changing snow conditions, different family sizes, different ages, and different levels of driving ability. On top of that, every tour has its own structure. Some tours are self-driven, where guests drive their own dog team. Others are musher-driven, where you sit back while one of our professional mushers takes the reins. Those two styles naturally come with different seating arrangements.
So yes, it can be a little confusing.
That is exactly why we have written this guide. Think of it as our seating-arrangement bible: a practical overview of how different family constellations usually fit into the sled on each of our tours.
Before we dive into each tour, one important note: the final seating arrangement is always decided by the guide on site. This is not because we enjoy making things complicated. It is because our guides need to consider safety, dog welfare, trail conditions, sled capacity, and how the group fits together in real life – not just on paper.
We do not have a weight limit. We always try to keep families and groups together when we can. But we will never overload a sled, ask the dogs to pull more than is fair, or compromise safety just to make a seating plan look neat.
A few general rules before we start
On our self-driven tours, only adults aged 17 and older are allowed to drive. Teenagers between 12 and 16 may join certain self-driven tours as passengers, but they are not allowed to drive the sled or cart themselves.
Single travellers are very welcome on our tours. On regular departures, single travellers should expect to share the sled with guests from another party. On some of our tours, a single-driving or private-sled option may be available when booking, but if you book at the regular price, sharing is part of the arrangement.
Now let's go tour by tour.
The Happy Trail Tour is our family-friendly self-driven husky safari. It is a 2.5-hour program at our kennel, including around 45 minutes of driving time and a travel distance of approximately 6-10 km. It is designed especially for families with small children, first-timers, and guests who want the thrill of driving a dog team without spending too long outside in the cold. After the ride, there is time to meet the dogs, enjoy hot juice and cookies, and learn a little more about sled dogs.
Seating basics on Happy Trail
On Happy Trail, one sled can normally take 2 adults and up to 2 children. One adult drives while the other adult sits in the sled with the child or children. Halfway through the ride, the adults usually get the chance to switch drivers.
Teenagers aged 12-16 are not allowed to drive on this tour and are required to sit in the guide sled.
Common family and group set-ups on Happy Trail
1 adult and 1 child
You will be together in one sled with the adult driving and the child sitting as a passenger. Please note that one more adult and possibly one child from another party may be added to your sled. The adults will in this case share the driving time.
You can book the child at the adult price in order to secure one whole sled just for yourselves. Please note that in this case, the child will still not be allowed to drive, therefore, the adult will have to drive the sled for the entire duration of the tour.
1 adult and 1 teenager
The adult would share the sled with a person from another party. The teenager will sit separately in our guide sled.
You can do the same trick as explained above – book the teenager at the adult rate! This way you secure one whole sled just for yourselves. Please note that in this case, the teenager will still not be allowed to drive, therefore, the adult will have to drive the sled for the entire duration of the tour.
2 adults
This is the simplest arrangement. You share one sled. One adult drives while the other sits as a passenger. Halfway through the ride, you normally get the chance to switch, so both adults can experience driving.
2 adults and 1-2 children
This also fits neatly into one sled. One adult drives. The other adult sits in the sled with the child or children. Halfway through, the adults can usually switch roles, so both adults get driving time while the children remain safely seated.
2 adults and 3 children
Our standard maximum is 2 adults and 2 children per sled. If you have 3 children, we usually cannot fit everyone into one sled. In this case, the two adults and two of the children will sit in one sled, and one child – usually the oldest or biggest child – will be asked to sit in the guide’s sled.
2 adults and 2 teenagers
Teenagers are not allowed to drive on Happy Trail, and on this tour they are required to sit in the guide’s sled. The two adults will share one sled and can usually switch drivers halfway. The teenagers will ride separately in the sled driven by our guide.
2 adults, 1–2 children, and 1 or more teenagers
The children sit in the sled with the adults, as long as the sled capacity allows it. The teenagers sit in the guide sled. So, for example, if you are 2 adults, 1 child, and 1 teenager, the adults and child share one sled, while the teenager rides with the guide.
3 adults, 5 adults, 7 adults, and other uneven adult groups
Our self-driven sleds are arranged for a maximum of 2 adults per sled. This means that if your group has an uneven number of adults, one person will usually be separated from the rest of the group and will need to share a sled with another adult from a different party. For example, with 3 adults, 2 adults share one sled, and the third adult is in another sled sharing it with someone outside their party. With 5 adults, 4 adults are paired into two sleds, and the fifth adult shares another sled, and so on.
3 adults and 1 teenager
This is one of the trickier arrangements. For example, imagine a family where there are 2 adults, a 17-year-old and a 14-year-old. The 17-year-old counts as an adult, while the 14-year-old counts as a teenager.
If you make the booking going strictly by our age categories, you would book 3 adults and 1 teenager. In this case, the seating arrangement will be as follows:
- 2 adults share one sled.
- 1 adult shares a separate sled with someone from another party.
- The teenager sits in the guide sled.
If keeping your family closer together is important, one practical option is to make your booking for 4 adults instead. This way, you reserve two full sleds for your family. The teenager is still not allowed to drive, but they can sit as a passenger in one of your family sleds while an adult drives.
Call of the Wild is our longer self-driven winter safari and one of our most popular tours. It is a 3-hour program with around 1.5 hours on the trail and a travel distance of approximately 12-18 km. This tour is for guests who want a more adventurous self-drive experience: standing on the runners, steering the sled, braking, helping the team, and feeling what it is like to work with your own group of dogs.
This tour is suitable for adults and teenagers, but not for children under the age of 12. Adults aged 17+ may drive. Teenagers aged 12-16 may join as passengers but are not allowed to drive.
Seating basics on Call of the Wild
One sled is shared by 2 people. If there are 2 adults in one sled, they usually have the chance to switch drivers halfway.
If a sled has 1 adult and 1 teenager, the adult drives for the full duration.
Common family and group set-ups on Call of the Wild
1 adult and 1 teenager
You will share one sled. The adult will drive the sled for the entire duration of the tour, while the teenager will sit as a passenger.
2 adults
Very simple, you share one sled. One adult drives while the other sits as a passenger. Halfway through the tour, you usually get the chance to switch drivers.
2 adults and 1 teenager
The two adults usually share one sled and switch drivers halfway. The teenager will be asked to sit in the guide’s sled, because the regular two-person sled arrangement does not allow all three of you to sit together.
2 adults and 2 teenagers
Your family will usually get 2 sleds. Each sled has 1 adult driver and 1 teenager as a passenger. Since the teenagers are not allowed to drive, each adult will drive their sled for the full duration of the tour.
2 adults and 3 teenagers
Your family will usually get 2 sleds. Each sled has 1 adult as a driver and 1 teenager as a passenger. The third teenager will sit in the guide sled.
3 adults
Two adults share one sled and can usually switch drivers halfway. The third adult will need to share another sled with someone from another party, unless the single-driving option has been booked.
3 adults and 1 teenager
This usually works as 2 sleds. One sled has 2 adults, who can switch drivers halfway. The second sled has 1 adult driving and 1 teenager sitting as a passenger. The adult in that sled drives for the full duration because the teenager is not allowed to drive.
5 adults, 7 adults, and other uneven adult groups
Because each sled is shared by 2 people, uneven adult groups will usually mean that one adult needs to share with someone from another party. For example, 5 adults become two full sleds plus one adult sharing elsewhere.
Born to Run is our autumn and early-winter self-driven tour. It is a 2.5-hour program with a 4 km husky cart or sled ride, depending on snow conditions. This tour gives guests a glimpse into the training season, when the dogs are being prepared for winter and rebuilding their fitness after summer. If the snow arrives early enough, the tour may be done with sleds instead of wheeled carts.
Like Call of the Wild, this is a self-driven tour for adults and teenagers. Adults aged 17+ may drive. Teenagers aged 12-16 may join as passengers, but they cannot drive. Children under 12 are not allowed on this tour.
Seating basics on Born to Run
The seating logic is very similar to Call of the Wild: one cart is shared by 2 people. If there are 2 adults together, they can usually switch drivers halfway. If there is 1 adult with 1 teenager, the adult drives for the full tour.
Common family and group set-ups on Born to Run
1 adult and 1 teenager
You will share one cart. The adult will drive the cart for the entire duration of the tour, while the teenager will sit as a passenger.
2 adults
You share one cart. One adult drives while the other sits as a passenger. Halfway through the tour, you usually get the chance to switch drivers.
2 adults and 1 teenager
The two adults usually share one cart and switch drivers halfway. The teenager will usually sit in the guide’s cart.
2 adults and 2 teenagers
Your family will usually be divided over 2 carts. Each cart has 1 adult driving and 1 teenager sitting as a passenger. Since teenagers cannot drive, the adults drive for the full duration.
2 adults and 3 teenagers
Your family will usually be divided over 2 carts. Each adult drives with 1 teenager sitting as a passenger. The third teenager will sit with the guide.
3 adults
Two adults share one cart and can usually switch drivers halfway. The third adult will need to share another cart with someone from another party, unless a single-driving option has been booked.
3 adults and 1 teenager
This usually works as 2 carts. One has 2 adults, who can switch drivers halfway. The other has 1 adult driving and the teenager sitting as passenger.
Uneven adult groups
Groups of 5, 7, or another uneven number of adults should expect that one adult may need to share with someone from outside the group.
Here, we have our Running with the Pack Autumn tour and our Running with the Pack Winter tour. Both of them are musher-driven tours, which means you do not drive yourself. Instead, one of our mushers drives while you sit in the sled/cart and enjoy the ride. In winter, this tour includes a 5 km husky ride and a guided kennel visit. In autumn and early winter, before there is enough snow for sleds, the tour is operated on carts with wheels and the ride distance is 3 km.
This is one of our most accessible tours for families, including families with smaller children, because everyone sits as passengers and the guide handles the driving.
Seating basics on Running with the Pack
On this tour, only single travellers are expected to share with people outside their party.
For families, couples, and groups, we do not mix you with other guests on the sled or cart. However, depending on the size of your group, we may need to divide you over multiple sleds or carts. A sled or cart can usually fit a maximum of 4 adults. With small children, we may sometimes fit more than 4 people into one sled/cart, but this is always decided by the guide on site.
Common family and group set-ups on Running with the Pack
1 adult travelling alone
Single travellers should expect to share a sled/cart with other guests.
2-4 adults
You will normally get your own sled or cart. You do not need to share with people outside your party. If the guide feels that the size or weight distribution would make the ride safer or more comfortable by splitting you into two sleds/carts, they may do so. But you will not be asked to share with people outside your party.
2 adults and 1-2 children
You will normally get your own sled or cart. No sharing with outside guests, and usually no splitting up.
2 adults and 3 children
This depends on the children’s sizes. If the children are still small, we may be able to fit everyone into one sled/cart. If the children are bigger, the family may need to be split over 2 sleds/carts. This is one of those cases where the guide can only make the final decision once they have seen the group in real life.
More than 4 adults
Groups larger than 4 adults will be split over multiple sleds or carts. You should not have to share with guests from another party.
More than 2 adults and 3 children
Larger family groups will usually be split over multiple sleds/carts. But we will not ask you to share the sled/cart with guests outside of your party.
The Campfire Tour is a longer musher-driven tour for guests who want to sit in the sled and enjoy the trail without driving themselves. It includes a 10 km ride through the snowy forest to a wilderness camp, where you can enjoy fire-brewed coffee while our mushers share stories about the dogs, the sport, and life on the trail. This tour is recommended for children aged 7 and older and is not suitable for infants.
Seating basics on the Campfire Tour
On the Campfire Tour, our sleds fit a maximum of 4 people each. This tour is sold with the idea of filling the sleds efficiently, so on a sold-out tour, every seat will be used. That means your family or group may need to share with people from another party, split up over multiple sleds, or both.
For this tour we cannot make any promises or predictions of how the seating arrangements per family or per group will be. It depends a lot on the constellations of bookings that we receive. But we can say that everyone who books this tour needs to be aware that their party may get split up and that they will need to share the sled with people from another party.
If you would like to secure your own sled, meaning that you will not have to share with people outside of your party, then we have the option to book a private sled on this tour.
Santa’s Husky Rides is our short, fun husky ride at Santa Claus Village on the Arctic Circle. It is designed for guests who want a quick taste of dog sledding without travelling out to our main kennel. The ride is 2.5 km and usually takes 8-12 minutes within your booked 30-minute time slot. After the ride, you can warm up with hot juice and cookies.
This is a busy, high-volume location with shorter rides and many different group sizes arriving throughout the day, so seating is handled a little differently from our main kennel tours.
Single travellers will share a sled with people outside their party.
For couples, families, and groups, we do our best to keep you together and we will not make you share the sled with people from other parties. However, at this location we cannot guarantee a specific seating arrangement. The final decision depends on the bookings, group sizes, sled availability, the weather, the dogs, and the guide’s judgement on the day. To give you a very general idea, on average we can fit the following constellations together into one sled:
- 3 adults
- 2 adults and 2 children
- 2 adults, 2 children and 1 infant
Final thoughts
We know seating arrangements are not the most magical part of planning a husky tour. Most people would rather imagine the snowy forest, the dogs barking with excitement, the runners gliding over the trail, and the hot juice waiting afterwards.
But seating matters.
It matters for your comfort. It matters for safety. And most importantly, it matters for the dogs. A sled that is too heavy, badly balanced, or not suited to the group can make the work harder for the team and the experience less safe for everyone.
So, our promise is simple: we will always try to make the arrangement as comfortable and logical as possible. We will keep families together when we can. We will explain things clearly when we cannot. And our guides will make the final decision based on what is safest, fairest, and most practical on the day.
In the end, every seating plan has the same goal: happy guests, safe guides, and dogs who can do their work with joy.
