Do Husky Rides Need Snow?

While many associate husky rides with snowy landscapes, the truth is simpler: snow isn’t a requirement. In Rovaniemi, and especially at Husky Park right in Santa Claus Village, we offer fun husky experiences all year-round! Even husky rides are available for much longer than youd think. No snow needed! Here’s how it works.

The Myth of Snow-Dependent Rides

Huskies are built for cold climates, but their love for pulling isn’t tied to snow. In fact at Husky Park, as long as we have cooler weather (temperatures under 15°C), we can start training and providing rides much before snow (or after it has melted). In 2025, we started training our huskies at the end of August, and first short rides started in September! Considering Rovaniemi started seeing snow only in November, that’s ~8 weeks of husky rides most tourists would’ve never expected 🐺

We swap between vehicles depending on the weather and snow conditions throughout the season. Thus, no booking is at risk of full cancellation due to sudden snow/not enough snow.

Here’s what training looks like! We use an ATV, so we can make it dynamically easier to pull and get our huskies back in shape, after a summer of rest.

How It Works: Huskies Without Snow

At Husky park, we’ve designed and built our own 3-seat wheeled carriage for comfort and safety. Our professional guide stands at the back of the carriage behind the visitors, steering the cart while the huskies lead the way. Just like traditional sledding, but on trails, roads, or forest paths. 🐾 All our rides are guide driven, for maximum accessibility. We have slightly different route options based on the season, find them all HERE

Husky rides through Finland’s beautiful forests without any snow at all are just as thrilling!

• Why It Works: Huskies are naturally strong and love to pull as a team, whether a sled or a carriage.
• Seasonal Focus: Rides run when temperatures are cool enough for the dogs to be comfortable (under ~15°C), typically from late autumn to early spring.
• Summer Rides?: During summer, our huskies enjoy a well deserved break. We offer Guided Tours of the park that end in a Husky Meet & Greet, and Husky Hiking in Laplands beautiful forests. (Even under the midnight sun!)

The carriage isn’t a “new invention”, it’s a practical solution that lets huskies stay active and happy, even when snow is scarce. We might have been among the first in Finland to adopt the idea, but using carriages and other solutions for training and rides even without snow has certainly been around for longer.

Final Thoughts

Snow isn’t the only way to experience the magic of huskies, and December certainly isn’t the only time Lapland is showing it’s magic either. Thank you for reading, and learning about mushing culture with us: these dogs love pulling- whether on snow, dirt, or grass. Come see for yourself!

Check out our activities to book your ride or learn more about what we offer all year round!