I can hear the yips and howls as soon as I pull into the parking lot of the Leisure Life Resort in Greenville, Maine. The snow-covered staging area is a mess of wagging tails, lolling tongues, prancing paws with little booties on them. Volunteers wearing safety vests shout to each other over the din as one by one they help mushers move toward the starting line. It’s pure pandemonium. A feeling of joyful anticipation vibrates in the frosty air. These dogs are ready to go.
Photo courtesy of the Wilderness Sled Dog Racing Association.
On the first weekend of February every year, the Wilderness Sled Dog Race hosts a 60-mile and 35-mile race, as well as a 4-mile sprint race with teams of three to four dogs and a skijoring circuit with one dog. (If you have not seen skijoring yet…you’re missing out.) One of only two long distance races in New England, the race draws mushers from all over the Northeast and Canada to compete for prize money and bragging rights. It’s spectator friendly, with activities for kids led by the AMC education team, viewpoints for watching the race, hearty food and drinks at Leisure Life restaurant, and of course, a lively scene at the start and finish line.
Under a giant inflatable blue starting line, teams of dogs are lining up, connected by harnesses attached to one long rope. They’ve been checked by the Chief Veterinarian—safety of dogs and mushers is at the forefront of the race’s ethos, with strict rules about treatment of dogs and safety checks in place—and they’re barking with excitement and leaping into the air, sometimes with so much enthusiasm a handler has to untangle them. The sled is packed with food (for both human and dogs) and an axe, first aid kit, cooking kit, and other winter survival gear. “Ten…nine…eight…” the announcer counts. A musher wearing a helmet and a heavy winter parka pets the last of her dogs and steps onto her sled. She readies her brake. The crowd joins in: “Three…two…one…GO!”
Ten dogs pull straight in a line as they shoot out of the gate, falling silent as they focus on the trail ahead.
Photo courtesy of Wilderness Sled Dog Racing Association.
The majority of the course runs on Maine Woods Initiative (MWI) land—AMC’s multi-use recreation and land conservation project in the 100-Mile Wilderness—and over the next few hours these dogs and humans will travel through some of Maine’s most rugged, remote, and beautiful forestland. The race is a big effort for AMC, who brings together teams from across the organization to support this beloved, volunteer-run community event.
“We’re not just a lodging and sustainable forestry organization—we help out in the community,” says Charlene Fearnley, AMC’s MWI Regional Lodging Manager. “It’s an all-hands-on-deck situation.”
AMC’s MWI in the 100 Mile Wilderness, Maine. Photo by Jamie Malcolm Brown.
In the weeks leading up to race day, AMC grooms sections of the trail with a PistenBully snow groomer. Staff volunteers help with course setup and safety, including placing barricades along key stretches of the route. On race day, AMC’s education team offers family-friendly programming at the start line, and lodging and hospitality staff volunteer at checkpoints to help keep both mushers and dogs moving safely in the right direction. AMC also contributes critical equipment like snowmobiles and tote sleds, staff time to transport gear through the woods, and raffle donations, reinforcing a long-standing partnership built on showing up, pitching in, and supporting the broader North Maine Woods community. “I can’t tell you what a difference AMC has made,” says Bob Ludwig, Vice President of the Wilderness Sled Dog Race Board. “You’ve taken it up a whole level.”
Bob Ludwig with AMC’s Carolyn Ziegra and Steve Tatko.
By the time the last team disappears into the woods, the noise settles into something quieter—the low murmur of spectators, the crunch of boots on snow, the smell of woodsmoke drifting across the empty raceway. Folks drift into the restaurant for a hot meal. Somewhere out in the 100 Mile Wilderness, sled runners are slipping over packed trail, dogs are panting, and volunteers wait by fires and checkpoints, listening for padded footfalls. Hours from now, those same dogs will burst back into the clearing, tongues out, eyes bright, snow flying as they cross the finish line to cheers and cowbells. It’s cold, it’s loud, it’s a little chaotic—and it’s exactly what makes the Wilderness Sled Dog Race so special: the shared effort of community, a visceral connection to winter that connects past and present, and a reminder of the simple joy of running in the snow.
Want to catch the action yourself? This year’s Wilderness Sled Dog Race will be held on February 7, 2026! Book a stay at Medawisla, where you can drive into Greenville to watch the race from the starting line, or ski or snowshoe to a viewpoint from Little Lyford or Gorman for an up-close-and-personal perspective.
Photo courtesy of the Wilderness Sled Dog Racing Association.