The best months for huskies in Levi
The dogs can run whenever there is enough snow, so the husky season in Levi is long. Each stretch of it feels different, from the blue twilight around Christmas to the long sunny afternoons of March. Pick your weeks for the light and the cold you can live with.
Snow decides when the dogs run
Husky rides around Levi need a solid snow cover on the forest trails and the frozen lakes. In most winters that gives a season running roughly from late November or December to early April. The start and end shift with the snow.
An early cold snap can open the trails sooner, and a mild spell can hold them back. Operators set their own dates, so check the listing for the week you have in mind before you plan a trip around it.
Levi sits in Kittilä municipality, roughly 170 km (105 miles) north of the Arctic Circle, around a fell of about 530 m. That far north the snow tends to stay once it has fallen, which helps the late part of the season.
Polar night around Christmas
For a few weeks around Christmas the sun does not climb above the horizon in Levi. This is the polar night (kaamos in Finnish), and it is not the pitch darkness people picture.
Around midday a blue twilight settles over the snow for a few hours, sometimes with a pink edge along the southern sky. The rides run in that light, and the forest looks soft and quiet rather than black.
The trade-off is photos. Shutter speeds drop and a running team blurs easily, so expect mood more than sharp action shots. A phone copes better than you might think if you hold it steady from the sled.
January, the coldest weeks
January is usually the coldest and darkest full month in Levi. The days stay short even after the sun comes back, and a cold spell can push the temperature below -30 °C (-22 °F).
On a moving sled that cold bites harder, because the wind of the ride adds to it. Our guide to dressing for a husky sled covers the layers, and why the person sitting in the sled gets colder than the driver.
The upside is quieter trails once the holiday rush has gone home, and snow that is usually deep and well packed. If you handle the cold well, the first half of January can be a calm time to go.
February and March, the bright half
From February the days stretch quickly. By March you get long afternoons of sunlight on deep snow, and the air is often a little kinder, around -10 to -20 °C (14 to -4 °F) on many days.
This is the stretch most photographers prefer. The sun sits high enough to freeze a running team in a picture, and blue skies over white forest are common on clear days.
Families tend to like these months too, since a child sitting in a sled copes better with a few extra degrees of warmth. Our page on husky sledding with children goes into ages and limits.
Early April can still bring good trails, but the end of the season depends on how fast the snow softens. If you book that late, pick a listing with free cancellation in case the trails close early.
A month for each kind of trip
- Late November and early December: the first rides of the winter, with short days but fewer visitors
- Christmas and New Year: polar night twilight in the busiest weeks, with the highest prices in Levi
- January: the deepest cold, quieter trails after the holidays
- February and March: long bright days, deep snow, the easiest light for photos
- Early April: the last rides, if the snow holds
Christmas and New Year fill up first
The weeks around Christmas and New Year are the busiest and most expensive in Levi. Hotels and flights to Kittilä airport cost more then, and popular husky departures can sell out days ahead.
If those are your dates, book the ride when you book the flight. Most listings on GetYourGuide allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before, so booking early costs you little flexibility.
In the dark weeks a tour with pickup spares you a cold wait at a bus stop. Arctic Circle Snowmobile Park's 7 km self-drive ride from ~$221 has pickup available. It runs about 3 hours, with warm drinks after the ride.
A 7 km drive with pickup available
You share a sled with a partner and switch drivers along the way, with a photo stop on the trail. It holds 4.7 from 500+ reviews on GetYourGuide. The catch is the group, which can reach 20 people.
Each of you drives about half of the 7 km (about 4 miles), so your own time on the runners is shorter than the number suggests. Our guide to driving or riding along compares the different setups.
Fitting a ride into your stay
Book the husky ride for the first or second day of your trip. If snow conditions or a hard frost move it, you still have days left to rebook.
In the dark weeks a morning or midday slot gives you the best of the twilight. Later in the winter almost any daytime slot has light, so you can pair the ride with an afternoon of skiing on Levi fell.
Our price comparison sets the five rides side by side if the budget decides your dates. Hoping for the aurora as well? Read our guide to huskies by day and auroras by night.
The reindeer and husky trip puts both animals into one outing and works in any month of the season. Its pickup at your hotel is handy in the coldest weeks.