If you're a regular visitor to my blog, you know how much I Love dog friendly New Hampshire and Vermont! Born and raised on Long Island, New York, trips to New England were common. I learned to ski in Vermont and hiked many of the beautiful New Hampshire mountains.
DOG FRIENDLY NEW HAMPSHIRE
One of my greatest joys was bringing our dogs, Icy and Phoebe (& now Jessie) hiking with us in the New England area. New England is spectacular and full of activities to do all year round.
For a few years now we've gone hiking in the New Hampshire Winters. I hadn't been to NH in the Summer in awhile. But this Summer, we took a long road trip from Florida to the N. Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains, to Traverse City, MI and then on to my beloved New Hampshire.
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| My dog Jessie in the car, ready for our road trip adventure! |
Jessie is our only dog now (*sigh*), and we brought her along on this road trip adventure. My last two blog posts covered our visits to the N. Carolina mountains and Traverse City, MI.
Today I want to share the New Hampshire leg of our road trip. I hope you enjoy it, and that it inspires you to put dog friendly New Hampshire on your travel list!
Hiking With Dogs in New Hampshire
Wow, there is so much great hiking all across New Hampshire! Snowshoeing too. Most of the hiking trails in New Hampshire allow dogs, but always check before you set out on a hike with your dog.
Our favorite place to hike with dogs in New Hampshire is Waterville Valley. I've posted about that a few times - I'm a total Watervilian! The Waterville Valley resort area is peaceful and quaint, and pretty dog friendly.
They only have two dog friendly lodgings in the resort area, but most of the surrounding hiking trails allow dogs. We actually like to stay at a Marriott Fairfield Inn & Suites in nearby Plymouth, NH, about 20 minutes away.
It's a beautiful hotel and they're super dog friendly. We're really comfortable there and the staff is just great. Bonus! There's a Market Basket grocery store next door which we love! It's easy to pick up prepared food or pizza at the grocery store after a long day of hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, kayaking, or just sight seeing.
New Hampshire has 48 4,000-footers (mountains over 4,000 feet high). That is a Lot of hiking opportunity! You could probably spend years hiking New Hampshire and not get to all of them.
Some of the hiking trails are extremely challenging, so if you plan to hike New Hampshire, do your research before heading out! Carefully assess your dog's hiking abilities if you plan to bring him along.
Here's a short video clip from the Smarts Brook hiking trail. Little Jessie was able to handle this hike easily so it's a good choice for a dog friendly hike.
The trails I like best in the Waterville area are the dog friendly walking trail in the Waterville Valley resort, the Mount Tecumseh hiking trail, and the Smarts Brook trail.
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| Hiking trails in the Waterville Valley area |
Wherever you decide to hike in New Hampshire, be sure to have plenty of water for yourself and your dog. Make sure you have proper footwear, and if it's a cold Winter day make sure your dog has proper paw protection.
Kayaking With Your Dog in New Hampshire
New Hampshire is known for it's majestic mountains, but it's also known for it's beautiful lakes. People love spending time on the lakes; kayaking, boating, and fishing are hugely popular on New Hampshire's lakes.
We love kayaking, and two of the really popular lakes in New Hampshire, Squam Lake and Lake Winnipesaukee both offer kayaking. You can rent kayaks at both lakes if you don't have your own.
Kayaking on Squam Lake
We chose to visit Squam Lake for our kayaking excursion. It was closer to where we stayed, it's not as huge as Lake Winnipesaukee, and they make it very easy to rent kayaks right on the lake.
If you decide to take your dog kayaking, be sure to have a life jacket for her and assess whether or not it's the right activity for your dog. If she's terrified of water, please don't take her out on the lake! Dogs need time to acclimate to being on or in the water. Vacation is usually not the best time to do that.
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| Kayak on Squam Lake, New Hampshire |
We had a great time kayaking on Squam Lake! It's a fairly active lake, but it wasn't crowded with kayakers or boaters especially since it was mid-week.
Lake Winnipesaukee, New Hampshire
At 72 square miles in size, Lake Winnipesaukee is the largest lake in New Hampshire. I'd say it's definitely the most popular and most crowded of New Hampshire's lakes.
However, there is a lot going on around this lake and there's a lot to do both on and off the lake. There are a couple of towns around the lake with plenty of dining, shopping, and more. It's a fun place to be!
We didn't choose to kayak on Lake Winnipesaukee mainly because we wanted a quieter, more low key place to kayak. We did however, spend a day in Meredith, one of the towns along Lake Winnipesaukee. I had a great time shopping in Meredith Village, I bought this adorable shirt for Jessie there!
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| Jessie's "Crabby But Cute" shirt I got her in Meredith, NH |
Meredith is so charming, it's one of those quintessential New England towns! I can't wait to go back there again in Fall or at Christmas time, it must look so beautiful and quaint.
You can definitely bring your dog kayaking with you on many of the beautiful lakes in New Hampshire, but not every one of them. Whichever lake you want to take your dog on, be sure to check regulations and restrictions first before bringing your dog to the lake.
Most lakes across the U.S. have some kind of marine patrol for safety. If you violate lake rules you can be kicked off the lake, and even fined. So always check first!
Dining in New Hampshire
There weren't a ton of dining opportunities in Waterville Valley or the town of Plymouth, where we were staying. However, the town of Meredith, at Lake Winnipesaukee, had plenty of dining opportunities. There are lots of cute places to eat all around the lake area.
Meredith was great for dining, but we also found two terrific restaurants in the area. The Woodstock Inn Brewery in Woodstock, and The Covered Bridge Farm Table in Plymouth. Both had great food and a wonderful atmosphere. The Covered Bridge is on a river with an adorable wooden covered bridge right beside it!
Our full road trip was long, over 4,000 miles round trip! But it was really fun and so enjoyable. It was great to get out of the punishing Florida Summer heat, and it was wonderful to spend time in such lovely towns across 3 different states. I'm happy to report that Jessie did fabulously on the trip! I worried a 4 week, 3 state vacation might be too much for her, but she just loved it. She is turning into quite the Adventure Dog!
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| It's been a loooong road trip, hasn't it Jessie? |
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Find these adorable, useful Gift Baskets and Gift Boxes for Dog Moms & Dog Dads in my Etsy shop, Nature and Critters. I'd really appreciate it if you'd visit my shop!
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You may also be interested in these blog posts:
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Dog Friendly Winter Vacation in New Hampshire
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