If you read my blog regularly, you've probably figured out that dog friendly vacations and great dog friendly hotels are my world! I love sharing the adventures we go on with our dogs, Icy and Phoebe. Today I'd like to share some dog friendly fun in Waterville Valley, New Hampshire!
Waterville Valley, New Hampshire is a Great Dog Friendly Vacation Destination
Traveling With Dogs Takes Planning
When we first started traveling with the dogs and I had to plan dog friendly getaways, it helped me a lot to read about how other pet parents found great places to visit with dogs. It isn't always easy to find great pet friendly hotels and activities. We've been traveling with our dogs for several years, and now we're in the pet travel groove! We have shared many of our wonderful dog friendly adventures on this blog, and we'll continue to do so to help others plan their own great dog friendly vacations!
We stopped for a photo on a bridge along this beautiful dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH
Our latest travel adventure with Icy and Phoebe was a trip to the Waterville Valley, New Hampshire ski resort. No, the dogs didn't do any skiing, I did! New Hampshire is one of six states that make up New England, and it's one of my favorite New England states to visit. The other states that make up the New England region in the Northeastern United States are; Maine, Vermont, Rhode Island, Massachusetts and Connecticut. All these states are beautiful in every season and each one has something special to offer. However, we love New Hampshire the best, in both Winter and Summer. Waterville Valley is one of the best dog friendly vacations we've been on, so we go back as often as we can.
Years ago we discovered beautiful Waterville Valley Resort in New Hampshire. It's a resort area with a small town square, condos and other lodgings. It's geared toward outdoor activities such as skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, and other fun activities. There's an indoor ice skating rink as well. We had been there a few times many years ago when we didn't have a dog. We always knew it was family friendly but until recently we didn't know it was also dog friendly.
Town Square in Waterville Valley resort, NH
The absolute BEST part of taking our dogs with us to Waterville Valley is the dog friendly trail that runs along the back side of the resort. It's actually a cross country ski trail, but dogs and foot traffic are allowed on this particular trail. We took the dogs hiking each day. It's a nice long trail, we had so much fun and it was just beautiful!
Icy pulls Phoebe in a sled along the dog friendly trail
We bought this adorable little sled for the trip and Icy had fun pulling Phoebe on it. However, Phoebe didn't want to stay put in the sled, she kept jumping out! It was a riot.
As we meandered along the trail, we took in all the crisp mountain air and the gorgeous scenery. This lovely stream runs all along the length of the trail. The soothing sounds of the stream and the birds chirping happily were so relaxing. We desperately needed to relax and unplug from all the craziness of daily life, and this was the ideal place to do that!
A section of the lovely stream that runs along the dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH
Icy and Phoebe pause to take in the beauty of the mountains during our hike
I wish I could lead into telling you we found a great dog friendly hotel to stay in, but that's not the case. There are very few pet friendly lodgings in Waterville Valley. Much of the lodgings are privately owned condominiums that don't welcome pets. The few we did find were all booked up, you need to book those well in advance. We found a dog friendly place to stay but it was pretty awful. The place itself was older but it's a nice rustic lodge. It definitely could use some updating but with a rustic feel it worked. What didn't work at all was the dog friendly room! When you travel with dogs you don't expect the Ritz for sure, but it should at least not be horrible!
The lobby area was one of the nicest parts of our hotel. The giant scarf around the moose's neck was adorable!
I won't say the name of the hotel, I would never recommend it for travel with dogs or other pets, and I'm not one to badmouth products or places on my blog. Suffice to say that the dog friendly room was super outdated, and by outdated I mean downright dingy! Next time we travel to Waterville Valley with our dogs I'll look for a much better dog friendly place to stay. Either that or I'll just leave the dogs home. The only good thing about our room was the view of the stream from our window.
Phoebe stops for a photo by the stream along the dog friendly trail
I was amazed at how much Phoebe loved being in Waterville Valley! She normally Hates the cold and doesn't even want to go out in the yard to potty. But something happened to transform my fluffy delicate dog into a snow dog! She was racing along the trail each day, and even during nighttime potty breaks she was happy to be walking around the village. Who was this dog?!? I guess there's a bit of magic in those mountains.
Here's a quickie video of us Icy pulling Phoebe on the sled:
John and I had some fun of our own too, we both had a chance to ski! You may be wondering how we swung that with two dogs. I like to downhill ski and John is a cross country skier, so we ski separately anyway. I got to go skiing while he watched the dogs. When it was his turn to ski I stayed with the dogs. The cross country trails are right at the resort and the downhill trails are a quick shuttle ride up the road so it worked out great!
We each had some fun bonding time alone with the dogs out on the trail and we both got a chance to ski. The skiing was terrific, and being mid week the slopes & trails were practically empty, I felt like I had the whole mountain to myself!
Despite the crummy accommodations, it was an awesome trip! I would definitely recommend a trip to Waterville Valley Resort, just be cautious about where you stay if you brings your dog or cat along. Happy Trails!
What would you think about a trip to Waterville Valley? Leave us a comment, we always LOVE hearing from you!
