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Great Places To Go With Your Dog: Waterville Valley, New Hampshire

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.  

Dog friendly travel; Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
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!

Dog friendly Waterville Valley, New Hampshire
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 beautiful stream runs along this dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH
A section of the lovely stream that runs along the dog friendly trail in Waterville Valley, NH

Enjoying the long, dog friendly walking 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!

Winter Dog friendly travel
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.

Pet friendly travel in New Hampshire
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!


24 comments:

Dachshund Nola said...

That looks like a blast, minus the crappy hotel!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

It definitely was a blast, we love it! Next time I'll find a better hotel.

M. K. Clinton said...

It looks like a gorgeous place to getaway. It is difficult to find places that accept dogs and I have to blame those that don't pick up after them. I love that Icy was willing to pull the sled for Phoebe. ♥

Unknown said...

Oh my gosh, this looks like an amazing trip with the girls! I bet you loved watching Phoebe have so much fun in the snow too. The sledding video is just adorable!

We've been wanting to make a trip up the east coast one day and this area looks just gorgeous. I know the hotel kind of sucked, but it looks like you guys had a blast together and that's what make those great memories.

Unknown said...

Wow look at all that snow! I love all the amazing places there are to see that are dog friendly!

Unknown said...

Love this ... will bookmark it next time I head to New Hampshire. Dogtrotting.net is all about the dog-friendly travel. Yes, it is easier with two people but I've also had my dog with me while I tried to cross country ski, and at a skating rink early morning before anyone else go there.

LaylasWoof said...

Awww am sorry about the hotel but it looks like you had an amazing time, I wish I could do something like this with Layla

Golden Daily Scoop said...

New Hampshire is such a beautiful place, we travel there often. Now that we know it's dog friendly we are adding Waterville Valley to our list! Such a bummer that the hotel wasn't impressive, it's so hard to find nice and dog-friendly places. Thanks for sharing your trip with us! :)

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

It is so beautiful up in NH, and so is the resort area. I blame people who don't clean up after their dogs too, don't they realize they're the ones making it difficult for places to be dog friendly? Maybe they just don't care. Icy loved pulling Phoebe in the sled, but Phoebe kept jumping out, LOL!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

It really was one of the best trips we've taken with the dogs, especially out here on the East Coast. I highly recommend it, but but try to find a pet friendly condo and book way in advance. The dog friendly trail that runs along the back of the resort is fantastic. It's not often you find a place with that kind of dog friendly space!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

We were so lucky to find this place, the best part about it was the long, beautiful dog friendly trail along the back of the resort!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Oh wow, ice skating with the dog? I've never thought about that! This is a great place to take dogs because of the long, dog friendly trail around the property. You can hike it or X-country ski or snow shoe on it. Definitely check it out if you're in that area.

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

We did have a great time despite not liking the accommodations. The resort area is great and we had lots of outdoor fun in the snow!

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

Isn't it just gorgeous up there? We love it. Definitely add Waterville Valley to your list, you'll love that dog friendly trail! It can be so hard to find dog friendly lodging, next time I'll try to find one of the condos on property instead. I think a few are pet friendly but you need advance notice.

The Daily Pip said...

Ice pulling Phoebe - oh my gosh, so cute! Sounds like you had a great trip in spite of not being able to find a nice pet friendly lodge. The big fireplace does look nice - maybe they will read your review and update the rooms. LOL

Pawesome Cats said...

New Hampshire looks like a beautiful vacation spot for families with dogs. Shared.

Raising Your Pets Naturally with Tonya Wilhelm said...

That looks like a lot of fun! I so want to visit New Hampshire. I prefer when it's warm!

Kitty Cat Chronicles said...

Sounds like so much fun! Love all the photos. Looks like the dogs enjoyed themselves too. It's always nice to be able to take your pets with you on vacation!

Beth said...

I'm glad you were able to enjoy the great things about your trip and that the hotel didn't put a damper on the whole experience!

Sweet Purrfections said...

I need to travel to New England. I've only been to Boston and Providence, but I was in meetings most of the day.

Robin said...

It looks like it was a great trip despite the difficult lodging situation. There aren't a whole lot of pet friendly places here in Michigan either. I love the dogs both got into going out in the snow! They are so adorable.
-Purrs from your friends at www.PlayfulKitty.net

Tenacious Little Terrier said...

Maybe Phoebe needs a seat belt! It can be hard finding dog-friendly lodging that doesn't cost an arm and a leg and is not dingy.

Barbara Rivers said...

What a bummer that your lodge wasn't dog-friendly. I've had a ton of good luck with Red Roof Inns. We've stayed there about 6 times now when traveling in TN, NC and SC. I LOVED the video of Icy pulling Phoebe on the sled though. So cool! And great to hear that you got some skiing in. I'd love to take my pups cross-country skiing. It's definitely on my to-do list.

Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them said...

I love that we were able to get Icy to pull Phoebe on the sled, it was so cute! It was still a great trip but yeah, that place needs an overhaul in the worst way!

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