There may be no place like home for the holidays, but now that you’ve packed up the ornaments and packed off the in-laws, you may be pining for a destination that really IS no place like home.
And of course you’re not going to ditch your dog, right? After all, she waited up for you after all those seasonal parties and lent an ear when you vented about the interminable lines at the mall. A friend like this deserves a vacation, too.
It’s time to pack your bags for Tahoe.
With its crisp mountain air, picture-perfect Alpine scenery, and (with any luck) magnificent snow, the Lake Tahoe area provides a glorious change from our Bay Area environs and is the perfect place to melt away any lingering holiday stresses. It’s far enough away to make it feel like a real vacation, but not so far that you can’t make a long weekend of it, with plenty of time to play once you get there.
In the summer, a few Tahoe ski resorts give dogs the run of their land. You and your dog can glide up the slopes via ski gondolas and hike down beautiful open hills or on woodsy trails. In the winter, for obvious reasons, dogs are banned from these prime skiing areas. Galloping dogs amid whooshing skiers and boarders is not a pretty picture.
There are plenty of dog sitters and doggy daycare facilities ready to take in your furry friend if you simply must have a downhill day (ask your lodging hosts for recommendations). But if you are content with other kinds of outdoor play, you and your dog can have the time of your lives together at Tahoe.
The ultimate snow dog vacation begins with wonderful lodging that provides big outdoor fun – like hiking, cross-country skiing, or snowshoeing – right at the property. The next best thing is lodging where you can at least build a snow dog together and then drive a short distance to a dog-friendly snow-covered recreation area.
What follows are brief descriptions of a few such magical places around the greater Tahoe region, plus a groomed cross-country-ski area where you can go if your place of lodging doesn’t provide easy access to the outdoors. If you’re interested in gambling more than skiing, you can bet I’ve covered that, too.
Dog-Friendly Lodging
SODA SPRINGS
Shinneyboo Creek Cabin Resort
www.shinneyboocreek.com
530-587-5160
“The Boo,” as this place is affectionately known by regulars, is paradise for active pooches and people. Its eight enchanting new cabins (free of phones and TVs) are set on 160 acres of Sierra beauty along the south fork of the Yuba River – all surrounded on three sides by dog-friendly Tahoe National Forest.
The friendly Rogers family owns this piece of heaven and welcomes well-behaved dogs to romp off-leash when away from the cabins. You can borrow snowshoes or a sled from the Rogers and enjoy an invigorating day outdoors without ever having to start up your car. While exploring the land, visit the resort’s yurt, where you can cozy up to a fire, make some hot chocolate, read a book, and enjoy some quiet time. When you return to your cabin, light your cast-iron fireplace and soak in your jetted bathtub. Ahh…
TRUCKEE
Cedar House Sport Hotel
www.cedarhousesporthotel.com
866-582-5655
This 42-room, contemporary-yet-cozy lodging is the most attractive, comfortable, and welcoming dog-friendly place to stay in this neck of the woods. The hotel’s cedar exterior, “green” roof, and bold architecture usher you inside to rooms worthy of a design magazine. They’re modern and open and kind of organic-feeling, with microfiber/leather beds topped by Euro-style mattresses, down comforters from Germany, bent plywood furniture, and luxurious, white towels and linens. All rooms have a fridge, flat-screen TV, and free Wi-Fi.
The owner, Patty, welcomes dogs (certain breeds restricted) and provides treats, special dog beds, and bowls to make sure they’re happy. She can point you to a couple of nearby areas where you can hike or even snowshoe with your dog at your side.
SOUTH LAKE TAHOE
Holly’s Place
www.hollysplace.com
800-745-7041
The wonderfully cozy cabins on this 2.5-acre property are nestled under fragrant pines, and the land is completely enclosed by a six-foot-high wall of stacked firewood. That means well-behaved dogs can be off leash here, a recipe for canine bliss. If your dog has never romped in snow, this is an easy place to introduce her.
Inn at Heavenly B&B Lodge
www.innatheavenly.com
800-692-2246
If you like mountains, trees, steam baths, saunas, and bed-and-breakfast inns, and if you really like your dog, sniff out this sweet place surrounded by a lovely wooded park. Most rooms have river-rock gas fireplaces, patchwork quilts, and even log furniture, keeping you and your dog as cozy as can be.
TAHOMA
Tahoe Lake Cottages
www.tahoelakecottages.com
800-852-8246
Dogs think this place is tops, but not necessarily because of the cozy cottages with full kitchens, knotty-pine interiors, and “old Tahoe” shingled exteriors. What they appreciate most is the old-growth cedars and sugar pines that surround those cottages, which smell wonderful to humans, too.
In winter you can play on the property or head down the road just a bone’s throw to Sugar Pine Point State Park, where you can cross-country ski, snowshoe, or just hike with your happy dog at your side. (You’ll officially be on snow-covered paved roads for the most part, where dogs are allowed, even in the oft-restrictive state park system.) Mike Lafferty, the friendly owner of the cottages, will tell you how to get there.
HOPE VALLEY
Sorensen’s Resort
www.sorensensresort.com
800-423-9949
At this absolutely enchanting place, six of the 33 nicely appointed cabins permit pooches, and some have gas log fireplaces for your happy dog to curl up in front of on cold winter nights. Several trails that start here are ideal for snowshoeing or cross-country skiing with your dog. You can just about ski right out your front door! There’s an on-site cafe that’s open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not many places around here take dogs, so these cabins are in high demand. Reserve well in advance.
Dog-Friendly Skiing
Ski-daddle In Tahoe City
www.tahoexc.org
530-583-5475
Your happy, leash-free dog can trot along beside you on five miles of beautifully groomed dog-friendly trails here. (Leashes are required only at the trailhead and parking lot.) The ski lodge is just as welcoming as the trails. Inside the cozy lounge you’ll find plenty of dog biscuits, as well as hot chocolate and cookies for people.
A Gambler’s Paradise
Montbleu Resort, Casino, and Spa in Lake Tahoe
www.montbleuresort.com
888-829-7630
The elegant Montbleu Resort, Casino and Spa – completely transformed from its previous incarnation as Caesar’s – is the perfect place for a gambler’s vacation; dogs are allowed to stay alone in the rooms. In fact, you get a special doorknob tag for times when your dog is on her own, so a housekeeper doesn’t let herself in and get surprised. As long as your dog isn’t anxious when left alone in strange places, it’s an ideal setup. You can gamble, check on her, gamble some more, take her for a walk, and so on into the night.
Dogs get treated like royalty here. When you sign up for the hotel’s Pet Package, your dog gets a special bed, water and food bowls, a biscuit or two, a keepsake pet tag, and access to a doggy room-service menu.
The staff is happy to point you toward the hotel’s small dog-walking area (it’s not fenced, so leashes are a must) and the dog-friendly Lam Watah Trail that leads to the lake. During winter, the hotel can arrange a horse-drawn sled trip for you and your dog.
I hope this little guide helps you have a wonderful winter vacation with your dog. Happy trails!
Maria Goodavage is author of The Dog Lover’s Companion to California, which is coming out in its sixth edition this spring. Check it out at www.caldogtravel.com.
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