Like Yosemite, but dog-friendly
January 14, 2016 2:16 PM Subscribe
I'd like to go on vacation in August somewhere that's similar to Yosemite (Sierra, wilderness, gorgeous). But! I'd like to bring my dog (as well as my husband and 4.5-year-old child). I'm not taking my dog to Yosemite. Also, no camping.
We live on the San Francisco Peninsula, we will be driving, and we won't be camping. I'd like to do the opposite of camping, if possible. Staying at the Ritz, in the wilderness, with my dog!
My dog is a 60-pound lab mix.
I feel like Tahoe is the answer here, but I find "Tahoe" to be too overwhelming a category. California or Nevada? North Shore or South? What is the difference? So, sure, Tahoe, but can you be more specific?
I'd be delighted to get non-Tahoe answers too.
We live on the San Francisco Peninsula, we will be driving, and we won't be camping. I'd like to do the opposite of camping, if possible. Staying at the Ritz, in the wilderness, with my dog!
My dog is a 60-pound lab mix.
I feel like Tahoe is the answer here, but I find "Tahoe" to be too overwhelming a category. California or Nevada? North Shore or South? What is the difference? So, sure, Tahoe, but can you be more specific?
I'd be delighted to get non-Tahoe answers too.
Kit Carson Lodge is a couple passes south of Lake Tahoe. High Sierra, granite, pretty lake, etc.
Cabins, and dogs are okay, iirc.
Check vrbo and airbnb... There are lots of rustic cabins along Highway 50 above Placerville. (My family has one.) Vacation rentals aren't technically permitted, but lots of cabin owners do it. (We don't.)
posted by notyou at 2:37 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Cabins, and dogs are okay, iirc.
Check vrbo and airbnb... There are lots of rustic cabins along Highway 50 above Placerville. (My family has one.) Vacation rentals aren't technically permitted, but lots of cabin owners do it. (We don't.)
posted by notyou at 2:37 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Unless your heart is set on a hotel, you want rent a fancy cabin or condo in North Shore. There are lots of dog friendly places in Tahoe (which highly allergic me has found out the hard way more than once). My family's used Hauserman in Tahoe City for years; they're great and have a wide range of properties.
posted by smirkette at 2:45 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by smirkette at 2:45 PM on January 14, 2016 [1 favorite]
Bring Fido is a website that can help you search for dog friendly hotels, restaurants, etc. In California, generally speaking, you want to look for restaurants with outdoor seating. They typically have no problem with you bringing your (well behaved, well controlled) pet to the café seating portion of the restaurant. This is fairly common in San Diego County, less common in other places I have been, but findable.
posted by Michele in California at 2:54 PM on January 14, 2016
posted by Michele in California at 2:54 PM on January 14, 2016
In California, dogs are not allowed on non-paved trails in virtually all state parks or national parks. The best option that leaves you are National Forests, particularly the areas within National Forests that have been designated Wilderness Areas -they tend to have the best scenery bang for your buck out of all of the non-National/State parks. Here's a list of some of the really great wilderness areas in CA.
My recommendation would be to rent a cabin or get a dog-friendly hotel room in the west or south Tahoe area, and check out Desolation Wilderness, which is directly west of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado National Forest. It's a pretty popular area, so you aren't going to actually get any desolation in August, but it's popular because it's gorgeous. Lots of options for hiking in, but a relatively easy and nice day hike would be starting at the Emerald Bay trailhead right next to Lake Tahoe and hiking in west to Eagle Lake, do a picnic lunch, and hike back out. It'll be less crowded on the west side of Desolation than the east side (i.e. next to Lake Tahoe), but I'm not sure about good day hikes in that area. Other easily accessible wilderness areas in the Sierras that should have cabins available nearby to consider are Granite Chief Wilderness (near a bunch of ski resorts off of 80 west of Tahoe), Emigrant Wilderness (south of Tahoe), and maybe Hoover Wilderness (even further south, on the NW border of Yosemite). All of them are gorgeous to backpack through, but google around to figure out whether you can get great scenery if you just head in a couple of miles.
posted by Jaclyn at 2:56 PM on January 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
My recommendation would be to rent a cabin or get a dog-friendly hotel room in the west or south Tahoe area, and check out Desolation Wilderness, which is directly west of Lake Tahoe in El Dorado National Forest. It's a pretty popular area, so you aren't going to actually get any desolation in August, but it's popular because it's gorgeous. Lots of options for hiking in, but a relatively easy and nice day hike would be starting at the Emerald Bay trailhead right next to Lake Tahoe and hiking in west to Eagle Lake, do a picnic lunch, and hike back out. It'll be less crowded on the west side of Desolation than the east side (i.e. next to Lake Tahoe), but I'm not sure about good day hikes in that area. Other easily accessible wilderness areas in the Sierras that should have cabins available nearby to consider are Granite Chief Wilderness (near a bunch of ski resorts off of 80 west of Tahoe), Emigrant Wilderness (south of Tahoe), and maybe Hoover Wilderness (even further south, on the NW border of Yosemite). All of them are gorgeous to backpack through, but google around to figure out whether you can get great scenery if you just head in a couple of miles.
posted by Jaclyn at 2:56 PM on January 14, 2016 [2 favorites]
How about southern Oregon? Is that too far? Look at Grant's Pass or Ashland for a bit of culture, too.
posted by bluedaisy at 3:02 PM on January 14, 2016
posted by bluedaisy at 3:02 PM on January 14, 2016
We stayed at Mother Nature's Inn in Tahoe City once with our dog. They're super pet-friendly, with lots of little extras for Fido.
posted by humboldt32 at 3:46 PM on January 14, 2016
posted by humboldt32 at 3:46 PM on January 14, 2016
You can probably find places that meet your specs in Napa. We take our dog (camping) everywhere we go, from Napa to Yosemite, and there are plenty of trails leashed dogs can go on in both places (Coyote Peak in Napa, and the entire main valley floor of Yosemite). Both places have luxury lodging that will allow dogs, if you're willing to pay a deposit.
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:27 PM on January 14, 2016
posted by late afternoon dreaming hotel at 4:27 PM on January 14, 2016
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Okay, can I tell you how much I LONG to be at Northstar right now?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:24 PM on January 14, 2016