Dog Vacations New England

Dog Vacations New England – We call this trip “Lincoln’s List” because this itinerary was created with our best furry friend in mind.

Our puppy Lincoln has been traveling with us since 2019 and is a big part of why we love to travel. Simply put, hopping in the car is the most affordable way for us to travel with him (and we take Lincoln with us almost everywhere we go).

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Favorite travel destination in the last 3 years and what would he choose if he could design our next trip.

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(2) woods, hiking, and lots of time outside (and he’ll probably tell us he prefers places with few people, but squirrels and lots of smells),

(3) beaches and lakes with easy access to water where he can cool off next to sand and mud where he can smell the air, and

So we rethought our travel catalog and created this trip with Lincoln’s wish list in mind. If you’re looking for dog-friendly travel ideas because you have a dog that wants to do everything you do when you travel, this is for you!

Lincoln brings you to New England on this road trip because of the great summer and fall weather, outdoor activities abound, and you’ll find one of the most dog-friendly national parks in the United States.

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This itinerary is similar to our Wicked Good: 10-Day NE Road Trip itinerary, but with only the best stops and suggestions for taking your pup!

In summer, take advantage of the long daylight hours and cooler temperatures than many other countries at this time of year. Or take a fall trip to take advantage of the beautiful fall foliage at one of the best places in the world for leaf peeping.

We spent 5 months in Ontario and New England during the 2022 travel season. We spent two weeks in July in VT, a long weekend camping on Schodick Peninsula in Acadia National Park in early August, three weeks near Lake Placid, NY in the middle of to the end of August, a month in Kempton, NH in September, three weeks in Ellsworth. , ME in early October and three weeks in Attleboro, MA in late October. (We also spent three weeks in Ontario at the beginning of the trip.)

These months are not a bad time to be in New England. Sure, the summer months can be hot at night, but make sure your rental has air conditioning and you’ll be fine. (To be fair, we’re saying this as someone who lives in Texas, so our tolerance for heat is probably higher than someone who lives up north all year round. However, we also don’t do anything without air conditioning, so In a sense, our tolerance , maybe lower, ha!)

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However, we will say that if you want to time your trip around the beautiful autumn leaves, try to travel in the second week of October. Although spots known for greens will be busy (like Kancamagus Highway and Stowe, VT), the view will be worth it!

RTL Tip: Will you be spending more time walking or on the water during your trip? Visit in July or August. Do you want to take a beautiful autumn leaf walk with the breath of a warm apple on your hand? Visit in October. Want cooler temperatures but less crowds? Visited in September.

Lincoln must have loved the trip we were about to go on because it made it so much easier for him to join us. If you are close enough to any point on this road trip to drive, we recommend it. Drive to the nearest point on this route and make a full circle to return home.

However, if you can’t get here by car and you have a nice dog on the plane, you can fly into Boston International Airport and pick up a rental car upon landing. If you are flying, we recommend rearranging this route and going from Boston > Lake Placid > Stowe > Lincoln, NH > Acadia National Park > Portland > Boston.

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Notes. If you live too far away to drive to any point on this road trip, and there’s no way your dog can get on the plane (including Lincoln, unless he’s flying personally in the seat next to you, ha!) let us know in the comments. below where you live and let’s ask Lincoln to make another list closer to your initial destination.

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Mirror lake. Mirror Lake Inn offers dog-friendly rooms and a restaurant with a dog-friendly patio. Can’t find anything in Lake Placid? Try near Wilmington.)

For Stowe, consider Smugglers’ Notch State Park Campground or downtown Stowe. (You can also look into Burlington, about 40 minutes away. The city of Burlington is incredibly dog-friendly!)

For Acadia National Park, consider Blackwoods Campground or the town of Bar Harbor. (Can’t find anything? Try Ellsworth, ME. If you end up in Ellsworth, check out the Blue Hill Mountain Sunset Walk. It’s spectacular, dog-friendly, and rivals Acadia’s views at 1/100 people!)

Lincoln (a city not to be confused with our dog who shares the same name) is located in the middle of New Hampshire’s White Mountains. That’s what makes it a great place to start your dog-friendly journey.

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You could easily spend a week exploring this area of New Hampshire on your own, as there are so many dog-friendly activities nearby! (We spent a month here and couldn’t do and see everything on our list!)

But since we only plan one day for you to experience the White Mountains on this trip, here are our top recommendations for things to do.

This is a bonus because you can actually drive the Cancamagus Highway on the way from Portland to Lincoln. (So come back to this section when you’re on the road. If you don’t do all the routes on this route, consider spending about two hours driving back and forth on the Cancamagus Highway while you stay in the city. . Lincoln.)

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Cancamagus Highway is a 34 mile stretch between Lincoln, NH and Conway, NH. It is one of the most popular drives in New Hampshire and one of the best places in the United States to see fall leaves. Although there are many viewpoints and trails on this scenic drive that can keep you busy throughout the trip, we recommend stopping at several viewpoints instead of hiking on this drive. (We should be better next time!) Note: Visiting in the fall? Get up in the morning. This ride gets crowded quickly, so go the night before or call yourself early to avoid long lines and heavy traffic on the way to your next destination. The Cancamagus Highway is great, but ideally not your only activity for the day!

Let’s get you and your pup out of the car in the woods! Hiking is our most popular activity during the month in New Hampshire. We go out exploring every weekend and many weeknights. Spending time outside on the trails is one of the best things to do in New Hampshire.

You can see all of our favorite hikes in New Hampshire here, but if you want our top recommendation, we recommend heading to Welch-Dickie Mountain. This approximately 4.4 mile loop is a beautiful half day hike with sweeping mountain views. It’s dog-friendly, great exercise, and lots of fun if you’re willing to take on the varied terrain between exposed rocks and forest trails.

If you are looking for this walk using all trails, look for Welch-Dickey Loop Trail (not “Welch Mountain Rock Ridge” or “Welch and Dickey Mountains”). As you complete the loop route, you will see a rocky ridge

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Both Welch and Dickey Hill. We recommend walking counter-clockwise so that you climb the hill in the steeper part. (Especially if it’s wet, or if you’re visiting during fall foliage when the leaves are on the ground, this helps. Take your time as the terrain can get slippery.)

Dog friendly? Very true. Everything on this line is Lincoln (dog) approved! Just be aware that this walk has steep sections on exposed rocks.

RTL Tip: Get a grip