- Boat Ride
Experience Squam offers boat excursions tailored to your needs. The prices are reasonable and our boat driver, Cindy, was full of knowledge about Squam Lake and the surrounding area. After all, she has been giving boat excursions for over 20 years! I signed up for a dog-friendly boat excursion for myself, my dog Max, and my brother’s dog Bowie. It was Bowie’s birthday week and neither of the boys have been on a boat before, so we signed up for the minimum 1.5 hours just incase they did not enjoy it. Now I know to book longer next time because the dogs had a BLAST. Cindy took them to a small island where they were able to run the trail around it and swim off the shores of it. It was about a 20 minute walk around the entire island with plenty of rocks and docks for the boys to jump into the water. I am pro life vest- Max wears one every time we go kayaking, but this particular day was almost 100 degrees out and I was worried about the dogs overheating in the sun, so in my risk-benefit analysis I decided to forego the life jackets. This was the best day of their lives. They had free reign of the boat and absolutely loved sitting up front with the wind in their face. I highly recommend this experience.
2. Lunch: The Common Man
Next, you and the dogs will have worked up an appetite, so you’ll want to head to nearby The Common Man in Ashland. Here they offer a dog-friendly patio where they even provided a water bowl. The food is great and the staff is very friendly towards the dogs.
3. Hike: Waterville Valley Estates Community Center trails
The Waterville Valley Estates has a community center with a few different walking trails around it. Our favorite was the “Village Loop” located just behind the pond. The dogs loved it because on a hot summer day they could jump in the pond to cool off, then walk the loop, then jump back in the pond afterwards. Alongside the pond you will find a beautiful field of wildflowers. There is a beach at the pond that has No Dogs Allowed signs, however after staying there for three weeks I noticed nobody listens to the sign and nobody enforces the sign, so all the dogs use the beach to access the pond. If not, there are grassy area on either side of the beach where the dogs can access the pond. We walked off our lunch with the village loop and the boys went for another swim.
4. Stay: Campton Cabin
The best place to stay is the dog-friendly AirBnB Campton Cabin. It is located in Waterville Estates, which gives you access to a community center that has indoor and outdoor pools and hot tubs, a game room, a sauna, a gym, a swimming/fishing pond, walking trails, a restaurant and bar, and more! Waterville Estates even has its own little ski mountain. The cabin itself offers three bedrooms and two full bathrooms, as well as a pull-out sofa. There is a wood burning stove for the winter and they have thought of everything for the dogs, including water bowls and toys. Outside, there is a large deck, a picnic table, a grill, and a firepit. I used the dog gates to keep Max on the deck, where he would spend hours sunbathing and watching the surrounding nature. If that hasn’t sold you, the location itself is perfect: within 30-60 minutes is Loon Mountain, Cannon Mountain, Bretton Woods, and Waterville Valley. You are also close to all the best hiking: Kancamagus Highway, Franconia Notch State Park, Crawford Notch State Park, the White Mountains, etc. Check them out on instagram @CamptonCabin
