Stowe Vermont is absolutely magical in the fall, which probably comes as no surprise. The town of Stowe, like many parts of New England, is a leaf-peeper’s dream. Whether you’re just strolling Main Street, driving up Smugglers’ Notch, or hiking Sunset Rock, the fall foliage is everywhere and we’re sharing all the dog-friendly activities to add to your itinerary!

WHEN TO VISIT Stowe, vermont for fall

The fall season is a unique time of year in Stowe, Vermont. With vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow transforming the hillsides, leaf peeping in Stowe is an experience you’ll never forget. From early September through mid-October, a long “prime foliage” window allows visitors to catch a glimpse of Stowe’s legendary colors—from yellows and greens, to reds and oranges—usually the few weeks leading up to “peak” and the week after. It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly when “peak foliage” will occur as it’s a very narrow window, and many factors including the weather impact the timing and duration of the foliage season as well as quality of colors. As a general rule of thumb, the most brilliant colors of “peak foliage” are visible around the last week of September and first two weeks of October.

Due to weather temperatures being a huge impact to the colors changing, it is also important to keep in mind that the colors peak at different times in different places throughout Stowe’s diverse terrain. The higher elevations, including Mt. Mansfield and Smugglers’ Notch, often peak sooner than the historic Village.

I would recommend visiting prior to October 15th as that’s when the town starts to transition to the winter season and the gondola and patios start to close. We visited Stowe October 17th - 20th and missed peak foliage, particularly at Smugglers’ Notch. It was still beautiful (as you can probably tell), but if you want those epic full foliage shots you see on Instagram then you’ll need to be really flexible with your travel schedule and able to pounce as soon as there are signs of the leaves peaking.

WHERE TO STAY IN stowe, vermont

When selecting your dog-friendly lodging in Stowe, Vermont this time of year, I’d base your selection on proximity to your activities and how you plan to dine. Depending on when in October you visit, the temps are starting to drop and many patios are starting to close. It’s helpful to have access to a kitchenette and/or a space you can eat indoors comfortably.

We stayed at the Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge and absolutely loved it! The property is gorgeous and just minutes from Main Street. We stayed in a spacious, deluxe king room with a private balcony that featured many of the comforts of home. The room featured a breakfast nook with a coffee station, microwave, and mini fridge, which is always appreciated when traveling with Rue's fresh food.

Each dog-friendly room comes with dog bowls, a mat, blanket, dog treats, and a Bluebird Hotels bandana. The lodge welcomes 2 dogs per room with a daily fee of $35 per dog. Rue's favorite part of our room was our private balcony and I totally agree with her.

The property itself is spacious and hosts several buildings with different room types, free parking, a cute firepit for s'mores, and a lodge that's amazingly decorated. The lodge has a coffee and drink bar in the entry, spacious and cozy lounge and reception areas, and a fun game room. You can also order light bites for breakfast and throughout the day from the property and they’ll deliver it right to your room. For a full tour of the property, watch our Instagram reel.

WHERE TO EAT IN STOWE, VERMONT

There are plenty of restaurant options in Stowe, Vermont and depending on when you visit some of those restaurants have dog-friendly patios. In October the weather is cold at night and can dip down to the low 40s, so if that’s not patio weather for you make sure you have lodging with a kitchen or sitting area for take out. If you’re game for patios, like we usually are, here’s a list of some of the dog-friendly patios we had on our list with additional options here: Butler’s Pantry, Backyard, Ranch Camp, The Bench, Doc Ponds, and Black Cap Coffee & Bakery.

We enjoyed breakfast at Black Cap Coffee and our dinner at Backyard was just ok. FYI, their patio does not have heaters. Make sure you check the restaurant hours of operation because they all tend to close for at least one day during the week. Some also required take out orders be placed in person if it was closer to closing time.

DOG-FRIENDLY WINTER ACTIVITIES AROUND stowe, vermont

Walk around Stowe’s Main Street

Before heading down to Main Street don’t miss the best viewpoint of downtown at Tangerine & Olive. This view captures all the iconic aspects of Stowe: fall foliage, mountains, and the quintessential white chapel. There’s visitor parking down the drive from the boutique and the viewing area is pretty expansive along the edge of the parking lot so you can get the perfect shot.

To start your tour of Main Street Stowe, start at the Laughing Moon Chocolate to visit the Welcome to Vermont mural and then make your way down to Black Cap Coffee. Stowe has one of the cutest main streets that’s lined with boutiques and restaurants. As you get closer to Black Cap Coffee you’ll also see the white steeple Stowe Community Church that you previously saw from Tangerine & Olive.

After exploring downtown, head to Sunset Rock for more fall foliage and a nice little walk in the forest. Sunset Rock is a short hike that starts in the heart of Stowe’s historic Village, providing a forested backdrop, recreational opportunities and scenic vistas. The best way to visit Sunset Rock is to walk from the Historic Village via the Sunset Rock Trail located at the end of Sunset Street. Visitor parking is prohibited at the end of Sunset Street, but ample parking is available behind the Stowe Community Church at the beginning of the Stowe Recreation Path and along Main Street.

The Sunset Rock Trail ascends steeply for about 200 yards with an elevation gain of 100 feet to the actual Sunset Rock and its birds eye view of Main Street.

For a shorter hike with less elevation gain, park at the Sunset Rock parking area on Taber Hill Road. From this parking lot, it is an easy quarter-mile walk along the Access Road to the Upper Overlook. The walk can be done as a loop, returning via the Sunset Rock Trail to the Taber Path and back to the parking lot.

If you want to keep your tour of downtown Stowe going, consider a lantern history and ghost tour. This one hour tour kicks off at 8 p.m. from the visitor center where you’ll leisurely stroll half a mile and carry an authentic replica of an 18th century barn lantern while listening to legendary ghost stories and Stowe history. Dogs are welcome and the groups can get pretty big with 20 or so people.

Chase fall foliage at Smugglers’ Notch

Smugglers’ Notch, Vermont's most dramatic road that’s just 10 miles outside downtown Stowe, passes through picturesque forests and bold rock outcroppings, the state's most famous resort village, and over a shoulder of Mount Mansfield, its highest mountain.

You’ve probably seen Smugglers’ Notch windy road that bobs and weaves through endless fall colors in Vermont’s Green Mountains on social and I can confirm it’s as pretty in person and totally worth a drive! If you want to hike around, check out Sterling Pond Trail, a 2.1-mile out-and-back trail. Additionally, you can spend a chill day in nature enjoying one of the Smugglers’ picnic areas.

At the entrance to the park we noticed Barnes Camp Boardwalk off the parking lot and took a quick walk to see more of the fall foliage against the rolling hills of the park. You don’t have to walk far to get some great views.

Ride the gondola to the top of Mount Mansfield

If you visit before October 15th, the Gondola SkyRide to the top of Mount Mansfield - Vermont’s highest mountain - is open and welcomes well-behaved dogs on leash. We, unfortunately, visited after this but will definitely add it to our list if we visit again.

Open Daily: Saturday, June 17th, 2023 - Sunday, October 15th, 2023
Hours: 10:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Tickets:
Adult (ages 13+): $37
Child (ages 5-12): $25
Children ages 4 and under are free
*Valid for one round trip ride and the last ticket issold at 4:15pm

von Trapp Family Lodge and Brewwery

As you head back to Stowe, stop by Trapp Family Lodge and von Trapp Brewery for a taste of Europe.

In the early 1940s, the von Trapp family toured the United States as the Trapp Family Singers before eventually settling in Stowe, Vermont, on an enchanted farm with sweeping mountain vistas reminiscent of their beloved Austria. In the summer of 1950, they began welcoming guests to a rustic, 27-room family home/lodge.

As a non-guest, you can only explore as far as the carport of the lodge, but the property has incredible views during the fall season from the guest parking area. The brewery is located down the street from the lodge and has a dog-friendly patio that’s in service through early October.

Gold Brook Covered Bridge

The Gold Brook Covered Bridge is located in the Stowe Hollow area of southeastern Stowe and is also known as Stowe Hollow Bridge or Emily's Bridge. It’s been featured as one of the haunted locations on the Paranormal TV series Most Terrifying Places in America episode titled "Cursed Towns", which aired on the Travel Channel in 2018.

Legend has it, in the 1850s a teenage bride-to-be Emily from a poor family fell in love with a young man from a rich family, but his parents refused the wedding. He told her to wait on the bridge for him at midnight, but when he didn't show up, she was so distraught, that she jumped off the bridge into the brook below and died. Locals report that her ghost is still lingering on the bridge.

We didn’t have any paranormal experiences, but they say those only happen if you don’t believe in ghosts. :)

Sip cider at Cold Hollow Cider Mill

If you use social media as one of your research outlets for travel, you will see that everyone talks about Cold Hollow Cider Mill for apple cider and apple cider donuts. While my favorite cider and donuts was not from Cold Hollow Cider Mill, it is worth a stop along your drive south to explore more of Vermont.

The inside of the Cider Mill is self serve and Rue and I waited outside while Doodle Dad grabbed the tasty goods. We tried the warm and cold cider and I personally preferred the cold.

Take a day trip to Burlington to visit the birthplace of Ben & Jerry’s

If you’re an ice cream lover like me, then visiting Burlington, VT to visit the OG Ben & Jerry’s should be on your list. Ben & Jerry’s started in a gas station around the corner from Church St. and now the flagship store is just down the street from the birthplace on Church St.

When visiting you can walk Church St. and explore all the cute boutiques, cafes and restaurants and then walk along Waterfront Park. To be honest, this area of Burlington felt a bit dirty with a large homeless population, so after 2 hours we were ready to head out to explore other cities in Vermont.

If you don’t have time to head to Burlington, stop in Waterford, VT on your drive south to the Ben & Jerry’s factory where you can walk the flavor graveyard with your dog and grab your favorite flavor to enjoy outside.

Take a day trip to Woodstock, Vermont

Downtown Woodstock is made up of Central, Elm, North Park, and South Park Streets. There are a few places that offer patios for a quick bite or you can do some shopping for souvenirs! This is a great time to discover the town’s many boutique stores, coffee shops, and general atmosphere. You don’t need a plan here, just follow the shop windows and let your feet guide you to where you need to be.

Some notables not to miss along the way are Woodstock Inn Resort and Middle Covered Bridge. These are two iconic locations in downtown. Near Middle Covered Bridge you can stroll the most quintessential streets lined with white picket fencing and some of the best fall foliage in the city.

Near downtown is Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park, the only national park to focus on conservation history and the evolving nature of land stewardship in America. They allow dogs on leash if you need a spacious place for your daily walk. Note: Pets on a leash are welcome until winter snow arrives. Then the carriage roads are used only for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing and pets are not allowed on groomed roads and trails.

On your way south to Woodstock make a couple stops to continue exploring Vermont. Drive Stowe Hollow Rd. near Emily’s Bridge and stop at Crossett Brook Middle School for some great foliage and photo ops.

Crossett Brook Middle school has a great row of Maple Trees at the entrance for bright red colors that we didn’t really see much of around Stowe at the time of our visit.

As you get closer to Woodstock, Vermont you can cross some other covered bridges off your list: Quechee, Taftsville, and Lincoln. There’s a small pull off for Quechee and Taftsville is located along a dirt road that you can easily pull over on.

take a day trip to dog mountain

Just an hour and a half outside of Stowe in Johnsbury, VT is Dog Mountain. A 150-acre haven atop a mountain where dogs can be dogs and pet parents can honor their beloved fur babies that have crossed the rainbow bridge.

When I discovered Dog Mountain on social media, I knew we had to visit to honor our first Goldendoodle and I’m so glad we did. This property is something really special.

The grounds are made up of a network of dog-friendly trails and lakes for off-leash play and year-round scenery with wildflowers in the spring, fall leaf peeping in the fall, and snow in the winter. They even host dog gatherings and parties on property and we had the honor of meeting the property dog Honey. She was just the sweetest and greeted every car that pulled up.

Leashes are optional on Dog Mountain. Dogs are free to run, play, swim, and (best of all) meet other dogs! Dogs are not just welcome here, they are cherished.

The chapel is where pet parents can honor their departed with photos and notes expressing their love, remembrance, and sadness. The chapel is covered wall to wall with special tributes and it was so wonderful to add a photo of our sweet Ali Bama amongst all of those being remembered.

The creator of Dog Mountain, Stephen Huneck, was an artist that used his black lab Sally as his muse for a lot of his work and dreamed of creating this amazing place for dogs and dog owners alike. His work is on display and available for purchase in the on-site gallery next to The Chapel. For a more in-depth look at the property, check out our Instagram video.

Have you been to Stowe, Vermont in the Fall? Am I missing any dog-friendly activities or do you have any questions about our guide? Let me know in the comments below!