A Vermont ski trip with dogs takes more planning than a ski trip without them. Neither Sugarbush nor Mad River Glen allows dogs on the slopes in winter, a full ski day is a long time to leave a dog alone, and plenty of lodging in the Valley doesn’t take pets at all. Sort those out before you leave and the Mad River Valley makes a good winter trip for you and your dog. Hyde Away sits 1.9 miles from Sugarbush’s Mt. Ellen base, and four of our rooms welcome dogs. The details below cover what dog owners need to know before they book.
Dog-Friendly Rooms at Hyde Away
Hyde Away is one of the few pet-friendly inns in the Mad River Valley. We take well-behaved dogs in four rooms: the Hyde Away House, the Fireplace Room, and Porch Rooms M2 and M3. Each one has its own door to the outdoors, so you and your dog never pass through the inn’s shared spaces. The pet fee is $35 per dog per night, added to your room rate.
Dogs stay out of the main inn building, the restaurant, and the tavern. Service dogs accompanying their owners are the exception. Our house rules for dogs are short: keep your dog under control anywhere on the grounds, keep it off the furniture, don’t leave it alone for extended periods, and clean up after it (bags go in the dumpster). Excessive cleaning can bring a fee of up to $200. Our full dog policy covers the rest.
Ski Area Dog Rules
Plan around this first: dogs don’t go on the mountains in ski season.
At Sugarbush, dogs can’t ride the lifts or go on ski trails during operating hours, and they must stay leashed inside the ski area boundary. Sugarbush’s uphill travel policy bars dogs too, so an early-morning skin up Lincoln Peak or Mt. Ellen with your dog is out. Come back in summer, when Sugarbush welcomes leashed dogs on its designated hiking trails and disc golf course.
Mad River Glen goes further. The co-op keeps dogs off the mountain for the whole ski season, generally early December to mid-April, whether the lifts are running or not. That rule covers after-hours uphill skiing as well.
Ski Days: Where Your Dog Spends the Day
A ski day runs from first chair to last, and our policy asks guests not to leave dogs unattended for extended periods. You have two good ways to handle it.
There are several options for day boarding and dog walking in the area. Contact the inn directly for the current list. Reserve before you arrive, and earlier for holiday weekends.
Split the day. One of you skis the morning while the other takes the dog out, then you swap at lunch. Mt. Ellen is 1.9 miles from our door and Mad River Glen is about five minutes away, so the handoff takes a few minutes of driving.
Winter Trails and Off-Leash Time
Blueberry Lake Cross Country Ski Center in Warren welcomes well-behaved dogs on more than 30 kilometers of groomed trails through woods and open meadow. Keep your dog under control and clean up after it. Ski and snowshoe rentals are on site, and the center added a trailside sauna last season.
The Mad River Valley Dog Park, behind Brooks Field in Warren, is the Valley’s first dog park: 1.5 fenced acres with separate sections for small and large dogs. Bring your dog here to run off leash.
Leashed dogs are welcome on the Mad River Path, and sections such as the Yestermorrow Path in Waitsfield list snowshoeing as a winter use. Valley rules are simple: dogs stay leashed on public trails, and you carry out what your dog leaves behind. The Valley’s 60 miles of snowmobile trails are shared with skiers and hikers, and the Mad River Ridge Runners ask you to keep dogs leashed there since a sled can come around any corner. Leave your dog at the room if you’re heading to the Mad River Park recreation fields, where dogs aren’t allowed.
Our hiking guide covers more of these trails for when you come back in summer.
Dinner Plans with a Dog
Health regulations keep dogs out of our restaurant and tavern, and in winter there’s no patio workaround. Settle your dog in your room before dinner. With the dining room on site, you skip the drive and get back to your dog as soon as you finish dessert. Reserve a table on Tock before you arrive.
Bringing your dog to the Valley this winter? Book one of our four dog-friendly rooms at Hyde Away. We’re 1.9 miles from Mt. Ellen and have been welcoming skiers since 1949.
