Great dog-friendly hotels for outdoor enthusiasts

From sunny San Diego to the altitudes of Aspen, outdoor enthusiasts who like to tote their four-legged friend with them when they travel have plenty of pet-friendly hotel choices for a ‘pawsome’ petcation.

Aspen
Aspen is as terrific in summer and autumn as it is during snowfall when it turns into a winter wonderland playground for the rich and famous. Four-legged guests checking into The Little Nell, in the heart of downtown, are extended the same legendary five-star service the hotel is known to give to humans. If pooches arrive out of sorts, a Puppy Jet Lag Kit will have their tail wagging in no time. Pups can sleep in a comfy dog bed, feast on meals from a pet menu and proudly wear personalized brass ID tags.

The hotel staff, ready to fawn over Fido, lets guests know the best pet-friendly hiking trails and can suggest groomers for when pups return from a day of outdoor adventure, which can include swimming in the summer and snowshoeing and skijoring in the winter. Once Rover is buffed and fluffed, he’s ready to adjoin to The Living Room, where guests mingle throughout the day and evenings. To help with petwise dos and don’ts, The Little Nell offers a Petiquette handbook sure to please the most persnickety. The Litte Nell, 675 E. Durant Avenue

Vancouver
In Vancouver, where forested hiking trails and off-leash beaches are full of frolicking furry friends, The Loden provides hounds a true haven as a home base. Stays include homemade signature dog biscuits, a bed, bowls, and – for the contemporary canine – there’s a complimentary copy of Modern Dog magazine.

The location of the boutique hotel, on the edge of downtown Coal Harbour, is ideal for guests to take their little pal to Stanley Park, where an off-leash, fenced in area awaits. The hotel will even arrange a day at Bark & Fitz, which offers full-service grooming and a retail center brimming with natural pet foods, fresh-baked doggie goodies and gear. Need a dog sitter or dog walker? Just give The Loden 24-hour notice: they’ll take care of it. And don’t fret if Fifi needs a specialty food item. The concierge is happy to locate that, too. The Loden , 1177 Melville Street

Sedona
When Steve and Connie Segner built El Portal Sedona Hotel, conveniently adjacent to the world-famous Tlaquepaque Arts and Crafts Village, they did so with dogs in mind. Veterans of the pet food and care industry, the Segners’ love for pets is apparent, which explains why 70 percent of the guests who stay here bring their furry friends. No pet fees is only the beginning. Guests find fenced-in patios on the ground floor for Rover to romp; free pet sitting; and an amenity basket with a dog-themed blanket and other goodies.

Dogs can spend their days sniffing along trails that wind through Sedona’s famous red rocks or flaunt their dog-paddling skills in one of the town’s many swimming holes. In the evenings, guests enjoy a glass wine while gathered around a fire-pit in El Portal’s courtyard, their favorite canine companions at their feet. This Sedona spot really rocks for travelers with pets. El Portal Sedona Hotel, 95 Portal Lane.

San Diego
With ideal temperature year-round, San Diego is hard to beat. Particularly enticing is Coronado, across the San Diego Bay from downtown San Diego and where the Loews Coronado Bay Resort greets pets with a valet welcome board inscribed with arriving pooches’ names.

Pups love hanging out with their peeps at the hotel’s dog-friendly restaurant (where staff are quick to bring a refreshing bowl of water to friends on four legs). But when they feel less social, they can stay in their room for grilled liver or a vegetarian entrée, both from the in-room doggie dining menu that’s part of the Loews Loves Pets program. The program also provides in-room amenities and offers services such as pet-walking and sitting.

Best of all, active canines can take surfing lessons from Teevan McManus, who owns Coronado Surfing Academy, just across the street from the hotel, or simply enjoy romping on one of the dog-friendly beaches throughout San Diego County. Loews Coronado Bay Resort, 4000 Coronado Bay Rd.

Southwestern Utah
There’s no ocean for salty dogs in southwestern Utah but there is Red Mountain Resort, which puts pups close to the action on the few dog-friendly trails at Zion National Park and Snow Canyon State Park. Known for its fitness and wellness programs, this resort doles out organic treats to its four-legged guests.

For those with a purse-size pooch not up for tackling the trails (or no dog at all), you can do your good deed by partaking in the resort’s popular Puppy Pound hike. Take a shelter dog from Ivins’ City No-Kill Animal Shelter out for a hike through St. George Valley and Padre Canyon. If you decide to bring the pup home, well, you gain the ultimate memento of a trip: a new best friend.