Like many others, I took a road trip to spend the holidays with family this year. It can be a challenging time of year to travel because of weather, and I decided to turn it into a winter road trip – with a dog. I decided to break up the road trip by spending a couple of nights in Boise. It is always challenging to find activities in winter weather, but I found plenty of dog friendly things to do in Boise. Despite the challenges, I found Boise to be a great place for a 2-night road trip stop with a dog. Here is what we did and what I recommend.
Summary: Dog Friendly Things to Do in Boise
- Where to Stay
- Sparrow
- Hotel Renegade
- Where to Eat
- Form and Function (breakfast and coffee)
- Eureka!
- 10 Barrel Brewing
- What to See and Do
- Walk the Greenbelt
- Hike at Camel’s Back Park
- Walk around Downtown (Freak Alley, 8th Street, Basque Block)
- Walk through Hyde Park (13th Street)
Where to Stay
I stayed at The Sparrow Boise. It is a boutique hotel that was recently renovated so everything is new, and it has the perfect location in downtown Boise. The hotel is dog friendly, there is parking, and it was close to be able to walk to everything we needed.
I saw many others with dogs in the hotel, and dogs are allowed everywhere on the property. Sparrow provided a blanket and water bowl for dogs in the room, and everyone was very friendly towards my little fur baby. There are some planters along the street and a grassy area less than a block away, which came in handy when Pepper insisted on a 5am potty walk.
Alternatively, Hotel Renegade is across the street and is also dog friendly. They have valet parking, which I always love as a nice treat after a long day of driving to have someone unload the car for me and take everything to my room. Hotel Renegade had some events for the holidays during my stay, so I opted to stay elsewhere. If I am back in Boise, I want to try staying at Hotel Renegade.
Where to Eat with a Dog
Eating outside with a dog is a challenge in winter. Boise has many dog-friendly patios, but sitting outside in cold rainy weather is not ideal. Despite the challenges, I found a few places that were extremely accommodating during our stay.
Coffee and Breakfast
Form and Function is in Sparrow Boise and allows dogs inside. I got breakfast and coffee here each morning. There is also a covered outdoor patio where dogs are also allowed.
Lunch and Dinner
Eureka! is at the intersection of Freak Alley and 8th Street with a large outdoor patio. It is a perfect location for people watching. I ate outside with my dog on the patio with a heater. They did say I could bring my dog inside, but I opted to sit on the patio.
10 Barrel Brewing is nearby with an outdoor patio. Because of the rain, they had closed the patio, but they did allow me to go to the bar area on the patio with my dog and they extended an awning to protect us from the rain. The weather was less than ideal, but 10 Barrel Brewing was accommodating and it was nice to still be able to eat somewhere with my dog in the rain.
Things to Do in Boise in Winter with a Dog
I spent most of the day wandering around Boise with my dog and found it easy to walk around everywhere. Here are the best things to do with a dog in Boise in the Winter.
Boise River Greenbelt
We started off the morning with a short walk to the Greenbelt from Downtown. The paths were easy to navigate and there were pedestrian bridges to cross over the river at multiple points.
Hyde Park
After breakfast, I walked north through Hyde Park. Hyde Park is a historic district in Boise. The neighborhood was full of adorable homes, many decorated for the holidays. There is a small stretch full on 13th Street full of shops and restaurants. We passed through the neighborhood on our way up to Camel’s Back Park.
Camel’s Back Park
This was my favorite place where we walked on our day in Boise. My dog and I walked from downtown and headed straight up the stairs we saw as soon as we approached Camel’s Back Park. From the top, there are views towards downtown Boise, as well as many hiking trails that stretch farther into the park. We explored the trails and enjoyed the views.
Once we had enough, we headed back towards downtown and once again walked through Hyde Park, exploring some of the neighborhood streets. Warning, there were a lot of squirrels!
Downtown Boise
There are several areas downtown that I enjoyed exploring with my dog. Here are a few of our favorite places.
Freak Alley is an alley that is decorated with murals. It makes a fun place to wander to check out the public art and take photos.
8th Street is a pedestrian street filled with restaurants and shops. It was nice to walk through here after the sun was setting in the evening to see the Christmas decorations. There was even a giant Christmas tree in Grove Plaza at the end.
Basque Block was a small area to walk around with Basque tapas restaurants and a Basque Museum and Cultural Center. I was unable to go inside with a dog, but it was nice to walk around outside and see all the Basque flags and some restaurants with outdoor patios.
Other Notes on Dog-Friendly Boise and Winter Road Trips
I spent some time back in the hotel room in the afternoon to give my dog a chance to rest and plan out my driving route for the next day. I was hoping to check out some hot springs near Stanley on our drive up to Salmon. Unfortunately, with winter weather there were road closures that made that route impossible this time around.
For checking weather along a route, my favorite free weather app to use is Windy. I also checked road conditions in Idaho at Idaho 511.
If you are interested in reading more about road trips with a dog, I wrote another post about planning a winter road trip and another on planning a month long road trip while working remotely.
I hope you found this helpful. If you have other favorite things to do with a dog in Boise in the winter let me know in the comments.
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