Exploring Dog Friendly Spicer SNO-Park
Looking for a dog friendly snowy adventure? Us too! So we decided to try SNO-Parks, and they turned out to be one of Linus and Luna’s favorite places.
There are 18 SNO-Parks throughout California, but one of our favorites is Spicer near Bear Valley. It is close enough to the Bay Area for a day trip, but also makes for a fun overnight getaway. There are three SNO-Parks off Highway 4 near Bear Valley-Lake Alpine, Spicer, and Round Valley. Although they are called “SNO-Parks,” they are more like snowy designated recreational areas with a parking lot and vault toilet. There are no other amenities, but the parks are great for snow play, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, snowmobiling, and dog sledding. Parking is $15/day or $40 for the season which runs from November through May. Parking needs to be purchased in advance online or at a local vendor.
The road that leads to Spicer Meadow, Union and Utica Reservoirs is part of Spicer SNO-Park. In the winter the road is closed to cars, but it is groomed for cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and sledding. Spicer is also open to snow mobiles, but we have rarely seen snowmobilers at Spicer. The several times we have visited, there have been very few people once we got away from the parking lot which is where most people play and sled.
The trail goes for miles through the forest crossing over streams and rivers with gentle uphills and downhills along the way. Linus and Luna were able to chase each other at top speeds, roll around in the snow, and burrowing their faces the fresh powder.
Reactive Note: We’ve seen very few people on the trail at Spicer SNO-Park and even fewer dogs making for a very happy and relaxed Linus. Also because the trail is a road in the non-snowy season it is wide with good visibility, making it is easy to create space for passing other dogs and people when needed.
Other Tips:
Round Valley SNO-Park is up the road from Spicer, and is also a fun area to play in the snow. It is the only SNO-Park of the three in the Bear Valley area where snowmobiling is prohibited. There are two ridges at Round Valley, so the hills are steeper and the trails are not groomed, but it’s a great area for downhill activities. And it is also not crowded in our experience once we got away from the parking lot.
We also like to stop at Big Trees Market in Arnold to use their clean public restrooms and to pick up snacks.
Don’t forget the paw wax. We use Musher’s Secret which is non toxic, protects paws, and also prevent the snow from sticking and accumulating on paws.
We can’t wait to visit again.
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