Nanook, one of the resident dogs, and Rundle, the PET FRIENDLY pooch, enjoy the 'play area' just outside the cabins at Twin Peaks Resort.

It's been a while since we last took a trip... and since the two PET FRIENDLY pooches, Rundle and Tonka, just love to explore new places, we couldn't very well disappoint them! So this time it was off to Twin Peaks Resort near the tiny mountain town of Valemount, BC.

Admittedly, we've never before considered going to Valemount. It's situated about an hour west of Jasper National Park on Highway 5, and just a few minutes drive from Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies.

(As an aside: if you have the time, be sure to drive up to Mount Edith Cavell in Jasper. There you'll find stunning views and great trails!)

Happily, we had a great time -- and so did the dogs.

Twin Peaks Resort is situated at the end of a quiet road, 2.5km outside of Valemount. It's far away enough from the highway that you're protected from the noise, yet still only a couple minutes drive into town.

Charly and Lisa, the welcoming owners of Twin Peaks, took over the resort just last year. They came to Canada from Switzerland and are an interesting pair to chat with.

The resort offers five log cabins arranged around a large picnic area, a luxurious lodge (which operates as a hostel in the summer), a teepee, and a tree house. The tree house is apparently very popular -- Lisa says guests from as far away as Australia have booked it just for the "experience"!

There is also a hot tub available for guest use, and mountain bikes can be rented on-site. Prepared breakfasts and lunches are available for a small fee and with advance notice. You can also book a massage.

After checking in at the resort office, we immediately headed to our cabin. It was immaculately clean and larger than what we expected, and the feeling of roominess was emphasized by the vaulted ceilings. The cabin includes a full, large bathroom, well-equipped kitchen, living room, and a separate bedroom, cordoned off with a set of double doors for privacy. A comfortable rocking chair is tucked into one corner of the living room, and a futon occupies another.

Each cabin has its own deck and there are picnic tables just outside. The "pet-friendliness" of the resort showed itself in little touches like the ring embedded just outside the cabin, where you can clip your dog's leash. It's a peaceful setting -- trees surround the resort, there are views of the mountains, and it's very quiet. Ample parking is available behind the cabins, with plug-ins, although we thankfully didn't need them.

We felt very much at home in our cabin... and even felt secure when we looked out to our deck one evening to find Nanook "keeping watch" over us!

Amenities:

Gas fireplace, satellite TV, linens (including an extra comforter and two extra pillows), cutlery and dishes, stovetop (no oven), toaster, kettle, coffee maker, mini-refrigerator, coffee, a selection of flavoured teas, hot chocolate, sugar, salt & pepper, dish cloths. A sandy area with a net is available for volleyball or badminton.

Most pet owners can attest to staying in accommodations that only reluctantly permit pets. Not so at Twin Peaks. Twin Peaks is where you will find a genuine, true "pet-friendly" attitude!

I got a glimpse of it when I first called to get the details on their pet policy. An old hand at traveling with pets, I was fully prepared to go into my spiel about how well-behaved my boys are, how they're housebroken, how we can bring a kennel if required, and so on.

There was no need. To my inquiry about their pet policy, all I was asked to do was to throw a sheet or towel on top of the furniture if my dogs wanted to use it. Imagine that -- the dogs are allowed on the furniture!

Charly and Lisa have four well-loved pets -- Nanook, a huge friendly Malamute; Jackson, who unfailingly came to greet us with a wagging tail; Cougar, a spirited and absolutely adorable little cat (whom Nanook is apparently afraid of!); and Smokey, a beautiful black cat and Cougar's playmate (sorry, no photo -- I met Smokey just as we were checking out). It was clear from speaking with Charly and Lisa that they are true animal lovers.

With our two dogs and another guest's dog, that made seven pets there for the weekend! With that many pets around, of course, there is always a potential for scraps between the pets -- like people, pets don't always get along. Know your pets and make sure they're supervised.

There's a great big open area just outside the cabins... our dogs loved to romp there and stretch their legs. On-site there is plenty of room for them to play.

Valemount is certainly both "little" and "friendly". It takes maybe 5 minutes to drive through the entire town... and without fail, everywhere we went we were greeted warmly.

Valemount offers a wealth of outdoor recreation opportunities. Besides many scenic walks, there is also whitewater rafting; gentle river floats; canoeing; fishing; golfing; horseback riding; ATV tours; helicopter tours; heli-skiing and heli-hiking; view the salmon spawning in July/August at George Hicks Park; and watch wildlife. In the winter -- I can only imagine how beautiful it must be when the resort is blanketed with fresh snow! -- there is also skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, and ice fishing.

Valemount also has many restaurants -- what seems like a lot for such a tiny town! -- including the excellent Caribou Grill. Two "big" grocery stores are available.

Mount Robson, the highest peak in the Canadian Rockies, is just a short drive away. And Jasper National Park is just an hour away. There is plenty of hiking within both of these parks -- but you don't even have to go that far.

Charly and Lisa recommended a couple of great walks, both of which we did. The Starratt Wildlife Sanctuary, just a few minutes drive from Twin Peaks, offers an easy, pleasant walk through a marsh and forests on a well-maintained trail. The dogs were ecstatic about all the interesting smells -- and at 6km long (if you do the entire walk), it gave them lots of exercise and helped to tire them out.

Little Lost Lake is one of the other walks we did. This one starts off with a moderately steep climb, but levels out for the last part of the hike. And a perfect jewel awaits you at the top: a calm, beautiful clear lake greets you, with a picnic table for enjoying lunch or a snack while you watch the birds and other wildlife. It takes about half an hour to make your way to the lake.

There are plenty of other places to bring your dog. While we were only there for a weekend, we were fortunate to see Rearguard Falls (about half an hour round-trip) and Spittal Creek, which offers a couple of pleasant hikes.

At the Twin Peaks Resort there is also a walking trail accessible at the back of the property. Charly had mentioned it to us when we arrived... but it was Nanook who decided to take us for a walk one morning. He simply trotted up to us and led us down the pathway, always checking back to make sure we didn't get too far behind. He even politely sat beside our bench when we stopped at a viewpoint! How's that for a guided tour?

Twin Peaks is a wonderful place for pet owners seeking a quiet holiday. The owners' genuine love for pets is enough to make us want to return... not to mention the well-kept cabins and tranquil mountain setting.

Contact Charly or Lisa through the Twin Peaks Resort web page or at (877) 566-9160. Please be sure to say, "I read about you on the PET FRIENDLY website!"