Truffles & Chai

06/07/2026

Capitol Reef is the most underrated national park in Utah. Not particularly dog-friendly — but we still had full days.

Most people drive through on Scenic Byway 24 and keep going. That's the mistake.

✨️ Fremont River Trail. The one dog-friendly trail through red rock cliffs along the Fremont River. It's 0.3 mi one way along the Fremont River. Easy and flat.

✨️ Gifford Homestead. A working pioneer homestead inside a national park serving homemade specialty pies from orchard fruit. Specialty pies inside a national park. Open daily 9am-4:30pm April-Oct. Unheard of.

✨️ Scenic Byway 24. A 15-mi corridor through the park and 163-mi byway across central Utah. Dogs welcome at roadside pullouts.

✨️ Capitol Reef Scenic Drive. 36-mi round-trip past 11 viewpoints. Dogs allowed within 50 ft of road centerline.

✨️ Capitol Gorge Dirt Road. 2.25-mi spur through a deep narrow sandstone canyon. The walls close in around you.

✨️ Stargazing. Gold-tier International Dark Sky Park. Milky Way visible on clear nights.

✨️ Skyview Hotel. 6 mi from the park entrance. Dome and king rooms. Pets welcome, well-behaved dogs only. $65 pet fee.

✨️ We did one non-dog friendly trail — Capitol Gorge Trail. Narrow canyon walls, natural water tanks at the end. Reminds me of Zion's Narrows without the water. 1.9 mi roundtrip. A friend stayed with the boys in the A/C car — and we would do it again without hesitation.

Save this for your Capitol Reef trip. 🐾

⚠️ The Southwest sun is no joke. Full sun at 70°F can feel like 85°F+. Finish hikes before 11am, resume after 6pm. Bring more water than you think you need. Watch for heat exhaustion and dehydration. Scenic drives are a good midday alternative.

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This is year 6 on the road for our annual cross-country road trip. This time, the otherworldly Southwest — follow along.

We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow for dog-friendly travel guides, unique stays, and everything in between.

06/03/2026

Arches and Canyonlands National Parks don't allow dogs on trails. Moab still delivered.

Whether you're here for the hiking or the scenic drives, this place delivers on every level.

✨️ Corona Arch. The best dog-friendly alternative to Arches National Park hikes. Trail is a moderately challenging 2.5 mi on BLM land just outside Arches. Dogs allowed. One of the most dramatic arches near Moab.

✨️ Dead Horse Point State Park. The dog-friendly sister park to Canyonlands next door with similar views. All trails are dog-friendly. Love these:

• East Rim Trail: 1.5 mi one way • easy
• West Rim Trail: 3 mi one way · moderate
• Full East + West Rim Loop: 5.5 mi · moderate

✨️ Arches National Park — Scenic Drive. A 36-mi round-trip paved road winding through the heart of the park. Dogs are limited to paved roads and parking areas only — no overlooks, no trails. Still worth every mile.

✨️ Canyonlands National Park — Island in the Sky Scenic Drive. A 34-mi round-trip paved drive 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Same rules — dogs on paved roads and parking areas only, not at overlooks or on trails.

✨️ Potash Road — Hwy 279. Colorado River on one side, canyon walls on the other. Dogs welcome at all BLM pullouts throughout.

✨️ Hwy 128 Scenic Byway. 44 mi along the Colorado River, canyon walls on both sides, dogs welcome at every pullout.

✨️ The Stay: Slackline Moab. Minimalist Scandinavian-meets-industrial design built for outdoor enthusiasts. Pets welcome up to 80 lbs. $75 non-refundable pet fee.

Save this for your Moab trip. 🐾

⚠️ The SW sun is no joke. Full sun at 70°F can feel like 85°F+. If you're hiking with your pups, aim to finish before 11am and wait until after 6pm for evening hikes. Bring more water than you think you need, and watch for signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration. Scenic drives are always a good midday alternative.

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This is year 6 on the road for our annual cross-country road trip. This time, the otherworldly SW — follow along.

We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow for dog-friendly travel guides, unique stays, and everything in between.

05/31/2026

One morning in Denver was enough to understand why RiNo stops people. I was happy to return with my fam.

The River North Art District is the largest public art district in the country — murals covering entire buildings, side streets, silos. You could spend a full day and still miss something.

The one that stopped us: Mitotli by Denver muralist Bimmer Torres, painted across 85-foot cylindrical silos at the Ardent Mills Flour Refinery at 38th and Wynkoop. In Nahuatl, mitotli means dance — and Torres painted it as a conversation between past and present. A black and white dancer representing indigenous Central American roots before the Spanish conquest, and a colorful figure representing present-day mestizo women who fought through colonization. On flour silos, in the middle of a city, free to anyone walking by.

That's what public art is supposed to do.

Save this for your next Denver visit. 🐾

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This is Year 6 on the road for our annual cross-country road trip. This time, the otherworldly Southwest — follow along.

We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow .truffles for doodle bro adventures and life on the road, and our accompanying account for dog-friendly travel guides, design stays, and everything in between.

05/30/2026

Kansas City doesn't get enough credit for its art scene. Or its architecture, and many other things. Pur two night return barely scratches the surface.

✨️ West Bottoms. An industrial warehouse district best experienced before the city wakes up. The quietness of the brick buildings and empty streets in the morning is something else entirely.

✨️ Donald J. Hall Sculpture Garden. The sculpture garden sits outside of the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — giant shuttlecocks on the lawn, sculpture throughout the grounds. Dogs welcome on the grounds.

✨️ Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. The architecture alone is worth the stop. One of the most striking buildings in the Midwest.

✨️ Crossroads Arts District. Kansas City's creative hub. Murals, galleries, independent shops, and some of the best coffee in the city.

✨️ Liberty Memorial. The only WWI museum and monument in the country, with one of the best panoramic views of the Kansas City skyline. We happened upon a free outdoor Kansas City Symphony concert on the grounds and stayed for part of it.

✨️ The Stay: Hotel Kansas City. A 1922 Gothic Tudor landmark originally built as the city's most prestigious private men's club. The Classic, Lobby Bar pays homage to the hotel's Prohibition-era history with a drinks menu worth lingering over. Dogs are welcome in the lobby and in the lobby lounge part of the restaurant. Two pets maximum per room. $75 pet fee per pet, per stay. Animal waiver required at check-in.

Save this for your next trip to Kansas City. 🐾

Year 6 on the road for our annual cross-country road trip. This time, the otherworldly Southwest — follow along.

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We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow .truffles for doodle bro adventures and life on the road, and our accompanying account for dog-friendly travel guides, design stays, and everything in between. via .app

05/27/2026

05/27/2026

Louisville doesn't show up on most dog-friendly city lists. It should.

From one of the most beautifully designed urban parks in the country to a forest with giants hiding in the trees — here's 48 hours worth saving.

✨️ Cherokee Park. Cherokee Park. Designed by Frederick Law Olmsted — the landscape architect behind New York's Central Park. Rolling hills, open meadows, and woodland along the Beargrass Creek valley. Off-leash Dog Hill on-site. 30 minutes from Louisville.

✨️ Waterfront Park + Big Four Bridge. A converted rail bridge over the Ohio River at the edge of Waterfront Park. A 12-foot seated Lincoln looks out over the water at the base. Walk it for the skyline views from the other side.

✨️ Berheim Arboretum. 16,000 acres of forest. Dogs on leash throughout. The Forest Giants — three Thomas Dambo trolls built from reclaimed Kentucky materials — are tucked into the trees along a two-mile loop.

✨️ . Currently hosting Revival: Digging Into Yesterday, Planting Tomorrow — 70 works by 47 international artists, on view through January 2027, free and open to the public 24 hours a day. Art extends into the hallways, elevators, and rooms. Proof on Main on-site for farm-to-table dining and Kentucky bourbon. Pets always welcome to join in the lounge. $40 pet fee per stay.

Next time: NuLu. Louisville's arts district on East Market Street — large-scale murals, independent shops, and a good stretch of sidewalk for an evening walk. On the list for our return.

Save this for your next trip to Louisville. 🐾

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Year 6 on the road for our annual cross-country road trip. This time, the otherworldly Southwest — follow along.

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We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow .truffles for doodle bro adventures and life on the road, and our accompanying account for dog-friendly travel guides, unique stays, and everything in between.

05/21/2026

05/18/2026

Most people drive right past it on the way to the beach.

The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the country — 11,684 miles of shoreline, more than the entire west coast, formed by a meteor crater the size of Rhode Island. It sits less than two hours from DC and somehow still feels like a secret. Cotton candy skies at 7pm. Salt air that hits before you've even parked the car. The kind of quiet that makes the city feel very far away.

This is the Northeast escape that doesn't require going to the Northeast.

We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow for dog-friendly travel guides, unique stays, and everything in between; and our accompanying account .truffles for doodle bro adventures and life on the road.

weekendescape travelwithyourdog dcweekend visitmaryland dogfriendly

04/29/2026

Everyone thinks they know Central Park. Then you spend a full day actually inside it.

20,000 steps through the lower half — Bethesda Terrace, Bow Bridge, the Boathouse, Shakespeare's Garden, Cherry Hill, Pilgrim Hill, the Bridle Path, and the hidden pockets most people walk right past.

NYC hits different when you slow down for it. Happy Andre had a different perspective of my birth city this time. ❤️

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We travel to truly be somewhere — with presence, with respect, and a commitment to leave no trace.

✨ Follow for dog-friendly travel, design stays, and life in between.