From Jura to Haute-Savoie: going on a road trip with your dog
How to organize your road trip with two dogs from Jura to Haute-Savoie? Discover this through the adventures of Angélina and her two dogs!
Want to try a new way to travel with your dog for your next vacation? How about going on a road trip with your dog? Tempted? Today I present to you two ideal destinations for holidays with your dog! Wild, rustic, magnificent, authentic, welcoming and with breathtaking landscapes… discover the Jura and Haute-Savoie!
For this getaway in the Jura and Haute-Savoie, I will let Angélina and her two Border Collies, Athéna and Djynko, speak. These 3 friends went on a road trip together and tell you about their trip today! I'm sure their story will spark the interest of the adventurer in you 😉
Angelina, it's up to you. Introduce us to your two dogs and your adventure through the Jura and Haute-Savoie. I can't wait for you to share all your dog-friendly tips with us.
Angelina and her two dogs, a trio in perfect symbiosis
My name is Angelina, I am 25 years old, I have been a sports coach and have been passionate about the canine world since the age of 11. I have one border collie 12 year old named Djynko. And I picked up a second two-year-old border collie in 2017. He lived on a farm, locked in a barn, with no lights. His owner no longer wanted to keep him because “she was not good at herding”. I renamed this incredible dog to the sweet name of Athena.
Like all happy Borders, balanced and well in their heads, my babies are obedient and complicit with each other. Djynko has his little character, a little stubborn around the edges. Athena is devoted and quite fearful because of her past. Between us, it's a perfect symbiosis. I also like to practice agility with Athena. Djynko is a bit old for that now...
Going on a road trip with two dogs – organization and preparations
It had been a few months since I thought of going to visit the Jura and Haute-Savoie with my dogs. I like mountain landscapes. So these were the perfect destinations! Having skied there as a child and while surfing the internet, I spotted magnificent places that I absolutely wanted to discover or re-discover. More particularly lakes and waterfalls since my dogs and I love bodies of water!
I currently live in the Calvados in Normandy. Haute-Savoie is therefore about 1000 kilometers from the house. I wanted to be sure to make the most of the destination: I inquired about what we could go and visit around this department. Our course was therefore perfect: we had to travel from the Jura, passing through Haute-Savoie to end up in Switzerland. At least, that's what was originally planned, you'll see that our plans have changed a bit...
So we left for two weeks of road trip in these magnificent mountains. We were all 3, accompanied by a friend and his dog! And all these little people in a converted van! An extended Jumpy.
For this trip, we only took the essentials. For dogs: kibble, toys, harnesses, a backpack and of course a first aid kit in case of a glitch. And for us, food and a few clothes, no need to bother too much since there is a laundromat and a shower in all cities 😉
QUALIDOG-certified accommodation: between Jura and Haute Savoie
Do you want to go on vacation to the Jura or Haute Savoie for a vacation with your dog? Here is a selection of QUALIDOG-certified accommodation!
The stages of this fabulous Road Trip with dogs
As I told you, we left in a converted van to discover several magical places. Let me list all the places we explored on this trip with our dogs.
The Belvedere of the 4 lakes in the Jura
The belvedere of the 4 lakes was our first destination. This belvedere offers a view of the 4 lakes: Ilay Lake, small and large lakes maclu and finally the Nalay Lake. We spent a night in the Belvedere forest, then the next day we hiked with a breathtaking view of the 4 lakes, it was magnificent.
We discovered a majestic site with a nice sunset as a bonus! This first destination was not the most popular of our journey, but it was quite pleasant.
Musher and Sophie : “Discover here, hikes to do around the belvedere of the 4 lakes with your dog in the Jura. I also had the chance to hike in this area with Musher and have wonderful memories there. The color of the water in the lakes is magical, but swimming is prohibited!”
The hedgehog waterfalls
After discovering the 4 lakes, we headed for the hedgehog waterfalls, still in the Jura. The Hérisson waterfalls site is a pretty site that will allow you to discover 7 waterfalls with your dog. To cover them, count about 4 hours. And a bit more if you've planned to stop for a dip with your dog and to play in the shallow water.
To visit these waterfalls, you can take advantage of a very well laid out path accessible to strollers, which takes you down all along the waterfalls, and, at every hundred meters, a new waterfall! On the waterfalls site, your dog must be kept on a leash.
Vouglans Lake
The next stop on this road trip was the Vouglans lake. Vouglans lake is a magnificent 35 km long dam lake located in the Jura. The water was so clear, emerald blue, that I myself had the irresistible urge to swim in it! But I quickly became disillusioned. As soon as the water got to my mid-calf, I couldn't feel my legs anymore! To be tested next time in summer surely 😉 Lac de Vouglans is really a privileged playground to relax with family and with your dog, it is a calm and beautiful place.
Musher and Sophie : “I totally agree with you Angelina. I also discovered the lake with Musher. I made some canoeing with my dog on the lake of Vouglans. A delight ! It is a very nice nature destination and ideal for finding a bit of freshness in the heart of summer. Besides, if you want to discover other spots where to canoe with your dog, I invite you to read: The top 5 rivers for canoeing with your dog"
Chamonix
Our journey then took us to Chamonix. Chamonix is a pretty resort located in Haute-Savoie, at the junction of France, Switzerland and Italy. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the snow we had been waiting for! We were also very excited to be able explore Mont Blanc, but bad luck, arrived at the car park impossible to access it. The snow was way too heavy and almost reached the top of the panels. Finally, by taking another path, we made other beautiful snowy discoveries and we were able to discover this beautiful environment …
Musher and Sophie "Discover the mountain with your dog it's really a great experience, my dog loves to roll for hours in the powder! Small prevention point all the same, think that it is necessary to equip and protect your dog in the snow. At least, if you want to avoid going to the vet between downhill runs... In the mountains in winter, I recommend a few essentials:
Un harness and longe to ensure the safety of your dog in the mountains during very snowy passages or when visibility is not good.
I also recommend a reflective collar or other very useful reflective accessories in case of “white days”, they will allow you to easily locate your dog if he tends to move away. I tell you more about reflective accessories in the article: “Testing of luminous and reflective accessories"
Du Solipat, it is a tanning fortifier that will protect the pads
Boots or dog boots, effective in insulating the dog's paw from snow, frost and humidity.
Un dog coat Mainly for short-haired dogs. It is also suitable for chilly dogs.
Un anti odor shampoo, rather for our personal comfort than for that of your dog, but nevertheless very useful not to leave any smell in the accommodation you have reserved.”
Passy
Our next step took us to the Passy ski resort still in Haute-Savoie. On the program, hiking around the green lake, THE big favorite of this road trip. It's just wonderful, out of time! An almost turquoise green water, the edges of the lake still covered with snow in this month of March and a flat calm. This place is truly heavenly… It seems like time has stopped there.
The last days of our road trip ended here… at the Passy ski resort. We had to modify the stages of our stay because of the confinement due to the Covid19 crisis. Since we were unable to return via Switzerland, visit Switzerland with your dog is only a postponement!
Any last advice? In the Passy station, near the paragliding departures, there was a place of synthetic turf just in front of the mountains, with an unparalleled view… a great way to end this extraordinary stay!
To conclude, I think that Haute-Savoie and Jura are wonderful places to discover crazy landscapes with your dog! I didn't see any places where dogs were prohibited, only “dogs on a leash”.
A big thank you to Angelina, and her two dogs for this wonderful story! I hope you were able to get away from it all for a few minutes and above all I hope that I have given you some desire to travel!
Don't forget to tag @emmentonchien on your photos so that I can discover the most beautiful moments you share with your dog!