A Dog-Friendly Trip to Edwards, Colorado

In April 2025, we took a road trip from Colorado to California (and back). On the first night, we stopped in Edwards, Colorado. We only stayed in Edwards one night, but we definitely want to go back for a weekend trip soon!

It was pretty easy to get from Denver to Edwards: we started going west on I-70 and hoped for no I-70 shenanigans. 

We did encounter a small issue when we got to the Edwards exit because of the absurd number of roundabouts. Tip: If you mess up the roundabouts, you could end up back on the highway (I speak from experience). 

We got to Edwards too late for dinner, so we went straight to our hotel.

The Inn at Riverwalk

I found the Inn at Riverwalk on BringFido and was won over by the many great reviews. I also loved that they were welcoming to all dogs, regardless of size or breed. 

We checked in and were greeted by friendly staff who were excited to see the dogs. If you've stayed in a hotel with a dog before, you know how much of a difference it makes for your dog not only to be tolerated, but welcomed.

Along with positive attention, the dogs got their own welcome bag with a tennis ball for Piper, a bandana for Maya, treats, and a little card with tips about dog-friendly restaurants and directions for where we could walk the dogs. 

I was also won over by the $10 credit we got for the Sundry Shop. (Was this credit already my money, since I had paid for the room? Yes. Was it still fun to look through the shop and decide how to spend my credit? Absolutely.)

I was beginning to worry I had made a mistake in booking this hotel for our first night. We had a long trip ahead of us, with a variety of questionable lodging experiences (old Route 66 motels, cabins without wifi, strip mall chains in the desert, etc). Had I set the bar too high? Were we going to be disappointed with the rest of the trip?

Luckily, despite this being one of our favorite hotels of the trip, we still enjoyed our other lodging experiences. No one else gave Maya a bandana, though.

Walking the Dogs

There are a few options for walking the dogs near the Inn at Riverwalk.

• The Eagle River Preserve, about a five-minute walk from the hotel (39°38'45.0" N 106°35'38.5" W)
  • According to the Eagle County website: “Dogs are required to be on-leash at the Preserve except for a designated ‘off-leash’ area on the eastern side of the Preserve along the river.” 
  • I’ll fully admit I did not understand the instructions from the hotel, so we didn’t get a chance to go here.
• Mountain Recreation Freedom Park, about a fifteen-minute walk from the hotel, using the Eagle Valley Trail
  • From what I’ve seen in reviews, there is an off-leash area that doesn’t appear to be fenced.
  • Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time, so we didn’t get to visit this park, but I would like to next time.
• Edwards Rest Area, about a five-minute walk from the hotel, using the Eagle Valley Trail
  • As far as I can tell, this is an on-leash area, but there is plenty of grass for dogs.
  • This travel stop has grass for dogs and restrooms for people. Funnily enough, this was also the last stop on our road trip because Maya, Piper, and I needed a quick break.

The night we got in, we just walked the dogs right outside the hotel because it was already dark and raining. I have to admit to a slight negative – they don't have a big grassy area right outside the hotel like some other places we've stayed. Considering all the longer walk options, this wasn't too bothersome, but it's something to consider. 

I knew there were a few places we could walk the dogs from the hotel, but given it was already late, raining, and dark, we tried to get them to take their bathroom break as quickly as possible.

Walking to the Edwards Rest Area

In the morning, before checkout, we took the dogs for a walk so they could get a little exercise in before our long day in the car.

From the Inn at Riverwalk, we took the Eagle Valley trail to the Edwards Rest Area. It was nice to start the day with a brisk mountain morning walk next to the beautiful Eagle River.

The walk wasn’t far, but because of the elevation (Edwards is about 7,200 feet, as opposed to at home, which is about 5,200 feet), the ups and downs did make me a little lightheaded. 

The Edwards Rest Area wasn’t a fancy dog park, but it was quiet and had plenty of grass for the dogs. (Later on the trip, we'd come to appreciate grass).

Google Maps doesn’t seem to yet understand the Eagle Valley Trail, so I’ll include some walking instructions for anyone interested:

1. From the Inn at Riverwalk main entrance, go right onto Main St (towards Edwards Access Rd).
2. From Main Street, turn right onto Eagle Valley Trail (before you get to Edwards Access Rd).
3. At the fork in the path on Eagle Valley Trail, go left. You’ll cross a bridge over Eagle River.
4. Continue on Eagle Valley Trail to a parking lot (this is the start of the Edwards Rest Area). 
5. Follow the Rest Area signs to the right, and you’ll find some grass where dogs are allowed.

Breakfast at the Inn at Riverwalk

In the lobby, they have a higher-end coffee and espresso drink machine that’s available 24/7. As a coffee drinker (possibly a coffee snob), I appreciated the opportunity to have a latte.

In the morning, before we left, we were able to grab a couple of excellent breakfast burritos. I know some people prefer a more traditional breakfast buffet with a place to sit, but for our purposes, a grab-and-go breakfast was perfect.

I looked up the brand of the breakfast burritos (Dis Burrito) and sadly, they appear to be primarily wholesalers. If anyone out there wants to go in on a giant order of breakfast burritos, let me know.

With breakfast burritos in hand, we left Edwards and started our very long drive to Barstow, California.

Reflections

We definitely plan on returning to Edwards. Since we weren't even there 24 hours, it felt like we barely scratched the surface. I'd definitely like to do a long walk on Eagle Valley Trail and check out some of the dog-friendly restaurants. Next time we're there, we'll be staying at the Inn at Riverwalk again.