Find California dog-friendly beaches, rivers and lakes blog stories.

DogTrekker dogs LOVE going to the beach! Check out our stories about dog-friendly beaches, rivers and lakes in California. We also have tips and tricks for staying safe while enjoying the salty air and surf! So go ahead, plan that trip – your pup will thank you! Happy trekking! 🐾🐕

Stake a Claim in Sacramento

Photo Credit: Eileen McFall (CC) If you’re one for “spoke and wheel” getaways, the centrally located state capital makes a great hub for day trips throughout the region. Of course, you and Sparky might find so much to do that you won’t even want to leave town. Read more.

Bark when you discover Vacaville

Panoramic view of Lagoon Valley Park in Vacaville, California, USA, featuring oak tree and a lake and pedestrian walkway around it, from above

Lagoon Valley Park, Vacaville.

Don’t you love it when you stumble across something great that you never knew about before? That’s the feeling that takes Read more.

Feast Your Eyes On Something Wet

Photo Credit: lostintheredwoods (CC) As the drought continues (come on, El Niño!), the mere sight of a sizeable body of water becomes ever more revered. And while Shasta Lake, the state’s largest reservoir, has shrunk to a shadow of its former self, nearby Whiskeytown Lake, centerpiece of Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, is kept full almost to the brim. Boaters, kayakers and hik Read more.

Sonoma County Regional Parks with your pup

Hillside view in Santa Rosa. Photo by Megan O’Hanlon.

Sonoma County’s diverse network of regional parks is laced by more than 140 miles of trails leading to beaches, mountains, forests, lakes and meadows. Read more.

Dog-Passionate Santa Cruz County

DogTrekker.com would like to welcome Santa Cruz County Visitors Council as our latest Paw of Approval partner. As this issue makes clear, one of our favorite California beach towns is also a wine, waves, wilderness and woof™ paradise. Read more.

DogTrekkers go Santa Cruzin’

Wilder keeping it super cool in Santa Cruz. Photo by Celeste Cesena.

Santa Cruz County, located on California's Central Coast, 65 miles south of San Francisco and 35 miles north of Monterey, is known for its sun-soaked beaches, famous Beach Boardwalk amusement park, redwoods, and eclectic community. Read more.

Chasing Surf With Your Dog in Santa Cruz County

Photo credit: lostintheredwoods (CC) Santa Cruz County’s curvy coastline is studded with some 29 miles of beaches providing lots of options for DogTrekkers. Fifteen strands are dog-friendly, and one, Mitchell’s Cove, is legally leash-free during daylight hours before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. Read more.

Things to do with your dog in Santa Cruz County

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park.

When it comes to things to do with your dog in Santa Cruz County, there’s the obvious (beaches, wineries), and the not-so-obvious—like Byrne-Milliron Forest, a 400-acre Land Trust of Santa Cruz County property managed as a working forest and laced with dog-friendly trails (off-leash hiking for dogs with reliable recall is allowed). Read more.

Cuddle Up With Your Pup

Photo Credit: smerikal (CC) Sonoma County has plenty of gorgeous scenery to share with your best friend, and plenty of places to make base camp if you’re able to spend the night or make a weekend of it. Read more.

SUP with your pup

Stand-Up Paddle-boarding has caught on big-time with canine passengers as well as the people who do the paddling. Most dogs love to ride along, although it can take some coaxing at first. Whether you own your own board or are a first-timer, you’ll find instant community at 101 Surf Sports in San Rafael, a sponsor of regular outings on which everyone has a dog on board. Read more.

Pups Welcome on the Roaring Camp Railroads

Photo courtesy: Roaring Camp Railroads It's hard to beat a day in the redwoods, especially if the visit includes a ride on a narrow-gauge railroad once used to haul Bunyan-size logs out of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Roaring Camp Railroad's vintage steam engines date to the 1890s, but today Read more.

Wilderness Hiking in Whiskeytown NRA

If your travel plans have you traveling north this year (or if you haven’t figured out how to use those unused vacay days), we have just the perfect destination. Redding, the last major city on Interstate 5 as you near Mt. Shasta, is the undisputed Trail Capital of California with over 225 miles of trails within 15 miles of its city center. Read more.

Diggin’ San Diego With Your Dog

In San Diego, it’s a dog’s life when it comes to hiking. Daisy can let loose on the beach or enjoy a quick, natural escape at nearby preserves like Mission Trails Regional Park, where 60 miles of canine-friendly trails spread over 6,800 acres beckon. Read more.

Coastal Cool-Off in Monterey County

If it's coastal hiking that you are interested in, start in Monterey, where you can join the throngs of people and pups out for a stroll on the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail, a paved, multi-use path that stretches 18 scenic miles from Castroville in the north to Pacific Grove in the south, hugging a route once used by the Southern Pacific Railway. The Pacific Grove section is a particular DogTrek Read more.

Helen Woodward Animal Center

Cabo DogTrekkers in the know already have San Diego's famous Dog Beach on their destination list. Now, if you time it right, you can add a new dimension to your water adventures with your best friend, because the SoCal Surf Dog Club is offering surfing and paddleboarding classes for dogs for five weekend days this summer. Read more.

River Running With Rover

Photo: AllieKF (CC) Lakes are great and beaches are peachy, but there’s something special about splashing in a river. DogTrekker.com has explored quite a few with our furry best friends and want to share our favorites as part of our sand bucket list. Read more.

Hunting Fun in Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach dog. Photo: Matty Sides (CC) If every dog had a surfboard, they’d all be hanging 20 in the Surf City Surf Dog contest set this year for Sept. 25-27 on Huntington Beach’s famous Dog Beach, where four-legged family members are allowed to run free all day, every day, chasing balls, sticks and each other into the surf. Read more.

Keep Santa Cruz Woofy

Dog on Santa Cruz Beach. Photo: Don DeBold (CC) The bumper stickers read “Keep Santa Cruz Weird,” but DogTrekkers visiting this diverse coastal county might prefer to just keep it tail-waggingly wonderful. And with 29 miles of beaches studding its crenelated shoreline, Santa Cruz County has plenty of room for dogs and people to spread out. Fifteen coastal beaches are dog-fri Read more.

Traveling the SLO Lane With Your Dog

Fun at the beach. (CC) SLO dogs in the fast lane. From Ragged Point in the north to Pismo Beach in the south, the San Luis Obispo County coast is a dog-friendly wonderland loaded with things to do and places to stay with your pup. Along the 70 miles of Highway 1 that hug it, you’ll encounter everything from secluded tide pools and shimmering coves to classic SoCal beaches packed shoulder to Read more.

Making Dog-friendly Magic in Marin

Caspian at the beach. Photo: Georgio (CC) If you’re a dog, you can thank your lucky stars for the opportunity to visit Marin County, where dog-friendly open space abounds. In the beach department, leash-optional Muir Beach and Rodeo Beach, both part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, are favorite romp spots. A bit to the north, Bolinas Beach and Dillon Beach are tai Read more.