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! 🐾🐕

Kayla in Surf City

Photo by Visit Huntington Beach.

DogTrekker.com's Chief Operating Dog, Director of Barketing and Research Lab, Kayla, recently visited Huntington Beach (aka Surf City, USA) and is still barking about it. Surf City is roughly 35 miles south of Los Angeles in beautiful Orange County and is one of the most dog-friendly towns in California. Read more.

Ferndale: A Charming Village to Bark About

Photo by Shaw House Inn.

Photo: Chris P. Registered Veterinary Technician, Chris P., recently wrote in to tell us about her visit to Ferndale, a charming, dog-friendly destination in Humboldt County. Here's what she had to say: Ferndale is a wonderful, self-billed Victorian village located in Humboldt County. I love that all the businesses are locally owned, and it has a little of everything. Read more.

Water Fun

When we asked our readers about their favorite places to share with their senior dogs, The Beach was at the top of the list, and luckily we have quite a few in California. A tide table is your friend here — depending on your preferred activity, conditions may be better at high or low tide. Especially if your four-legged geezer is not one for crowd scenes and blazing sunshine, plan your outin Read more.

Martin Resorts Supports Woods Humane

Martin Resorts’ collection of premier hotels on the Central Coast includes four hotels that are dog-friendly: Pismo Lighthouse Suites, Best Western PLUS Shore Cliff Lodge and The Inn at the Cove in Pismo Beach; and the Paso Robles Inn in the heart of downtown Paso Robles. Read more.

Dog-friendly beaches of San Luis Obispo

Let's go to the beach! CC E.Haug Dog-friendly beaches abound in SLO County, including several strands where you can cut the cord and let your best friend run free. You can always visit a dog-friendly beach on your own, of course, but for occasions worthy of a splurge, call the Beach Butlerz. This innovative service staffed by local college students promises to change a typical day at a dog-fr Read more.

Chasing Waves on Ocean Beach With Your Dog

Traveling in Style at Ocean Beach. (CC) torbakhopper If your dog has a reliable recall and can be trusted not to jump on people, bring her to Ocean Beach, a four-mile strip of sand at the foot of Golden Gate Park. The section between stairwells 1 and 21 is off-leash territory, and dogs go wild chasing waves, fetching balls and dodging the throngs of humans who congregate here on weekends. Read more.

Waterfront Dog-friendly Delights in Mission Bay

Hanging out in Mission Bay. (CC) Bhautik Joshi One of the fastest changing parts of the city is Mission Bay, a South-of-Market shoreline neighborhood in the midst of a redevelopment boom. Start this three-mile jaunt at AT&T Park, crossing McCovey Cove on Third Street to reach China Basin Park, a thin strip of green space facing the home of the World Champion San Francisco Giants. On game days Read more.

Orvis contest supports canine cancer research

Black lab with tongue out wearing red collar

Photo by Darya Skorokhod.

We all know dogs aren’t just pets, they’re family. So when canine cancer claims a victim, the whole family suffers. One in four dogs will battle this disease in their lifetime, with half of them dying long before their time. In response, The Orvis Company announced that Orvis customers have raised over a million dollars for canine cancer research through the Orvis Cover Dog Photo Contest. All Read more.

Adventure awaits on the North Coast

Fred Chillin' on the beach in Fort Bragg. (CC)Markcosy California’s North Coast is a magical place made more magical still with the 2014 incorporation of Point Arena-Stornetta Public Lands, a 1,132-acre coastal preserve in Mendocino County that you and your leashed dog are welcome to explore at your scenic-overload leisure. DogTrekker.com ranks the North Coast as a one of the state&rsqu Read more.

Golden Gate National Recreation Area

For more than three years, DogTrekker.com has been proud to champion the ongoing advocacy efforts of dog lovers opposed to provisions in a proposed management plan that would prohibit or restrict access to portions of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area that have long been available for on- or off-leash dog walking and exercise. Our most recent story, Enjoy These GGNRA Beaches While You Ca Read more.

Heritage House: Same time, next year

Stunning ocean views from the deck at Heritage House. Photo by Heritage House.

For decades, they were not alone. Returning to the Heritage House Resort was an annual tradition for many guests until the resort closed in 2008. It reopened last year with fresh interiors, four-star service and a focus on being dog-friendly. Read more.

Moseying through Mendocino County

Happy dog in Gualala If you haven’t been to Mendocino County in a while, consider following coastal Highway 1 through a scenic wonderland touched by many trails where you and your dog can sniff out your own discoveries. Start in Gualala, on the Sonoma/Mendocino county line, where the Gualala Bluff Trail offers three miles of elevated views and excellent wildlife watching (look for passing wh Read more.

Mendocino’s Beachcomber Motel offers Pet Suites and Dog Park

Beachcomber Dog Park.

The Beachcomber Motel & Spa in Fort Bragg has officially gone to the dogs with their latest addition of Pet Suites and a new, leash-free Dog Park. Read more.

Bet on Bodega Bay

Follow the Pacific coast through Sonoma County and you’ll find plenty of gorgeous scenery to share with your best friend. Bodega Bay makes an ideal hub for discovering the region’s many attributes. Bed down at a dog-friendly property such as Bodega Coast Inn & Suites, Sonoma Coast Villa & Spa, Bay Hill Mansion B&B or Bodega Bay RV Park and prepare to get sandy, as you&rsquo Read more.

Dog-friendly Lake Tahoe beaches

Senior black lab stands in lake with stick floating nearby

Photo by Jeremy Perkins.

Summer is in full swing and Lake Tahoe is one of the top DogTrekker destinations. So we want to share some of the places to take your dog for a dip on your next trip to this gem of a lake. Read more.

KOA Welcomes DogTrekkers

Camping in California is surging in popularity with DogTrekkers, in part because privately owned campgrounds such as the award-winning San Francisco North/Petaluma KOA have diversified to offer not just RV camping, but tent sites, camping cabins, dog-friendly full service lodges and resort amenities that appeal to a wide variety of vacationers. Read more.

Acupuncture for disc disease in dogs

Have you ever seen a dog standing still, shaking and unwilling to move its neck? How about an old Labrador having difficulty standing up and dragging its toes when it walks? Read more.

Sacramento and Folsom: Gold Country Getaways

Dog party in downtown Sacramento. Photo: Kelly Huston Sacramento and Folsom are the dog-friendly gateways to California Gold Country. And there’s no denying it: temperatures here can get very hot here in the summer. The upside is that Sacramento is blessed with a marine phenomenon known as the “Delta breeze” that puffs up most evenings, cooling temperatures by as much as 30 d Read more.

Corgi Nation Beach Day

Corgis take over Huntington Dog Beach DogTrekker, Bonnie H., from Canoga Park wrote to us recently to tell us about a great dog-friendly event at Huntington Beach: SoCal Corgi Nation Beach Day. On June 28, over 375 corgis brought their people out to play on the beach. There was a costume contest, a corgi limbo, group photos and much more. Read more.

East Bay getaways with your dog

Cassie at Mission Creek Preserve. Photo: Sean Ness (CC) What would the East Bay be without its regional parks—all 65 of them? The East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD) marks its 80th birthday this year, and as athank-you to its many users EBRPD is offering, “Free 3rd Fridays” each month for the remainder of the year. Perks include free parking, free boat launching, free ent Read more.