Blog stories about the best dog-friendly hikes, parks and gardens.

Hiking, Parks and Gardens – can you say happy dog? DogTrekker has you covered with some great stories about the best hikes, parks and gardens for you. Whether you are looking for a quiet stroll through the park or an adventurous hike to a remote location, we have something for everyone. From the great outdoors to urban adventures, we’ve got it all covered. So don’t forget your pup when planning your next adventure – DogTrekker is here to help! Happy trails!

Trail Etiquette With Your Dog

Dog on Fairmont Ridge. Photo: Mary (CC) We all like to give our dogs the privilege of romping off-leash from time to time, and not just in a fenced dog park. But with that privilege comes responsibility. The East Bay Regional Park District is among the precious few land-management agencies that allow visiting dogs to hike without a leash away from developed areas. Unfortunately, not everyone who Read more.

Marin’s Tucked Away Treasures

Kalani on Mount Tam. Photo: Niall Kennedy When most people think about public lands, state parks, national parks and national forests usually come to mind. But public utilities also manage open space, usually for the purpose of protecting watersheds and streams that provide drinking water and energy for power plants. The Marin Municipal Water District is one of them, stewarding several thousand a Read more.

Midpeninsula’s Marvelous Preserves

Santa Clara County is blessed with tens of thousands of acres of paw-friendly parklands, and this being the Silicon Valley, many online resources are available to help guide you to and through K-9 territory. Check out the 25 county parks that allow dogs with some restrictions, then pick your path within the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), whose 90,000 acres in 10 open-space pre 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.

Experience Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta, 63 miles north of Redding and a constant presence on the Shasta Cascade horizon, is considered by many to be one of the world’s most spiritual “power spots.” Read more.

Help Us Gain Dog Access to State Parks

We Californians love our dogs-and our state parks. But we're often frustrated by regulations that restrict canine visitors to parking lots and campgrounds. Only a few parks allow dogs to accompany their people on trails and on beaches. DogTrekker.com wants to change that and needs your help. The state parks' new leadership wants to ensure that the parks are 'available to everyone'. Read more.

Sno-Park Playland for Pooches and Their Humans

Stacy M., one of our intrepid DogTrekkers, and her angel Ayden barked to us about two dog-friendly Sno-Parks on Ebbetts Pass on Highway 4 near Bear Lake Ski Resort - one at the Spicer Meadow Road turnoff and the other at the end of the plowed highway near Lake Alpine. Read more.

Redding trails

With 100 miles of trails within 10 miles of Redding’s city center, and many more beyond, it’s easy to understand why Redding is considered to be the Trail Capital of California. Read more.

Tiptoe Through The Tulips

Max at Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens. Photo: Vic Farley, Courtesy Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens There’s something about a carefully cultivated garden that brings on wonder, inspiration and wagging tails. Not all of California’s botanical gardens are dog-friendly, but these five extend a warm welcome to canine guests. Read more.

Vroom over to 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.

Sometimes the places in our own backyard are the least explored. And for many Northern Californians, Vacaville, a familiar name on Interstate 80, is one of them. Read more.

Yosemite in Winter

Normally, waterfall season at Yosemite National Park doesn’t peak until May. But this year’s light snow pack and unusually warm weather have teased Mother Nature into an earlier schedule. Read more.

Diamond in the Ruff

Ghost Tunnel, Black Diamond Mines - Photo: Nick Fullerton (CC) From the late 1800s to the early 1990s, as many as 900 miners at a time labored to remove nearly 4 million tons of coal—“black diamonds”—from the ground in what is now Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve near Antioch in Contra Costa County. As interesting for its human history and artifacts (mine shafts, cemeteries, crumb Read more.

Death Valley National Park

Photo by Johannes Plenio.

Exceedingly pleasant temperatures—low 60s in the daytime, low 40s at night—make January and February the ideal time to visit Death Valley. This is one of the best drive-through parks in the country, with scores of fascinating sights visible from the road. Read more.

Trekking in Temecula

Southern California’s high-desert wine country is centered around the town of Temecula, 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles and 60 miles north of San Diego. Read more.

So nice at San Anselmo’s Sorich Park

Kayla has put the paws to the path in thousands of miles of California trails, and last weekend she sniffed out a great one at the San Anselmo Sorich Ranch Open Space. Read more.

Editorial: Dogs in State Parks

On the pier at Seacliff State Beach We want to thank the hundreds of DogTrekker readers who responded so positively to our May 15, 2013 newsletter featuring an open letter to Elizabeth Goldstein, president of the California Parks Foundation. The letter was complimentary about the work the foundation has done to raise awareness and funds to protect, maintain and enhance our parks. Read more.

Perambulate the Parkway

Dogs in Dancing Fountain Sacramentans cherish the American River Parkway, a shady, 32-mile greenbelt meandering from the Old Sacramento historic district to sprawling Folsom Lake State Recreation Area. This jewel in the crown of the Sacramento County Regional Park System has many access points and offers an unlimited opportunity to stroll and splash with your best friend. Read more.

Perk Up at a Park

Brodie playing in the park Sacramento enjoys a mild fall and winter climate perfect for outings with your pup. If you’re a visitor and weather permits, start your explorations at the navel of California political activity, the state capitol. No, you can’t go inside—but the two of you can explore Capitol Park, a 40-acre urban preserve surrounding the imposing domed structure Read more.

Park It in San Francisco

What’s the biggest park in San Francisco after Golden Gate Park (1,017 acres)? We were stumped, too, until our staffers stumbled upon John McLaren Park, a hidden gem in south San Francisco’s Visitacion Valley. Read more.

Dog-friendly day hikes

mixed breed dog on leash with man wearing hiking shoes on trail

Photo by Stephen Leonardi.

Scenery is what it’s all about at North Lake Tahoe, and there are so many ways to fill your eyes that we can mention only a few (more hikes here). If a casual stroll will satisfy, check out the new Tahoe City Lakeside Trail. Read more.