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!

Bike or Hike to the Beach

It’s all paws out for a daylong adventure on Avila’s Bob Jones Bike Trail. Don’t have a bike? No worries! Bike rentals are available near the parking area and leashed Lassies are also welcome with walkers, joggers and skaters on this 2.5-mile paved pathway to beautiful Avila Beach. Read more.

Tuolumne Tell-All

Tuolumne County, bordering Yosemite National Park along the Highway 49 and Highway 120 corridors, played a pivotal roll in 19th-century stampede for gold and silver, and its rugged landscape is dotted with towns—Columbia, Jamestown, Twain Harte, Groveland—that still have a boomtown feel. Read more.

Shoreline Rambling

Sometimes the urge to breathe deeply of a sea breeze comes on as strong as an appetite at lunchtime. Fortunately, the East Bay Regional Parks District offers multiple ways to satiate the desire for a shoreline ramble with your best friend. Read more.

Snuggle Up With Sparky

Tahoma Meadows There’s nothing like an old-style cabin to impart a sense of place at Lake Tahoe. We have a few dog-friendly favorites, starting with Tahoma Meadows Bed & Breakfast Cottages on Tahoe's West Shore, a semi-secret place that has developed a loyal following among outdoorsy couples and families traveling with their four-legged friends. Read more.

Park ‘N’ Play

You spend a lot of time and gas money getting to Lake Tahoe, so why waste more circling for a place to park? During a winter like this one, the prime spots at snow-play areas are gone by 9 a.m….unless you’ve had the foresight to purchase a Sno-Parks permit. Read more.

Paws To Path Hiking With Your Dog

We know that putting paws to path is one of your favorite activities, especially when you can unsnap the leash and let your best friend sniff as she will. With help from our readers, DogTrekker is doggone determined to keep up a regular flow of suggestions on places to hike in spring, summer, fall and winter so that you’ll never run short of ideas. Read more.

Avenue of the Giants

Photo by Jamie Street.

You might not know a burl from a squirrel when you set off on the 31-mile section of old Highway 101 known as the Avenue of the Giants, but by the end of the day you'll have learned all about the strange growths and the products crafted from them that are hawked all around the region. Read more.

Marin County Parks

Photo by Nathan Barteau.

Forty years ago, as residents watched subdivisions creep up hillsides and across ridges, local leaders started a heroic movement to preserve natural lands; a movement that resulted in the creation of the Marin County Open Space District. Read more.

Wide Open Spaces

The Marin County Open Space District, which turns 40 this year, was born from a heroic movement to preserve natural lands and contain urban sprawl. Today it administers 34 preserves—all but one of them dog-friendly—totaling more than 20,000 acres and providing Bay Area residents and visitors with many ways to play. Four-legged hikers enjoy the rare privilege of accompanying their huma Read more.

MacKerricher State Park

MacKerricher State Park. Photo by Don Kawahigashi.

Adhering to leash restrictions is a small price to pay for reveling in the beauty of this Mendocino County gem with numerous dog-friendly trails and beaches. Read more.

Garrapata State Park

If the rocky, surf-crashed scenery at Garrapata State Park looks familiar, that’s probably because it resides in your subconscious, deposited there by paintings and films that have made impressions before. This is the last state park on the Big Sur coast to allow canine visitors, which makes it feel all the more special. Dogs are only allowed along the two miles of beachfront, not on trai Read more.

Samuel P. Taylor State Park

view of redwood trees looking up to tree tops

Redwood trees at Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Photo by Martha Bergmann.

This lush redwood retreat 15 miles west of San Rafael has dog-friendly picnic areas, campgrounds with showers and the five-mile Cross Marin Trail, shared with cyclists, that visitors with leashed dogs are welcome to enjoy. Read more.

South Yuba River State Park

Senior black lab stands in lake with stick floating nearby

Photo by Jeremy Perkins.

We’d love South Yuba River State Park even if its many trails and swimming holes weren’t dog-friendly, and we bet you will, too. Read more.

Dog-Passionate Sacramento

Yellow lab Maya on the Sacramento River Trail

Maya walking on the Sacramento River Trail. Photo by Roxanne Kendrick.

Dog-friendly California begins with Sacramento, as you will find out when you explore all the capital city has to offer, from hikes to scenic walks, dog parks to swim spots as well as numerous hotels and restaurants which welcome your furry friend. Read more.

10 ways to have fun with your dog at Lake Tahoe

Photo by Jessica Bay.

Yes, you can take your dog swimming at Lake Tahoe! True, there are only a handful of dog-friendly beaches, but for most dogs, just one a day is enough. One of our hidden favorites on the West Shore is the private beach at Obexer’s General Store in Homewood. Read more.

Yo, Little Yosemite!

Golden retriever overlooks aerial view of Sunol Regional Wilderness.

Sunol Regional Wilderness. Photo by Kevin Noble.

Don’t have time to visit the real Yosemite Valley? Little Yosemite, a scenic gorge on Alameda Creek in Sunol Regional Wilderness, might not be so grand, but it’s a lot closer to home. Read more.

Visit A National Park For Free

There’s nothing like spending a day in nature with your four-legged friend to bring you down to Earth. And during National Park Week, you can celebrate Earth Day by making pawprints in a national park without having to pay at the gate. Read more.

The Bark on Bart Park

Sonoma County is well endowed with public lands where you can spend quality time with your furry friend, but not so well known are the private preserves that welcome hikers and strollers accompanied by canine companions. Put organically farmed Bartholomew Park Winery at the top of your list. This little-known gem just a few blocks east of Sonoma Plaza sits at the center of a 40 Read more.

Central Coast Bloom-O-Rama

If you’re travels take you to the Central Coast, make time for El Chorro Regional Park between San Luis Obispo and Morro Bay. It’s home to a fenced, off-leash dog park as well as to the San Luis Obispo Botanical Garden, a work in progress displaying the plant life of the five Mediterranean climate zones around the world. Read more.

Walk Blithely

group of 6 dogs sit along a shaded fire road on Old Railroad Grade

Old Railroad Grade trail in Mill Valley. Photo by Jessica Bay.

If you wake up on a clear day itching for a hike that provides challenge, historical context and views, put paws to the path on a 6.6-mile trek along the Old Railroad Grade. Read more.