Just outside picturesque Mendocino Village, with its wealth of lacy Victorians and colorful saltbox cottages, Mendocino Headlands State Park is one of relatively few state-administered preserves to allow leashed dogs on dirt trails. The beach at the base of the bluffs, while not leash-free, is a gorgeous place to stroll. Looking to exercise your arms as well as your legs? Photo-ops will come nonstop when you take your dog for a float on the Big River in a specially crafted “dog canoe” rented from the Catch-a-Canoe outfitter shop adjacent to the Stanford Inn.