Alameda County
Despite its dense population, Alameda County—home to Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, Fremont, Hayward and Pleasanton, among other communities—is blessed with more dog-friendly public lands than most counties 10 times its size. Recreational opportunities are centered around public lands in the East Bay Regional Park System, whose 64 parcels span 108,000 acres in Alameda and neighboring Contra Costa counties.
It’s worth training your dog to be a canine good citizen just to take advantage of off-leash privileges that allow dogs to run free under voice control in the parks’ undeveloped areas. Opportunity lurks over every hill: Redwood Regional Park, for example, is a shadowy sanctuary for giant trees just a few miles from downtown Oakland, while, Tilden Regional Park, in the Berkeley Hills, is a 2,078-acre escape from urban chaos. At Del Valle Regional Park, you can follow up a hike in the hills with a row in a rented boat. Fenced parks for exercise and play also proliferate in this extremely dog-friendly county.
A regional plan adopted in the early 1990s to revitalize agriculture and limit urban sprawl is largely responsible for preserving the Tri-Valley region's semi-rural character. From any densely populated area, wide-open views that you can enjoy with Rover at your side are just minutes away more »
It may not be the first dog-friendly group activity that springs to mind, but the sport of dragon boating, with mythic roots in ancient China, has become hugely popular in recent years.
Different clubs have different views, but the Berkeley Racing Canoe Center, home to the DragonMax team, is very welcoming to visitors and prospective members, human and canine. So much so, says spokesman Paul Kamen, that visitors are invited to drop by M-dock at Berkeley Marina during Monday and Wednesday evening practices from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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For years now, the paws-down, must-attend event for East Bay dogs is the Berkeley-East Bay Humane Society's Bay to Barkers fundraiser. more »
Kids (and dogs) of all ages visiting Tilden Regional Park in Berkeley are drawn like magnets to the Redwood Valley Railway, a miniature train that has been looping around the park since 1952. The railroad's five-inch, scale model live steam locomotives are perfectly detailed and as fun to watch as they are to ride behind. more »
A lot of favorite spring destinations have taken a beating this year. Normally lovely meadows are under water, babbling brooks are dangerous torrents and low-lying trails are awash in mud. So with Jake bouncing off the walls, it's time to head for the hills. Whether you want a quick scenic stroll, a nature walk or an ambitious ridgetop hike, these East Bay Regional Parks in the hills above Oakland are just the place for the active human-canine set. Download a map and bring it with you to help you navigate the trails and keep out of areas where dogs aren't welcome. more »