For water-loving canines, nothing beats fetching a ball from the surf and romping full-speed ahead on a sandy beach. DogTrekker.com has identified almost 200 dog-friendly beaches along California’s 840 miles of coastline. You’ll find them listed, mapped and described in the California Coastal Beaches pages of our website and mobile app. Meanwhile, here are 10 of our favorites, north to south.
My stick! Photo Credit: @finnbodey
Noyo Beach, Mendocino County. Legal places to romp off-leash with your dog are few and far between on Mendocino County’s gorgeous coastline, but one place you can unclip and let your pup run free is Noyo Beach Off-Leash Dog Area in Fort Bragg. more »
Making tracks to the beach
Furlong Gulch, Sonoma County. Furlong Gulch is one of several beaches you’ll come to as you travel along the 17 miles of beaches extending from the Vista Trail 4 miles north of Jenner all the way to Bodega Head. More than a dozen access points will take you to named strands in addition to Furlong (including Carmet Beach, Portuguese Beach and Marshall Gulch) separated by bluffs and headlands. more »
Scoping out Muir Beach - Photo Credit: @quinceytheaussie
• Muir Beach, Marin County. This is a Bay Area classic: A crescent of sand bordered by high bluffs to the north and south, with wetlands and a lagoon behind the strand. Dogs under reliable voice control (meaning Daisy comes immediately when called) are allowed off-leash in designated areas. more »
Unleashed! Photo Credit: @princesshasegawa
• Fort Funston, San Francisco. This stretch of rugged headlands just south of Ocean Beach in the southwest part of the city is not fenced, but it’s nirvana for off-leash dogs and woofing with canine activity even on drizzly, foggy days. more »
We found a cave! Photo Credit: @phantompoodleparti
• Mitchell’s Cove, Santa Cruz County. This pretty city beach just off West Cliff Drive allows leashed dogs at any time, while leash-free romping is permitted between sunrise and 10 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to sunset. more »
Photo Credit: Robert Robles
• Carmel City Beach, Monterey County. Blue-ribbon honors go to city-owned Carmel Beach, a powdery, mile-long strand that is perhaps the best-known leash-free dog beach in the country. A plus: it’s walking distance from fashionable Carmel-by-the-Sea, with its wealth of dog-friendly lodging and places to eat. more »
Photo Credit: @johnalbertseed
• San Simeon Cove, San Luis Obispo County. Tucked beneath William Randolph Hearst’s famous castle, San Simeon Cove is a jewel of a place with emerald water and ample space for dogs to romp. Off-leash dogs aren’t allowed on adjacent Hearst Memorial State Beach, so if you want to unclip, simply walk a few hundred feet to the right of the pier where signs announced the beach boundary. more »
Riley at Huntington Dog Beach - Photo Credit: @timphoto5
• Huntington Beach Dog Beach, Orange County. This salty-dog paradise encompasses a 1.5-mile section of a 3.5-mile-long beach that seems plucked straight out of a surfer movie (no wonder Huntington Beach is nicknamed Surf City USA). You’ll find yourself humming a Beach Boys tune as you and your pup immerse yourselves in surf culture. more »
Photo Credit: @pongopig
• Rosie’s Dog Beach, Long Beach, Los Angeles County. It’s not fenced and not a dedicated “dog beach,” but this strand of sand in the “dog zone” along Ocean Boulevard is open to off-leash dog play from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. Believe it or not, this is the only legally off-leash beach in the entire county! more »
Lucy - Photo Credit: Kevin Schraer (CC)
• Ocean Beach Dog Beach, San Diego County. Ocean Beach, in the community of the same name, is quintessential Southern California—surfers, bikinis, lifeguards and all. In the “dog-run”, four-legged visitors tear around sand and surf, adding to the carefree vibe. (Leash rules apply elsewhere on the beach, so keep an eye on the signs.) more »
Photo - Pali Boucher and some Rocket Dogs and people, Rocket Dog Rescue
San Francisco's Rocket Dog Rescue is celebrating its 17th birthday, mostly doing what it does best—saving dogs who really, really need it. Since they opened their Urban Sanctuary and Adoption Center in East Oakland, they've become a trusted resource in the surrounding community.
Which is why, in the wee hours of the morning a few weeks ago, a homeless person in the neighborhood called Rocket Dog with a horrific discovery: two German shepherd puppies in a garbage heap, clinging to each other and, it soon proved, terribly mutilated. One's hind foot had been chopped off, but her sister was in far worse shape with a life-threatening injury, her jaw deliberately crushed. Dubbed Freya and Frigg, they were rushed off for emergency care, where an orthopedic surgeon successfully rebuilt Freya's jaw. Shockingly, while all this was happening, a husky puppy, soon called Chloe, was found with injuries similar to Frigg's, and also given reconstructive surgery. more »