Whether you are traveling two miles to visit a local dog park or headed to Yosemite, plan your entire trip on DogTrekker.com and take along the DogTrekker mobile app to locate over 8,000 things to do with your pup in the Golden State.
Late-season showers have caused Northern California’s streams to swell and waterfalls to roar. And what better goal for a hike with your best canine friend than a watery reward at the end of a wildflower-studded trail? This week, we sniff out some of our region’s gushiest gushers.
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area
Photo Credit: @bodhi_mastiff
OK, you’ve just missed “fee-free” day at our nation’s 400-plus national park units (next one is Sept 22). But that doesn’t mean you’ve missed peak season for waterfalls roaring all over California as the snowmelt season gets underway. We can’t gush enough about the dog-friendly waterfall hikes and photo opportunities waiting for you and yours on federal lands. Here’s a trio of suggestions. more »
Sunol Regional Wilderness
Photo Credit: @chico_the_boston_terrier
From easy family hikes to certified huffer-puffers, the hills and streams of the San Francisco Bay Area are at their voluptuous best in spring. Short on time but need some fresh air for yourself, your dog and your kids? Head to Fairway Falls, a 30-foot seasonal gusher in Novato reached via a family-friendly, mile-long round trip. more »
South Yuba River State Park
Photo Credit: @ryno_in_california
The Sierra foothills cover hundreds of square miles, so your best bet for a wildflower-and-waterfalls weekend is to narrow down an itinerary. Our suggestion: take Highway 20 east out of Marysville (Sutter County) and spend a day or a weekend exploring several sites between there and Grass Valley/Nevada City, a distance of about 40 miles. more »
Chasing waterfalls at Uvas Canyon County Park
Photo Credit: @adventuresofbearstorch
South of San Francisco, you and your frisky pup have more velvety-green hills to wander in spring. Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve in the hills above San Carlos and Redwood City is one option that really sets tails a-waggin'. Off-leash play is allowed in a 17-acre parcel of this 366-acre San Mateo County preserve that was once the site of a tuberculosis sanitarium. All five miles of trails are dog-friendly, and on clear days you'll get a good view of the Santa Cruz Mountains. more »
Redding calls itself California’s Trail Capital, and for good reason: about 100 miles of dog-friendly trails, both paved and natural-surface, have been developed in and around the city through private and public partnerships. Spring is a particularly nice time to take in the views from the Upper Sacramento Ditch Trail, which traces the route of a historic waterworks that once supplied miners’ sluice boxes. Three bridges along the northern part of the path span gorges that gush with waterfalls in springtime and offer arresting views of Shasta Lake and Keswick Reservoir at any time of year.
Never heard of Keswick Reservoir? This river-like body of water stretching nine miles downstream from Shasta Dam is the iconic lake’s frigid, turquoise-blue afterbay. The recently paved and very scenic Sacramento River Rail Trail follows a historic railroad alignment for almost 11 miles along its western shore, offering views aplenty, multiple points of entry and ample opportunity to branch off onto dirt paths leading into the rugged hills. more »
Hudson - Photo Courtesy: Family Dog Rescue
San Francisco's Family Dog Rescue's guiding philosophy is "We believe that when you adopt a dog, a family is created" — and they exist to help create and sustain those families. From their new headquarters in the Bayview, Family Dog offers a safe haven to dogs in need — puppies, adults, mixed breeds, purebreds, and dogs with disabilities — whether they're stuck in shelters, wandering the streets, or rescued from abusive situations.
Funded entirely by donors, Family Dog provides necessary medical care and supportive foster homes, allowing each dog to reveal his or her true personality — and the kind of family they're meant to be part of. more »