Whiskeytown Lake to Open Memorial Day
Oak Bottom Campground
One of DogTrekker’s favorite places to hike is
Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, just west of
Redding, the hiking capital of California. We’ve long written about Whiskeytown Lake and the 70 miles of dog-friendly trails leading up to four beautiful waterfalls.
As San Francisco Chronicle outdoors columnist
Tom Stienstra wrote last week, “the national park that was devoured in an inferno last summer is reopening step-by-step this spring and will be back on the map for Memorial Day weekend.
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Welcome to DogTrekker.com
Whether you are traveling to visit a local dog park or exploring Gold Country's dog-friendly beer & wine trails, plan your trip on DogTrekker.com and take along the DogTrekker mobile app to locate over 9,000 things to do with your pup in the Golden State. Following is our latest newsletter ( Subscribe | Archives ).
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Dog Beach Time in Santa Cruz
Spring Forward With Your Dog in Santa Cruz County
California is diverse, yes, but when it comes to options for DogTrekkers—romps on the beach, hikes in the redwoods, wine-tasting, family fun, exploring small towns—it’s hard to beat Santa Cruz County. The scenery is stunning, the welcome is authentic—and spring, with great weather, smaller crowds, and plenty of lodging specials, is the perfect time to go. We have updated our top reader-favorite Santa Cruz County stories to jumpstart your spring coastal travel with your dogs.
Beach Time! Photo Credit: Visit Santa Cruz County
Follow the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) along the Santa Cruz County coastline, and you’ll be tempted by 29 miles of beaches (15 of them dog-friendly) along the way. Only one, Mitchell’s Cove, is legally leash-free, and then only before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. But no worries: there are plenty of other strands to explore provided you keep a tether stretched between you. more »
Big Basin - Photo Credit: Alice Chen
Every time we visit, Santa Cruz County gets more and more dog-friendly. And this year there are several new opportunities to bark about. Tops among them: As of a couple of years ago, dogs have a place to hike with their people at Big Basin Redwoods State Park, where they previously were confined to campsites and picnic areas. The North Escape Road isn’t a trail, exactly, but it’ll do: The former fire evacuation road, surrounded by redwoods, provides for a 7-mile round-trip trek on a paved surface that parallels Opal Creek for much of the way. more »
Photo Credit: Visit Santa Cruz County
If you don’t live in Santa Cruz County, you probably know this gorgeous stretch of the California coast for its beaches, its stellar university and the namesake town that proudly embraces its somewhat eccentric reputation. But Santa Cruz County is also known for its mountains, its redwood forests and its wines, particularly the pinot noir and chardonnay that thrive in the fog-kissed climate. Wineries and tasting rooms are sprinkled throughout the county, and dogs get a warm welcome at many of them. more »
Roaring Camp Railroads - Photo Credit: zak_the_vizsla
When it comes to things to do with your dog in Santa Cruz County, there’s the obvious (beaches, wineries), and the not-so-obvious—like Byrne-Milliron Forest, a 400-acre Land Trust of Santa Cruz County property managed as a working forest and laced with dog-friendly trails (off-leash hiking for dogs with reliable recall is allowed). Another option for hikers is Pogonip, a 640-acre nature reserve/greenbelt with numerous dog-friendly trails. Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park is one of few state-run parks in California that allows dogs on some (but not all) trails. More...
Photo Credit: @zak_the_vizla more »
Photo Credit: @baxterthebrit
By Sophie Liu, DVM
“Foxtails” are the colloquial term for the seed-dispersal unit of a common weed, often called “grass awns” in other parts of the country. Once inside the body, foxtails usually require immediate veterinary care to manually remove them. more »
Photo Credit: Visit Santa Cruz County
One of our favorite DogCation locations is Santa Cruz County and this month a lucky DogTrekker will win the perfect getaway to this quintessential California beach location! The grand prize includes a two-night stay at the over-the-top dog-friendly Chaminade Resort & Spa complete with breakfast for four. The renovated AAA four-diamond Chaminade is located on a spectacular 300-acre Santa Cruz mountaintop, with its own dog-friendly hiking trails. In addition, you will win all-day ride passes to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk (sorry, not dog-friendly), four passes to Roaring Camp Railroads (which is crazy dog-friendly) – plus, a goodie bag from Visit Santa Cruz County! more »
This just in from our friends at Santa Cruz SPCA -- they're building a new state-of-the-art facility, and construction's already under way. Meanwhile, Charlie Chaplin here is looking for HIS forever home. A 6-year-old mini-dachshund boy, he's especially interested in a career as a lap dog where he can show off his talents for snuggling. more »
San Francisco
Bitchin' - An Art Show for Humans and Dogs
May 9, 2019 to July 11, 2019
3245 16th Street, San Francisco, California 94103
Map & directions
Florin
2019 WRAP Spring Fun(draiser) Day
June 1, 2019 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
6701 63rd St., Florin, California 95828
Map & directions
Berkeley
Pints for Paws
June 1, 2019 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Ninth & Carleton Streets, Berkeley, California 94710
Map & directions
San Francisco
Petchitecture
June 6, 2019 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
950 Mason St., San Francisco, California 94108
Map & directions
Vet Buzz: Foxtail
Photo Credit: @baxterthebrit
By Sophie Liu, DVM
“Foxtails” are the colloquial term for the seed-dispersal unit of a common weed, often called “grass awns” in other parts of the country. Once inside the body, foxtails usually require immediate veterinary care to manually remove them.
more »