Alameda County
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 available on public lands in the expansive
East Bay Regional Park System.
You can also enjoy off-leash privileges in the parks’ undeveloped areas.
Redwood Regional Park is a cool sanctuary of giant trees, Tilden Regional Park, in the Berkeley Hills, is a 2,078-acre escape from urban life, and in
Del Valle Regional Park, you can follow up a hike in the hills with a row in a rented boat. Designated dog parks also proliferate in this extremely dog-friendly county.
Luke at Sheraton Pleasanton Hotel
Photo Credit: @slandgirlinjourney
Sure, you could commute from the Bay Area or Sacramento, but why not make a weekend of it? After a day of hiking or touring the wine or craft-beer trails, it’s nice to stay for dinner, pull into a nearby hotel and spend the night. By our count, more than two dozen Tri-Valley hotels welcome four-legged visitors (use the handy dog-friendly check box at visittrivalley.com to filter hotels). more »
McKay's Taphouse & Beer Garden - Photo Credit: @kamperdoodle
Think of a trail, and you probably envision a path for hiking or biking, right? In the Tri-Valley, however, not all trails are made for ambulating from place to place. The region also boasts a Beer Trail, a Wine Trail and an Ice Cream Trail. Each is a collection of establishments, many of them dog-friendly, where you can indulge in your passion for brew, vino or tasty treats. more »
Sycamore Valley Open Space Preserve
Photo Credit: @mr_wigglebutt
The story behind why the Tri-Valley region has more open space than urban sprawl is long and complex, but there’s no arguing with the results! All four towns in the region are situated in close proximity to parcels within the vast East Bay Regional Park system, where dogs can hike with their people off-leash in many open-space and undeveloped areas, provided they are under strict voice control at all times. 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 »
East Bay SPCA Adopt-a-thon
Jack London Square, named for the California author who spent his boyhood on the Oakland waterfront before taking off for the Klondike (his relocated cabin is a local landmark), is Oakland’s vibrant social and historical nucleus, home to dozens of shops, restaurants, retail outlets and inviting lawns where many an event is held. It’s only fitting that a public space named for the author of “Call of the Wild” is dog-friendly, too! more »