Santa Clara County

15 communities comprise Santa Clara County and the Silicon Valley. A must-visit for DogTrekkers is San Jose’s Santana Row, or the park-like, and dog-friendly Stanford Shopping Center.

Santa Clara County is also blessed with tens of thousands of acres of dog-friendly parklands, including those within the Midpeninsula Open Space District. On top of that, virtually every community has a fenced dog park.
 

Spring Rambles in the South Bay

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 »

Four Falls On One Outing!

Swanson Creek, Uvas Canyon Park

In the wake of a good spring drenching, the Uvas Canyon Waterfall Loop Trail near Morgan Hill in the South Bay’s Santa Cruz Mountains rewards with easy footing and sights to put a smile on your face and a wag on Scout’s tail. more »

Put These Hiking Havens On Your Radar

Regional park districts in the Bay Area and beyond offer myriad venues for hiking with your dog. Check out the possibilities and put paws to path this fall! more »

Midpeninsula's Marvelous Preserves

Hope on Pulgas Ridge. Photo: Phil King

Santa Clara County is blessed with tens of thousands of acres of paw-friendly parklands, and this being the Silicon Valley, many online resources are available to help guide you to and through K-9 territory.

Check out the 25 county parks that allow dogs with some restrictions, then pick your path within the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD), whose 90,000 acres in 10 open-space preserves hold many options, both on and off-leash, for those of us visiting with our furry friends. more »

Views Galore in Santa Clara County

Bring your tent or RV and make a weekend of it, or just come for the day. Any way you slice it, Mount Madonna County Park, 10 miles west of Gilroy in Santa Clara County, contains all the elements, from ocean views to redwood forests, that epitomize Northern California. Spring wildflower season is perhaps the best time to visit this 3,688-acre preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains, but in winter you'll have the place virtually to yourself.  more »