San Luis Obispo Blog

Dog-friendly beaches of San Luis Obispo

Let's go to the beach! CC E.Haug Dog-friendly beaches abound in SLO County, including several strands where you can cut the cord and let your best friend run free. You can always visit a dog-friendly beach on your own, of course, but for occasions worthy of a splurge, call the Beach Butlerz. This innovative service staffed by local college students promises to change a typical day at a dog-friendly beach into a remarkable experience for you and yours. Options range from simple delivery of beach chairs and firewood to a package dubbed the “Moroccan Love Encounter” entailing setup of a “luxe canopy” tent furnished with hard-surface flooring, lighting, a queen-size futon, 10 plush pillows, decorated table, feather fan, tiki torches and bonfire. Now what could be more memorable than that? Read more.

Take to the Hills Around SLO

The town of San Luis Obispo prides itself on surrounding open space where dog-friendly hiking trails dot the hillsides. The most popular and certainly the most rigorous of day hikes is local landmark Bishop’s Peak, tallest of the Nine Sisters, a string of peaks spanning the 12 miles between Morro Bay and San Luis Obispo. The hike to Bishop’s Peak’s 1,546-foot summit is a 3.5-mile, out-and-back adventure with an elevation change of more than 1,200 feet. Normal hike times range from three to five hours, and temperatures along the trail will vary, becoming quite hot in summer. Be sure to bring plenty of water for yourself and your dog even when the weather is cool, as this is a strenuous outing. Read more.

Towns of SLO County

Ready for a trip to town. (CC) E. Haug San Luis Obispo, home to California Polytechnic State University, is a quintessential college town nestled in a sea of hills just 10 miles from the Pacific coast. It has just about everything going for it so far as DogTrekkers are concerned, from dog-friendly hotels and restaurants to dog parks and historic sites including a Spanish mission dating to 1772 and an 1850s adobe home whose alluring gardens are open to canine visitors with people on the other end of the leash. Even SLOMA, the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, is happy to host leashed dogs and their owners during regular business hours. Read more.

SLO Down and Savor Some Waterfall Magic

Eden on the trail to Big Canyon Falls. Ryan McKay (CC) January is a magical time along the Central Coast, a time when the lumpy hills of the Coast Range turn from brown to emerald overnight and when streams swollen with rain morph from gentle trickles into raging torrents. Raging torrents produce waterfalls, of course, and three of the most accessible are produced by Big Creek as it flows through Big Canyon in the Santa Lucia Wilderness just north of Lopez Lake Recreation Area and 10 miles east of Arroyo Grande in San Luis Obispo County. Read more.

Martin Resorts Gives Back

Dog-friendly Pismo Lighthouse Suites Planning a vacation in beautiful San Luis Obispo County with your favorite four-legged travel companion? We suggest checking out Martin Resorts. Martin Resorts’ collection of premier hotels and restaurants on the Central Coast includes four hotels that offer dog-friendly lodging: the oceanfront Pismo Lighthouse Suites, Best Western Plus Shore Cliff Lodge, and The Inn at the Cove in the classic vacation town of Pismo Beach; and the Paso Robles Inn in the heart of Paso Robles Wine County. Read more.