Napa Humane 2017

Since we last checked in with Napa Humane, they've been working hard for the critters of Napa Valley. Besides working with local shelters and rescues to get dogs (and other species) into loving forever homes, Napa Humane offers community support resources to keep pets well and happy with the families they've already got—and prevent them from landing in the shelter system in the first place. Read more.

Napa valley leg-stretchers

Just because you’ve had your fill of food, wine and vines doesn’t mean your restless Rover is ready to call it a day. After all, there’s not much exercise to be had in a tasting room. If the two of you need to burn a few calories, we suggest starting your day at Canine Commons dog park, part of 157-acre Alston Park northwest of downtown Napa. Read more.

Sip ‘n’ sightsee with your dog

Photo Credit: JJ (CC) The Napa Valley wine region boasts about 120 wineries that welcome dogs on their grounds and/or their tasting rooms. Read more.

Calistoga with your pup

Lupo at Castello di Amarosa. Photo by Castello di Amorosa.

Photo credit: eLjeProks (CC) Famous for its hot springs and namesake bottled water, dog-friendly Calistoga is a relaxing but lively destination at the north end of the Napa Valley, also reached by a short drive from nearby Santa Rosa. DogTrekkers will be happy to discover a wealth of wineries whose staffs won’t blink when four-legged guests walk in the door.

Exploring napa’s ‘ghost wineries’

Photo credit: lizzie1326 (CC) Visit Napa Valley midweek or in fall/winter, and you’ll have an experience much different than on high-season weekends. And there’s no shortage of wineries that welcome four-legged visitors. With Halloween coming up, why not theme a day to the valley’s “ghost wineries,” a term given to a handful of resurrected facilities built between 1860 and 1900, before disease, Prohibition and the Great Depression decimated the valley’s early wine-grape industry? Delightfully secluded at the end of a long, winding drive off the Silverado Trail, Regusci charms with a wine cellar made of buttery stone and dating to 1878. The dog-friendly tasting room next door is elegantly modern. You and Fido are welcome to belly up to the bar or picnic on the shaded grounds. Read more.