Hiking hills and headlands

Tolay Lake Regional Park. Photo by Harminder Dhesi.

Every good bird deserves watching at Bodega Bay, and the 1.2-mile Bird Walk Coastal Access Trail is a great venue for walking your dog while sharpening your identification skills. Read more.

Hideaways by the sea

There’s nothing like the non-stop sigh of the sea to instill a meditative state of mind. And in Sonoma County, there are dozens of places where you and your pup can bed down to the sound and sight of the restless Pacific. Closest to the Bay Area is Bodega Bay, just an hour and a half north of San Francisco. Read more.

Sonoma county trippin’

stone courtyard with fountain at Hotel Petaluma

Hotel Petaluma. Photo by Hotel Petaluma.

When’s the last time you explored these Sonoma County gems with your four-legged friend? Read more.

Go with the rivers’ flow

Dog wearing red life vest asleep in kayak

Photo by Elizabeth Krupka.

Your dog may not be able to paddle her own canoe, but you’ll have a blast paddling for her with an assist from an outfitter who knows how to help water-loving canines and their people have fun. Read more.

Off-leash beaches for chasing waves

Three off-leash dogs frolicking at the beach.

For water-loving canines, nothing beats fetching a bright yellow tennis ball from the surf and romping full speed ahead on a sandy beach. But while there’s plenty of sand to share with your leashed pup along California’s 840 miles of coastline, you should know before you go where dogs are and aren’t allowed to run off-leash. Here are a few of our favorite off-leash beaches.