The Shaw House Inn is California’s oldest bed and breakfast, and it sits right in Ferndale’s downtown where you can walk to shops and galleries with your dog. This Victorian-era building has been welcoming guests for well over a century, and these days that includes dogs staying overnight in pet-friendly rooms.
Ferndale itself is worth exploring on foot. The town’s main drag has a walkable, genuine quality that doesn’t feel manufactured—local bookstores, small galleries, antique shops, and cafes where you can tie your dog outside on a bench and grab coffee. The Victorian architecture throughout gives the whole place a settled, lived-in feel rather than a tourist-trap vibe. From the inn, you’re close to the best parts of town and can easily spend a morning wandering without a car.
What makes this location particularly good for dogs is proximity to those giant coastal redwoods of Humboldt County. You’re maybe twenty minutes from places where you can walk among trees that dwarf everything around them. The parks and trails around here offer plenty of space to actually explore with your dog rather than just walk a predetermined loop. The redwood forest has a completely different character depending on season and weather—misty mornings, bright afternoons, muddy trails after rain. You’ll get a sense of how big and old these places are.
The inn itself handles dogs matter-of-factly rather than treating it like a special accommodation. Rooms are comfortable without being fussy, and the grounds give you a quiet place to decompress after days out exploring. The building’s age means some quirks in layout and ceiling heights, which is part of the charm if you’re into that kind of thing. Ferndale gets foggy and cool even in summer, so bring layers for both you and your dog when you’re planning hikes.
The inn doesn’t have a restaurant, but that’s actually fine given how close you are to local places to eat and shop. Plan to spend time walking around town in between outdoor adventures rather than treating the inn as your main activity base.
