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Dogcation adventures at the Stanford Inn and beyond

A vibrant dog park bathed in sunlight features abundant greenery with mature trees, offering ample shade for leisurely outdoor activities. In the distance is a well-equipped playground that presents an additional activity area. An inviting picnic table spreads out nearby, ideal for enjoying meals al fresco or taking relaxing breaks from play. A neatly-placed trash bin aids in maintaining the park's cleanliness for everyone's enjoyment. Dominating the scene is a generously wide dirt path gracefully curving through the expanse of grass, promising exploratory walks and lively fetch games.

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DogCation winner Jolene C. recently wrote in to let us know about her adventures in Mendocino County with her daughter and two pups at the Stanford Inn by the Sea and beyond:

One of our most memorable fur family vacations outside of just camping (which we love to do) is our latest trip to Mendocino/Fort Bragg.

We participated in the Stanford Inn DogCation drawing and won—it was a great trip! We had two amazing nights at the Standford Inn for my daughters 25th birthday; we spoiled ourselves with facials and massages.

The hotel itself is amazing and the rooms with fireplaces are spectacular. The pups enjoyed the walk through the garden, around the property (which is huge) and over to the farm animals (donkeys, horses and llamas).

Included in the package was canoeing or biking, so we opted for the canoe paddle up the Big River and it was well worth it. We could have easily spent a full day on the water. The canoes are perfect for dogs; they loved seeing all the wildlife along the way.

From Mendocino, we headed up the road to Fort Bragg to finish a full week of vacation.

We spent one day on the train from Willits to Northspur (Skunk Train track is damaged from the storms). The dogs were welcome on the train and were a big hit with the other travelers. They even got their own boarding passes!

Fort Bragg also has three nice off-leash dogs beaches that we spent days on—one is a really nice walking beach, the other is a bit smaller.

We had planned a whale watching trip but due to weather it was cancelled, but with so much to do we didn’t miss out.

We really enjoyed spending each and every day with our four-legged friends. Both Mendocino and Fort Bragg are very dog friendly.

Thank you for the win and drawing out attention to the area.

—-

We love hearing paw-tested stories from our readers and want to share them with other DogTrekkers. Please join our growing group of official ‘Paw-Testers’ by writing in to tell us about your favorite dog-friendly places in California.

Share your favorite California dog experience, along with a photo or two, and we’ll post your trek in this section. Thanks and happy DogTrekking!

 

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