Photo Credit: @mrkobeandme
Follow the Pacific Coast Highway (Highway 1) along the Santa Cruz County coastline, and you’ll be tempted by 29 miles of beaches (15 of them dog-friendly) along the way. Only one, Mitchell’s Cove, is legally leash-free, and then only before 10 a.m. and after 4 p.m. But no worries: there are plenty of other strands to explore provided you keep a tether stretched between you. more »
By Chris Pitts, RVT, of Broadway Animal Hospital
Deaf or blind dogs can be great travel companions. Most of the issues these dogs have when on vacation have more to do with the disorientation they feel from being in a new place, and less to do with their physical handicaps. Since deaf and blind dogs rely on routine and often map out the lay of the land in their minds, keeping to a routine each day while traveling will lessen any stress your dog may have from being out of his normal environment. more »
Lands End Trail - Photo Credit: gastondog (CC)
In San Francisco, GGNRA lands wrap the shoreline almost all the way from Fort Mason in the north to Fort Funston in the south, with a few breaks along the way. Dogs and their people can enjoy miles-long leashed walks with ocean views and, at a few places, unclip their canine companions to chase the surf and run free. more »
Rodeo Beach - Photo Credit: Elaine (CC)
More than 12,000 acres of the GGNRA are concentrated in the Marin Headlands, a hilly peninsula just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. The possibilities for long on-leash walks and off-leash beach frolics with your best furry friend are many—and, as a bonus, you’ll often be playing within view of the famous orange span. Following are a few to put on your dog-friendly Marin bucket list. more »
Poppy exploring Mendocino County - Photo Credit: @roderickranch
After a rough fire season that took out homes, businesses and lives, Mendocino County is bouncing back with a full helping of winter events and holiday cheer. The gorgeous seashore offers uncrowded respite in winter, while towering redwoods invite contemplation and dog-friendly wineries welcome visitors with treats for the pups and tastes for their people. more »
DogTrekker.com Founders Dave & Roxanne Kendrick at Grateful Table
On Nov. 21, more than 500 people gathered in a Domaine Chandon vineyard near the border of Napa and Sonoma counties to enjoy an open-air feast at a very long table and raise funds for wildfire relief. Fire responders, chefs, winemakers, tourism officials and many others gave time, energy and money to help those impacted by the October blazes. Visit California and Outstanding in the Field—along with host Tyler Florence and destination partners Visit Napa Valley, Sonoma County Tourism and Visit Mendocino County—were beneficiaries of the event, called The Grateful Table. more »
Big Sur, CA - Photo Credit: @karagivesback
Last winter’s heavy rains were not kind to California’s 90-mile Big Sur Coast, most of which is in Monterey County. First the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge on Highway 1 washed out, cutting off access to all but foot or helicopter traffic south of Big Sur Station. Then one of the largest landslides in California history reshaped the southern portion of the coastline by dumping a mountain of debris 600 feet into the Pacific. The good news is that on Oct. 13, the rebuilt Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge opened 35 miles of coastline that had been cut off for eight months. more »
Conan goes wine tasting, Solvang, CA - Photo Credit: @lilyandwong
When the weather outside is frightful, the dog-friendly welcome in Santa Barbara County is still delightful. If it’s not a beach day, make it a wine day – and maybe an urban wine day, at that. Start, perhaps, in the Santa Ynez Valley enclave of Solvang, that one-of-a-kind village, founded as a Danish colony, that through architecture, bakeries, restaurants and merchants offers a taste of Denmark in California. Walking through the picture-perfect town is something of a Disneyesque experience, sure to put a smile on your face and a wag in your dog’s tail. more »
Teagan at Point Arena Lighthouse
Photo Credit: @retired_goldenretriever
Mendocino County is mostly rural, and its extensive patchwork of public lands encompasses everything from national forests and state parks to dog-friendly preserves administered by the Bureau of Land Management. If you and your well behaved, always-comes-when-called pup prefer to wander together without being tied by a leash, head to Stornetta Public Lands, a 1,665-acre coastal haven near Point Arena, where you’ll also want to check out one of the West Coast’s most iconic lighthouses. more »
Bentley enjoying some downtime at Blind Beach.
Photo Credit: @bellaa_mia92
You’ll forget all about work, worries and traffic woes once you get within sight and sound of the sea. And in Sonoma County, there are dozens of places where you and your pup can splash to your hearts’ content and then bed down to the ceaseless whooshing of the restless Pacific. more »