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Dog Friendly Vacations West Coast – Looking for the best west coast road trips for dogs? As a dog mom who has traveled all over California with her furry munchkins, I’m here to tell you all the fun details from two epic, adorable California road trips that are sure to spice up your travel plans! This Northern California dog travel guide has tons of information on the best places to park your dog, hikes, beaches, restaurants, and places to stay—basically everything you need when walking dogs.
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Dog Friendly Vacations West Coast
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If you’re a pet parent like me and swear by “dog travel,” one of the things on your bucket list should include at least one dog trip to Northern California. Over 10 years of traveling with Babu (our Tibetan Spaniel couple) throughout Northern California (we live in San Francisco), we have taken many dogs for walks in San Francisco, two of which remain very popular today. These dog-friendly road trips in Northern California are clear winners thanks to the many attractions and restaurants along the way that welcome your best friend.
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Exploring the California Redwoods of the North Coast and the famous 17-mile loop in the South (between Carmel and Monterey) are two of the best West Coast trails with your dog you can find, especially in the winter. So, without further ado, here are the details on all the attractions, stops, and dog-friendly spots on these two Pacific Northern California road trips.
P.s I’ve done my best to provide up-to-date information on dog boarding based on my location, but pet policies change frequently. Therefore, call and confirm before ordering.
1) It must be free from roads and dogs! Road trips with dogs aren’t always easy, and you can read this post about traveling with pets for tips and advice on how to have a successful trip with your furry friend! As for us, make sure we have enough space in the back for Babu to rest comfortably in his portable bed in the car with food and water nearby.
Make sure your dog is comfortable with car trips and try not to take too long of a trip (maximum 3-4 hours for us). For long rides, break them up into shorter 2-3 hour rides and check out parks/dog parks/towns and restaurants along the way to stretch your legs or grab a bite to eat.
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Of the two itineraries I mentioned here, I highly recommend using Mendocino (read all the things to do in Mendocino in this post) or Guerneville / Gualala (depending on where you start) in the north and Carmel Bay – the beach in the south as points of reference. Both cities are very dog-friendly and have many dog-friendly hotels and restaurants, such as these dog-friendly hotels in Carmel.
2) Summer on the Northern California coast is dark, contradicting the belief that “it’s always sunny in California.” It can be cold and windy at the beach, so please dress appropriately and maybe buy a jacket for your furry friend!
3) Not all beaches, trails, restaurants and attractions in California are dog friendly. You can save yourself the trouble and headache of finding a place to sleep with a dog by reading my dog-friendly California road trips here!
If you’ve never driven a car, or if this is your first trip with your dog, it’s understandable to be a little nervous. So to get you started, here are some very helpful resources to help you plan your dog walk:
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA’S BEST ROADS TO WALK THE DOG: DOG RANGE 1 FROM MENDOCCINO TO SAN FRANCISCO
Starting in the north, the Coastal Highway (Highway 1), which runs from Mendocino County to Sonoma County, not only offers beautiful views of the California coast, but is also home to the famous Coastal Redwoods. Although the route is very winding, it has many dog-friendly stops along the way, including small towns to explore, so please allow at least half a day for the trip.
We’ve visited Mendocino and nearby Fort Bragg a few times in the past (a very dog-friendly town with tons of hotels, restaurants, and attractions), and it’s our favorite dog-friendly drive along the Pacific Coast. Read my Mendocino guide for all our favorite things to do there.
The first stop as you drive south from Mendocino will be the 152-year-old Point Arena Lighthouse, which stands inconspicuously on land that juts out into the ocean and acts as a fog on the south coast. There is a $5 entrance fee to the lighthouse, and dogs are allowed in the museum and gift shop, as well as the grounds of the lighthouse, which is also a great place to watch whales in California.
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Next is the quaint town of Encore Bay in Gualala, Mendocino County’s last point along the Redwood Coast, which gives way to Sonoma County. Gualala is known for its tavernas, has plenty of dog-friendly rentals and whale-watching spots from December to March, and is another dog-friendly town.
We explored the dog-friendly Gualala Bluff Trail, which is part of the Sequoia Coast Conservation efforts, starting at the Surf Motel (you can’t park there and have to park on the street). The trail is short and offers spectacular views of the harbor and ocean for half a mile, along the edge of the bluff that runs west of the city’s commercial district.
If you want more fun with your dog, Gualala Point Regional Park and Beach is just a short walk away and you can read our dog walking details in this post.
Stop by this non-denominational church in Sea Ranch, just off Route 1. A generous gift from Sea Ranch residents Robert and Betty Buffum, the church was completed in 1985 by artist and architect James Hubbell. The chapel and its surroundings are open 365 days a year.
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Timber Cove is the next small town on the Sonoma Coast you’ll hit on this dog-friendly West Coast road trip. I highly recommend stopping at the dog friendly Timber Cove Resort for lunch (The Beach Restaurant) and taking the stairs to walk around the beach front property with amazing views of the beach.
Fort Ross State Park should be your next stop as you drive Highway 1 to Jenner, where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. In addition to the Jenner Belvedere (where you can admire the Pacific seals in the distance) and Gleason lookout, the main attraction here is Fort Ross State Park, which was once a Russian-American settlement in the 1800s.
This is a rare park where dogs are allowed inside the original buildings within the battlegrounds. Pay the daily parking fee and walk along the asphalt road to the walled building, which is home to many original buildings such as the church and the Rotczaw House. There are also beaches and scenic coastal paths to explore in Fort Ross.
Along Highway 1/Coastal Highway in Jenner all the way to Bodega Bay, which is part of Sonoma Coast State Park, there are several dog-friendly beaches. These dog-friendly beaches include (from north to south): Russian Gulch State Beach, Blind Beach (south of Goat Rock Beach, where seals sleep), Shell Beach, Furlong Gulch, Wright’s Beach, Duncan-Lings Loch, Duncan Cove, Portuguese Beach, School Beach, Carmet Beach and Marshall’s Gulch.
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Please note that most of these beaches are only accessible by stairs from the exit/parking area off Hwy 1. Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Remember to dress warmly as these beaches are windy and cold, like all Northern California beaches.
Looking for a dog-friendly place to grab a bite while enjoying the spectacular view of the Rus River as it meets the Pacific Ocean? Head straight to Aquatica Cafe’s grassy patio for a meal or coffee and watch the kayakers sail or the sun set on the beach. We love this place and hope you can relax here on your trip down the California coast with the dogs.
Bodega Bay is the last town on the Sonoma Coast you’ll hit on your dog-friendly West Coast Highway 1 tour. And you have the sleepy town of Bodega, home of Alfred Hitchcock
