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Best Dog Friendly Hikes Bay Area – This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase a product through one of my links, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Affiliate links help this site work. Thank you for your support!
These beautiful dog-friendly hiking trails near San Francisco promise to be a hit with your four-legged hiking buddies. All of the trails on this list are within 30 minutes of San Francisco. Dog-friendly activities range from easy jogs to challenging workouts.
Best Dog Friendly Hikes Bay Area
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A dog-friendly six-mile hike to Cataract Falls is a waterfall wonder near Mount Tamalpais. It’s a challenging, bumpy trail that rewards visitors with more than 2 miles of waterfalls. The trail follows Cataract Creek as it descends from the Tamalpais Mountains and flows into Alpine Lake. It’s a pleasant adventure all year round, but its full beauty is revealed in the wetter months. In winter and spring, ferns are lush, trees are covered in moss, waterfalls flow and wildflowers abound. Each year the vegetation changes and the maple trees glow with autumn colors.
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Hikers flock to the Land’s End Coastal Trail to see the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Bay, but dogs love it too! Most people choose this hike as a short hike, but active dogs will enjoy the varied terrain on this 3.5 mile loop. The dirt road begins at Sutro Bath and hikers pass a hidden historic battery before exploring eucalyptus groves and Mile Rock Beach.
There are always happy dogs walking this 3.6 mile trail in Belmont. This easily customizable route consists of two loops. The short inner loop is a heavily forested trail that follows the shores of Water Dog Lake in the lower canyon. Although many owners allow their dogs to swim in ponds, the water can be green and mossy, not healthy for dogs. It’s still fun to sit on a bench or walk down the short pier and watch the ducks swim by.
The Sunny Outer Loop (Lake Loop Trail and John Brooks Trail) is a great trail popular with hikers and mountain bikers. The trail goes around the upper part of the valley and with some sun it can be very hot in the summer months. Although parts of the outer loop are shaded, most of the trail is not visible.
On a clear day, Sweeney Ridge offers hikers sweeping views of San Francisco Bay and the spectacular coastline and Pacific Ocean. This challenging 7.2-mile Pacific Walk includes the Nike Rocket site and the San Francisco Bay Area Discovery Site. The trail consists of gravel hills, paved roads, and narrow singletracks through the coastal bush. Depending on the season, hikers may be lucky enough to spot a darting hare or two along the way. Tourists can follow the trail through various trails, but my personal favorite is the entrance behind the Shelldance Orchid Gardens.
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With more than 1,900 acres of protected bayside marshland, the dog-friendly Adobe Creek Trail in the Palo Alto Baylands is a destination for bird watchers and families alike. The flat 7-mile trail begins at the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center and winds around the salt and mud flats of the Palo Alto Baylands. If you prefer a shorter hike, choose the 2.7-mile Bixby Hills and Mayfield Slough hike.
The scenery at The Baylands Tidal Marsh changes with the tides, but bird watching is always fantastic, especially during migration. A good portion of the Palo Alto Baylands Adobe Creek Trail runs between the two levees, giving hikers the opportunity to observe birds on both sides of the trail. On one side of the road you can see hundreds of ducks swimming and splashing in the slow flowing water, while on the opposite side of the road you can see sandpipers skimming the muddy flats with their beaks.
Is whale watching with your dog your idea of a perfect afternoon? Then head to the Devil’s Slide for a 3.5 mile beach walk. Located between the Pacific Ocean and Half Moon Bay, the dog-friendly paved trail is popular with hikers and cyclists. With epic sightings year-round, the Devil’s Slide Trail along old Hwy 1 is a great place to spot whales on a clear day. The trail sits high on the bluffs and hikers are treated to spectacular views and the soothing sound of waves crashing against the cliffs below. On a sunny day, you may be lucky enough to spot migrating gray or humpback whales diving deep into the ocean. The many benches along the path make this a great place to relax, enjoy the view and soak up the sun.
You don’t have to leave the city to find dog-friendly hiking trails. Glen Canyon Park is a 70-acre canyon located between the Glen Park and Diamond Heights neighborhoods of San Francisco. This 1.7-mile hike in Glen Canyon Park is a dog-friendly hike that passes over dramatic cliffs and dips into thick aspen groves at the canyon floor. Crossing Isles Creek, one of San Francisco’s few free-flowing rivers, you might forget you’re still in the middle of the city.
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An easy 2-mile trail along the bluffs at Moss Beach, also known as the Mavericks Cliffs Trail for its great views of the famous Mavericks Surf Break. Although the waves at Mavericks aren’t record-breaking, the Pillar Point hike offers spectacular views of Half Moon Bay Harbor, the Coast Mountains’ driving range, and the Pillar Point Air Trekking Station Force Base.
Bird and whale watching is excellent from the top of the bluff, so you’ll want to bring binoculars. There is a great variety of seabirds, and it hunts on stilts and marshes. If it’s not whale migration season, you can still spot seals. The sheltered waters and beaches of the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve can be seen gathering on the rocks and boulders below.
San Francisco’s Presidio National Park has twenty-four miles of hiking trails that wind through eucalyptus groves, along beaches, and overlook historic batteries. While not every trail and beach in the park is dog-friendly, there are plenty of trails to choose from. This 8 mile loop is one of my favorite hikes in the Presidio. During this walk you will find cypress trees and piles of flowers. You will visit Baker Beach, San Francisco’s only nude beach. You’ll visit not one, but two Andy Goldsworthy sculptures, and last but not least, you’ll be treated to stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge as it spans the stunning oceanfront coastline.
Check out this blog post from Good Dog First Aid Kits for foot care when you’re out walking your dog or seven essential tips for walking your dog. I love to hike and luckily so does my dog. Over the years, I’ve compiled a list of dog-friendly hikes in the Bay Area.
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Not only does my dog love this trail, but so do my kids. They often don’t go on walks unless our dog can come too – so I’m inspired to find different adventures to keep us all entertained and coming back for more. No matter where you live in the Bay Area, I’ve got you covered: easy, challenging hikes, scenic hikes, coastal hikes, redwoods, and waterfall hikes.
Luckily, many of the Bay Area’s best hikes are dog-friendly, too! I’ve personally done the Bay Area dog hikes listed below. If you have any other great additions that aren’t listed here, let me know in the comments so I can check them out!
San Francisco has a surprising number of dog-friendly hikes. Dogs love San Francisco’s year-round mild weather!
Land’s End is not only dog-friendly, but also the perfect San Francisco getaway for spectacular views, a bit of history, and lots of nature. Park in the Land’s End Lookout lot near Sutro Bath and the trailhead. Many signs along the way explain the history of the area, from the Ohlone Indians to shipwrecks in the Golden Gate Strait, and learn about the steam trains that once ran the same route. Branch off to Mile Rock Beach and look for rock mazes along the way.
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Dog-friendly Glen Canyon Park features 66 acres of open space in the Glen Park neighborhood! You’ll find a great leisure centre, sports fields, children’s playground and tennis courts, but lose yourself in the roads further afield!
We love the 4 mile Creeks to Peaks Trail. Begin your hike along Isles Creek Trail in Glen Canyon Park.
The trail crosses the river with several bridges and
