Best Dog Friendly Vacations West Coast – Looking for the best dog-friendly road trips on the west coast? As a dog mom who has traveled all over California with her little munchkins, I’m here to give you all the fun details on two of the most dog-friendly California road trips that are guaranteed to make your travel plans even better! Northern California’s Pet-Friendly Travel Guide includes tons of information about the best dog-friendly stops, tours, beaches, restaurants, and accommodations; Basically everything you’re looking for on a dog-filled road trip.
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Best Dog Friendly Vacations West Coast
If you’re a pet parent like me who swears by “dog travel,” one of the items on your bucket list should be at least one dog-friendly road trip in Northern California. In our 10 years of traveling throughout Northern California (we live in San Francisco) with Babu (a Tibetan spaniel mix), we’ve taken many dog-friendly trips from San Francisco, two of which are by far our favorites. These pet-friendly tours from Northern California are clear winners thanks to the many attractions and restaurants that welcome your best friend on the trip.
Best Dog-friendly Destinations On The West Coast
Exploring the California Coast Redwoods in the north and the popular 27-mile loop in the south (between Carmel and Monterey) are two of the best western road trips you can experience with your dog, especially in winter. Without further ado, here are the dog-friendly attractions, stops, and things to do on these two dog-friendly road trips in Northern California along the Pacific coast.
Note: I’ve done my best to provide up-to-date information about dog-friendly accommodations based on my stay, but pet policies change frequently. So please call and confirm before making any reservations.
1) Road trips with dogs are all about their comfort! 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 road trip with your feline friend! As for us, make sure there’s enough room in the back for Babu to rest comfortably in his portable car bed, along with his food and water.
Make sure your dog is comfortable on the car journey and try not to travel long distances (ours was 3-4 hours max). For longer trips, break them up into shorter trips of 2-3 hours and look for dog-friendly parks/hikes/towns and restaurants to stretch your legs or grab a snack along the way.
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For the two road trips I mentioned here, I highly recommend taking Mendocino (read all the things to do in Mendocino in this post) or Guerneville/Gualala (depending on where you start) and Carmel-by-the-North. Sea to the south as an anchor point. Both of these cities are very dog-friendly and have many hotels and restaurants that accept dogs, such as the dog-friendly hotels in Carmel.
2) Northern California summers are cloudy along the coast, contradicting the “it’s always sunny in California” theory. It’s chilly and windy at the beach, so please dress accordingly and pack a jacket for your well-behaved friend too!
3) Not all beaches, trails, restaurants, and attractions in California are dog-friendly. You can save yourself the stress and headache of finding dog-friendly businesses by reading my dog-friendly tours in California here!
If you’ve never traveled in a car before or if it’s your first trip with your dog, you’re naturally a little apprehensive. To get you started, here are some very helpful resources to help you plan your dog-friendly trip:
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Best Northern California Road Trips with Dogs: Down Route 1 from Mendocino to San Francisco
Beginning in the north and stretching from Mendocino County to Sonoma County, the Coastal Highway (Highway 1) not only offers spectacular views of the California coast, but is also home to the famous Coastal Redwoods. There are small towns to explore along the route so please allow at least half a day for your journey.
We’ve visited Mendocino and nearby Fort Bragg (a dog-friendly town with many dog-friendly hotels, restaurants, and attractions) many times in the past, and it’s a dog-friendly getaway and our favorite on the Pacific Coast. Read my dog-friendly Mendocino guide to find all of our favorite dog-friendly activities to do here.
Heading south from Mendocino, your first stop is the 152-year-old Point Arena Lighthouse, which stands safely on land that juts out into the ocean and breaks the fog to the beach to the south. Admission to the lighthouse is $5, and dogs can enter the museum and gift shop, as well as the lighthouse grounds, California’s best whale-watching spot.
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Next, discover the small town of Anchor Bay in Gulala, the Mendocino County terminus along the Redwood Coast leading into Sonoma County. Gulala is famous for its cabins, many dog-friendly rentals and viewpoints that offer whale watching from December to March, and is a dog-friendly city.
We’ll explore the dog-friendly Gulala Cliff Trail, part of the Redwood Coast Conservancy’s effort, starting the trail at the Surf Hotel (if you can’t park and park, it’s on the street). The trail is short and parallels the edge of the bluff for a half-mile offering spectacular views and ocean views as it travels west of the city’s business district.
If you want to have more fun with your dog, a short trip will take you to Gualala Park and Beach, and you can read the details of our dog-friendly tour in this post.
Founded by this non-denominational chapel off Highway 1 in Sea Ranch. A generous gift from Sea Ranch residents Robert and Betty Buffum, the chapel was completed in 1985 by artist and architect James Hubbell. The church and its surroundings are open to the public 365 days a year.
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Timber Cove is the next small town on the Sonoma coast you’ll encounter on this dog’s southwest journey. I highly recommend stopping at the dog-friendly Timber Cove Resort for lunch (beach food) and walking down the stairs to the deck overlooking the ocean with amazing views of the beach.
Fort Ross State Park should be your next stop on your way up Highway 1 to Jenner where the Russian River flows into the Pacific Ocean. Along with Jenner Belvedere (where you can admire the Pacific harbor seal in the distance) and Gleason Overlook, the main attraction here is Fort Ross State Park, the only Russian-American settlement in the 1800s.
This is a rare dog-friendly park where dogs are allowed in actual houses within the walls. Pay the day-use fee in the parking lot and walk along the tarmac path to the castle compound, home to many original structures such as the church and Rotchev House. Fort Ross also has beaches and wonderful coastal paths to explore.
There are several dog-friendly beaches and overlooks along Highway 1/Shoreline Road in Jenner from Bodega Bay, part of Sonoma Coast State Park. Among these, dog-friendly beaches are (from north to south) Russian Gulch State Beach, Blind Beach (south of Goat Rock Beach where the seals sleep), Shell Beach, Furlong Gulch, Wright Beach, Duncan’s Landing Overlook, Duncan’s Cove, Portuguese Beach. , School Beach, Carmet Beach and Marshall’s Gulch.
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Note that most of these beaches are only accessible by a steep flight of stairs from the pull-off/parking areas off Highway 1. Dogs must be on a leash at all times. Like all Northern California beaches these beaches can be windy and chilly so don’t forget to dress warmly.
Looking for a dog-friendly place to grab a bite to eat while enjoying a spectacular view of the Russian River meeting the Pacific Ocean? Then head straight to Cafe Aquatica’s grassy outdoor area with your food order or coffee and watch kayakers launch or sunbathe on the beach. We love it here and hope you stop here on your dog-friendly road trip along the California coast.
Bodega Bay is the last town on the Sonoma Coast that you’ll encounter on your dog-friendly West Coast road trip along Highway 1. This seaside town has plenty of dog-friendly beaches and trails to keep your pup happy. There is also a sleepy town where Alfred Hitchcock lived.
