# Visiting the redwoods with a dog?



## japhyr (Aug 29, 2008)

Hello,

We will be taking a road trip around the country this summer, and we were hoping to see the redwoods during our trip. I was surprised to find that dogs are not allowed at all on trails in CA state parks. I am used to dogs needing to be leashed in public places, but no dogs at all in the woods is a deal-breaker.

Does anyone know if there is a dog-friendly way to see the redwoods?


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## Annamarie (Oct 14, 2007)

we visted northern CA a few years ago and unless it's changed since then, dogs were allowed in the parks as long as they were leashed. very unfortunate if that has changed... where I live in BC no dogs are allowed in most parks and beaches, and there are very few off leash areas. i found oregon to be quite dog friendly.

speaking of which, dogfriendly.com might be a help?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Unfortunately a very large percent of Bay Area/ NorCal parks do not allow dogs at all. Here is a link to the parks that do NOT allow dogs so you can cross them off your list 

A few parks DO allow on-leash dogs, but while they are very nice parks overall, they aren't the redwoods; here is a PDF listing of designated dog parks and parks in San Mateo (south SF) and Marin (north of SF) that allow dogs. Muir Beach and Ft. Funston are both good places to go. Another list of dogs-allowed parks is here on Bay Area Hiker although some of the listings are "on developed paths only" and you'll have to look at each park's description for if its got lots of redwoods (which grow both north and south of San Francisco but there are many microclimates in that area)

Your best bet in the Bay Area is probably Marin county other than Muir Woods (which is the famous and most easily accessible redwoods to San Francisco); 


> Can I bring my dog or other pet to the park?
> Not into Muir Woods Itself. The park is very small and can get very crowded. We need to protect the wildlife, the other visitors, and your pet. However, pets on leash are permitted in some nearby areas, such as Muir Beach, the Coastal Trail, and some trails in the Marin Headlands.
> 
> Also, Marin County is a playground of trails for humans and their pets alike, managed by several different agencies. In the Mount Tamalpais area, the state park does not allow pets on trails in general, but they are permitted on leash on almost all trails of the Marin Municipal Water District and Marin County Open Space District.


Marin County Open Space District park listing


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Dogs on leashes _are _allowed in state and national parks, but they are _not _allowed on any trails. It shouldn't be too surprising...the whole point of setting aside land for a state or national park is to preserve its ecosystem. Unless your Blue Heeler is native to Northern California, its presence is likely to disrupt the lives of the plants and animals that are in a way that is not natural.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

FilleBelle, I would buy that argument for the most part; except that I know of a dozen trails in San Mateo county alone that allow horses but not dogs. Both of which will have an effect on the ecosystem and at least dog feet don't contribute to erosion the way horse hooves do.


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

My thoughts on that are that 1) the trails are already there, so further erosion of the trail is hardly going to be an issue and 2) the horses are generally confined to particular trails and not given free roam of the park. In addition, horses are not predators which will mark the trails, thereby driving away the indigenous wildlife with their scent.

I don't necessarily approve of horses in state parks, either, but they are very different from dogs on hiking trails when it comes to being disruptive to the local plants and animals.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

People are the most disruptive 

I'm not disagreeing that dogs can upset the local wildlife and can be a problem, it just seems like that part of California is overly strict on allowing dogs on trails especially in comparison to a lot of parks back east. 

Plenty of local parks I visited regularly while living in SF had tons of people, vehicles, sports etc that all have their own effects of the ecosystems. Allow dogs on trails seasonally or in the less fragile parks for example. The redwoods are a big tourist draw and it IS hard to find a place to walk among them with dogs.

Trail erosion is actually a big problem on steeper trails or those with lots of curves and dips. Hiking and especially horse riding on wet trails makes it worse and trails often have to be closed to rebuild them so the whole thing doesn't wash out and/or down the hill.


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## Spitzy (Oct 13, 2007)

japhyr said:


> Does anyone know if there is a dog-friendly way to see the redwoods?


I think you'll need to look at Regional Parks and/or National Forests for dog-friendly trails.

It looks like you have an ACD - Interestingly enough, there looks to be an ACD meet-up group in the East Bay Area that has been going to the Regional Parks there (one of which is called Redwood Regional Park), which seem to have a pretty liberal dog policy.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Oh, I completely neglected the East Bay, there are some good parks there. Be prepared though that on the whole, the east bay and the inland side of the south bay tends to be SIGNIFICANTLY hotter in the summer than north bay. I'm not kidding about the different, and it can be hard on a dog. I've gone from 20 miles south of San Francisco at 90 degrees and sunny to 20 miles north of San Francisco at 75 degrees and partly cloudy on the same day.


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## EarthMonkey (Nov 14, 2009)

Almost all the regional parks in the east bay allow dogs, a lot of them are off leash allowed at least at Chabot and Redwood. Some of Tilden also. The parks down the peninsula do not allow dogs in most of the parks. Most state parks that are not directly on beaches or water systems allow dogs on leash. Restoration project areas, habitat areas, or research areas do not. County and city parks it depends. The beaches in in Marine and north it is beach by beach as to whether or not dogs are allowed. Very few are off leash though.

"In general, dogs are permitted in most state parks but must be on a leash not exceeding six feet in length at all times." This is directly from the California government's state park information website.

If you really want to see large redwoods you need to head to Mendocino and Humbolt state parks.


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