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Places to Walk Your Dog

Short Drive (5-10 minutes)

  • Stevens Creek. Excellent place to walk, with a creek that dog can take a dip in. Can park at end of Crittenden or end of L’Avenida. Cannot go into Shoreline.
  • Shoreline Dog Park in Mountain View, at end of Shoreline.
  • Mitchell Park in Palo Alto. There’s an official fenced dog park here, on the Charleston side of the park.
  • Barron Park in Palo Alto. Nice walk/bike trail for dogs. There’s an informal off-leash area in the school, with lots of dogs on weekend mornings.

Medium Drive (15-20 minutes)

  • Baylands. End of Arastradero, or end of Geng (off Embarcadero). Pretty, but can get hot, as there’s no shade.
  • Bay Trail. Off Caribbean, which is off 237.
  • Stanford. There’s an informal off-leash area near the Mausoleum, and one near Lake Lagunita.
  • Windy Hill. Very pretty area in Portola Valley, with a creek at the bottom of Hamm’s Gulch. On-leash only, often patrolled by rangers.
  • Arastradero. Pretty, can get hot. There’s a lake for dogs to take a dip in.

Longer Drive (20-40 minutes)

  • Pulgas Ridge. Near Edgewood Park. Formal off-leash area in the center. Wooded.
  • Fort Funston. Mecca for dogs. Huge off-leash area, with dunes and beaches, water bowls, bags, and tons of dogs. Near San Francisco, off 35.
  • Oyster Bay. Big off-leash area near the Oakland airport, scruffy, tons of jack rabbits.
  • Mission Peak. Hill hike with cows. Dogs may be off-leash if under voice control (e.g., they don’t chase cows).

Dog-Friendly Places at a Distance

  • Tahoe. Very dog-friendly, off-leash anywhere in Tahoe National Forest, lots of dog-friendly hotels and restaurants.
  • Carmel. Very dog-friendly, off-leash beach, lots of dog-friendly hotels and restaurants.