All "Dog Friendly" Stories in Northern CA

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  Spooner Afternoon

  Tucked quietly away above Lake Tahoe’s eastern shore, Spooner Lake hides in plain sight. Just 12 miles north of Stateline on Highway 50, hikers, bikers, and beach loungers jet past

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  Shealor Stunner

  Robust mountains, striking slabs of granite, and deep green pine reflections make Shealor Lake near Kirkwood resort a jewel of the El Dorado National Forest. Reach this alpine oasis on a 1.3-mile hike.

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  Slot Canyon Cathedral

  Ready to play the slots? We’re not talking the casino kind. We mean exploring the only slot canyons found in Nevada! Located right off Great Basin Highway (aka Highway 93), Cathedr

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  Life Aquinas

  Reach a new height and gain a round-the-compass panorama at El Sereno Open Space Preserve. Just off Highway 17 in the Santa Cruz Mountains near Los Gatos, the preserve’s 7.5-mile (

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  Swinging Views

  San Francisco is a city of high expectations, and that includes its lofty parks offering incredible panoramas. So what makes the 360-degree views all the more fun? Enjoying them fr

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  Bavarian Brunch Paddle

  Set right on the Oakland Estuary, Brotzeit Lokal Boathaus & Biergarten is what it sounds like: a Bavarian restaurant and boathouse, with an impressively stocked rotation of craft G

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  Glen's a Ten

  The big wild right in our backyard? You bet! San Francisco’s Glen Canyon Park is 62 acres of dramatic rock formations, whimsical tree tunnels, and calming views amid constant city motion. Go on a 1.6-mile loop hike here and enjoy a piece of the wild, with a little urban flair too.

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  Loch In!

  Tucked in the Santa Cruz Mountains, Loch Lomond Recreation Area is known for its gorgeous reservoir, less known for its charming Clar Innis Island (reached only by kayak or canoe)

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  Tilden Topoff

  With a name like Seaview Trail, expectations run high. And this 3.5-mile loop in Tilden Regional Park delivers. You won’t have to find the viewpoints; they find you … in abundant p

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  All the Wright Stuff

  Avoiding drama? That’s a good thing. Unless you’re talking about campsites. In that case, the more dramatic the better! And Wright’s Beach on the Sonoma Coast is quite the drama queen—27 campsites sitting smack dab in the middle of the wild and raging Sonoma Coast State Beach.

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  Her Name Is Monte Rio

  You’ve heard of Throwback Thursday; how about Old-School Saturday (or Sunday!). For a scene that’s a pure summer classic, head to the Russian River’s Monte Rio Beach. Enjoy loungin

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  Beer Island

  Did we have you at beer? Island? Both?! Why not toss in a brilliant view of the Bay Bridge too? Treasure Island has just the beach for bringing this terrific trifecta together! Tha

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  Sunol Salutations

  Ahh … Sunol in the spring could make John Steinbeck wax poetic about the land of milk and honey. This East Bay Regional Park is a rolling green open space of giant oak trees, wildf

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  Leapin' Lupine!

  Seasonal wildflowers and evergreen vistas make this a locals’ favorite hike in Sonoma Valley Regional Park. Go soon to see popping lupine and buttercups on this scenic 2-mile (round-trip) route with beautiful picnic spots.

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  Tunnel Vision

  Don’t expect logic from oddball desert hermits! At Burro Schmidt Tunnel, that’s to our great benefit. It took 32 years for William “Burro” Schmidt to dig through a mountain in a re

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  Tempe Temptations

  Wildflowers, wildlife, and a wildly great view of Mount Tam as the backdrop … get your wows at Bon Tempe Reservoir, one of the five lakes on Mount Tam’s northern flank, and a water

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  Lake Loop

  The template for a perfect multipurpose park? Hundreds of acres of open space, wending hiking and biking trails, glistening lakes, and picnic spots galore. Spring Lake and Howarth

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  Pleasanton Pursuit

  The rolling green hills of Pleasanton Ridge Regional Park are bringing an extra burst of color this spring—wildflowers hidden in the emerald grasses are popping up and should soon

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  Rove the Cove

  Today’s San Francisco still has a few places where bits of interesting grit exist. Warm Water Cove is an urban waterfront blending serene bay views and relics of days past when thi

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  San Francisco's Middle Earth

  No need to travel to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth. San Francisco’s Mount Sutro Open Space is practically Hobbiton—a hidden “shire” in the middle of the city. Okay, maybe not quite as magical, but still an incredible place to take a hike in city limits.

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