Parks for You and Your Dog

If you are a dog, or a dog's best friend, you have probably spent a lot of time looking for parks and trails in the Bay Area on which to stretch your legs and run around. It's not easy - many park agencies prohibit dogs in order to protect wildlife, or allow dogs only in certain areas. But many parks do allow dogs, both on the Peninsula and in the greater Bay Area, and with a little research you can find them. This list shows the major parks at which dogs are allowed, with phone numbers to call for more information.

      We hope you will find this list a useful starting point for your adventures - please let us know how it can be improved. If you wish to print this document, please use this version [PDF].

      Two recent books nicely supplant this Trail Center list. One is Where to Walk Your Dog in San Francisco and Marin County (list price: $11.95). It includes detailed descriptions of several hundred city and regional parks, and discusses the pros and cons of each. Detailed maps will help you get to the parks. There is a companion book: Where to Walk Your Dog in Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, by Cheryl Smith, published by Wilderness Press in Berkeley, copyright 1991 [unfortunately out of print as of 5/99]. These are your best resources for city parks and local parks, of which we list only a few below.

      The second book is The Bay Area Dog Lover's Companion, by Lyle York and Maria Goodavage, copyright Foghorn Press in San Francisco. It is little more brief in its descriptions, but it covers the entire Bay Area in good detail. Pawprints rate each park or city, and there are decent maps to find the parks (list price: $13.95). Foghorn Press also publishes The California Dog Lover's Companion (2nd ed.) by Maria Goodavage (list price: $19.95) if you are interested in venturing farther afield with your dog.

      You may wish to visit the Bay Area Backcountry, the Pennisula Access for Dogs (PADS) or DogFriendly.com websites.

      Basic Dog Regulations:

• You are responsible for your dog wherever you go, whether your pet is on leash or off leash. Keep your dog under firm control at all times. Prevent your dog from chasing and disturbing wildlife, and from fighting with other animals. You are liable if your pet bites someone.
• Be prepared: always carry a pooper scooper, plastic bag, water, dish, and a leash.
• Fines for allowing misbehavior are expensive, so read regulatory signs carefully. Call the park for further details if you have questions about dog regulations.

     Background: the park staff of the City of Palo Alto noted in 1986: "Unleashed dogs are a continuous problem in local parks, and have a major impact on wildlife and livestock. The City of Palo Alto, Stanford University, Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, and Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties all report dog attacks on animals, especially deer. Contrary to popular belief, these attacks are made by pets: almost all the dogs caught or observed during a chase or kill were wearing collars. Size, breed, or temperament at home is no indication as to which dogs will attack other animals: rangers have observed dogs ranging from poodles to German shepherds chasing deer." Other problems, include overturning trashcans, chasing birds, and spooking horses (causing them to throw their riders). For these reasons, bring a leash and use it.
     

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Parks for You and Your Dog

Introduction

Federal Parks and Refuges

California State Parks and Beaches

County and Regional Parks

City Parks

     
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