Vacation With Your Dog California
The Golden State of California is a fabulous place to visit with your dogs. [Insert up to 100% relevant information about California]
I don’t know about you, but I want a vacation that works out well. It makes me feel good to relax, spend time with the family and have fun. But it is very important to me that we are not causing harm to the dogs or my family members. What’s the point of going away and joining in an extensive amount of exercise, eating great food and enjoy a nice view at the beach if my pooch or any of my family get injured as a result?
You’re a responsible pet mommy or daddy, and you want to go on vacation with your furry friend. But what is the best place for them? How can you keep them happy? Is there a way to have fun together? We’ll find out.
It’s an exciting adventure when a human first boards a plane to fly across the country or around the world — but what about their best friend? Flying or driving a car with a dog is exciting, but it comes with some challenges. What are those challenges, and how can you prepare for them?
7 Super Dog-Friendly Destinations in California
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We are both dog moms and are always looking for pet-friendly destinations. Luckily, more cities are starting to welcome dogs and we’ve explored a handful of them this past year.
Starting with our favorite, here are our top seven super pet-friendly destinations in California.
1. Mammoth Lakes
Mammoth Lakes is one of the lesser-known areas in the Sierra Nevadas since Yosemite is right next door and tends to get all the fame (which we completely understand why).
We made our visit during the month of August and booked a weekend at the . Mammoth Lakes was indeed pet-friendly, so we were able to enjoy all the trails, lakes, and restaurants with our fur babies.
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2. Santa Barbara
The four of us had a fantastic time in Santa Barbara when we made the visit during the first week of August. The mid-70-degree weather made all of our outdoor activities so pleasant and enjoyable.
The pups especially had a great time running around Hendry’s Beach and getting showered with attention at the Funk Zone.
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3. Big Bear Lake
Big Bear is a popular ski town for Angelenos, but if you aren’t keen on winter sports, there is still plenty of activities to enjoy in nature with your main furry squeeze.
Vacation With Your Dog California
Big Bear Lake is a town that encourages visitors to bring their pups along for an adventure to enjoy the lake and many trails. We visited in February so that Zooey could experience some sledding in the snow.
4. San Diego
I used to live in San Diego and always appreciated how dog-friendly this city is. One of my favorite pooch-friendly places was Balboa Park. This park is massive and although dogs can’t roam inside the museums, there is plenty of space outdoors to enjoy along with hiking trails and cactus gardens.
Another fun place is Little Italy or South Park. All these locations are very close to each other so you can easily spend a day hopping around town.
Little Italy has a gorgeous courtyard and we recommend getting some pastries with your pooch at Frost Me Cafe & Bakery. If you want to grab some coffee, stop by South Park’s Communal Coffee. You’ll love their outdoor space. And just a few blocks down is a huge off-leash dog park.
5. Carmel by the Sea
Our first big trip together as four was to U.S.A.’s most dog-friendly town called Carmel. We drove from Los Angeles through Big Sur and about 8 hours later, we made it to our accommodation at Hofsas House Hotel.
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We went to a wine tasting and the pups especially loved the white sand at Carmel Dog Beach. The entire town caters to dogs so you’ll see pet stations and water bowls throughout the quaint city.
6. Solvang
When we made our initial visit to Solvang, it was just the two of us, but when we were there, we discovered it was a town that welcomed dogs. We saw so many other pooches enjoying this adorable Danish town that I promised myself to bring Zooey here someday.
A little over a year later, I did just that and Zooey enjoyed every minute of it. Just like the other places on the list, dogs are most welcome at restaurants, cafes, and wine tastings. Even the tiny H.C. Andersen Museum permitted dogs.
7. Los Angeles
There are a ton of fun and free things to do in Los Angeles from off-leash parks, hiking, shopping, and playing in the snow. Some of the lesser-known dog-friendly hiking spots that we enjoy are Vasquez Rocks Natural Area and Gabrielino Trail.
