Best Hikes With Dogs: Bay Area & Beyond

by Thom Gabrukiewicz

Where to hike with Fido in Northern all trails recommended as dog-friendly and dog-fun! *Terrain that's canine hazard-free and easy on the paws *No leashes required on most trails and rarely a crowd to dodge *75 trails accessible from Redding, Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area, and Monterey County When Thom Gabrukiewicz's canine companion, Scully, cut her pads on rough terrain, he was forced to carry her out on top of his pack-eight miles with an extra 50 pounds on his back. Scully recovered, but Gabrukiewicz started looking at trails from a dog's point of view. They have since hiked more than 2,000 miles together, joined by sidekick Trinity. These trails do not require leashes (except in parks as noted). More than two-thirds of the hikes are on lesser known trails where travel is light and where you're unlikely to meet horses, bicycles, or motorized vehicles. They avoid steep, rocky terrain and offer lakes or streams as a reward. Additional features include what to pack for your pooch (The Ten Canine Essentials), and a Trail Finder chart that lists hikes by terrain, difficulty for dogs, leash regulations, and more.

Genres: Reference

252 pages, Paperback

First published March 15, 2005

About the author

Thom Gabrukiewicz is both a communicator and a writer of flash fiction. Most of what he writes is kind of dark, with occasional forays into the light. He’s a winner of some awards and has been to two Winter Olympics. He’s also written a guidebook about hiking with dogs. He’s fiercely loyal and has a malevolent side that seems to visit less and less. He’s both a hopeless romantic and a realist. He's currently working in education in Wyoming.

Reviews

[Methodtomadness · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't even have a dog (yet!), and I still use this book for hiking. To my mind, a good day hiking book doesn't have to be all-inclusive, or concoct expedition-worthy hikes out of multiple trails, it just has to have a nice sampling of options -- difficulty, terrain, geography, etc. -- for a given area. The dog-friendliness is just icing on the cake. My favorite hiking books are ones that really just serve as a reminder of what's out there, so that I don't have to peer down the rabbithole that is google maps debating which direction to wander, but instead can aim for a particular trail or park. Gabrukiewicz has some of the best options (particularly for far northern California) that I've seen yet.

[Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good reference for hiking in the Bay Area with your pooch. Very detailed, complete listings of routes. Good tips, etc.

[Cadillacrazy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tons of hikes in the bay area and Northern California - all dog-friendly!