Ron Bexel
Dog-friendly Vacations In Southern California – The reader is supported. When you make a purchase through links on our site, we may receive an affiliate commission at no cost to you. Learn more.
If sun, sand and surf sounds like your idea of ​​a good time, Southern California is the place to be! Whether you’re a local or just passing through, you can easily find a great beach to spend the day at. The good news for dog lovers is that many of these beautiful beaches welcome dogs on leashes and outdoor play. Here are the 10 best dog-friendly beaches in Southern California.
Dog-friendly Vacations In Southern California
When you and your dog enjoy one of Southern California’s 10 beaches, be sure to respect others who share the space. Not everyone likes being around dogs, so keep your puppy under voice control or on a leash at all times. Pack water, snacks, dog sunscreen, and bags for extra melt-in, just to be safe before hitting the beach. Remember that dogs can quickly overheat, so keep an eye on the weather and give your dog lots of breaks in the shade as needed.
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Nicole has loved animals of all sizes all her life, so it’s no wonder she dedicated her career to helping them through what she loves best: learning, writing and sharing knowledge with others. She is the proud mother of two dogs, a cat and a man. With a degree in education and 15+ years of writing experience, Nicole wants to help pet parents and pets around the world live happy, safe and healthy lives. Looking for Dog Friendly Day Trips in Southern California? Then I have the right post for you with 10 great dog-friendly trails in Southern California that you can take as day trips from Los Angeles or San Diego. Read on to discover the best dog-friendly places in Southern California that you can explore as quick day trips within a 2.5-hour drive (one way)!
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I’m a San Francisco resident with tons of blog posts dedicated to dog-friendly Northern California vacations covering small towns. However, there are plenty of dog-friendly Southern California vacations waiting for you with sunny weather, warm-water beach towns (Northern California beaches are cold and windy), plenty of hiking, wine tasting, and of course, great food—and all of that. of the. dogs welcome.
Although our Southern California travels with our pups (Babu: 2010-2021, and now Gunda) have been limited compared to our extensive Northern California relatives, we have been able to explore quite a bit of the state from Santa Barbara throughout our time. many winter holidays where driving to Los Angeles was a holiday tradition for us.
The Best Dog-friendly Beaches In California
In that spirit, here are 10 great dog-friendly hikes in Southern California that can easily be turned into day trips with dogs from one of the major SoCal cities, ie. Los Angeles or San Diego and is less than a ~2.5 hour drive each way (traffic permitting).
These include beach towns, small towns, wine tasting tours, deserts, and even a famous state park that you should visit with your dog if you venture into Southern California. I hope this guide to dog-friendly places in Southern California that are easily accessible from Los Angeles or San Diego helps you see more of Southern California’s diversity beyond the big cities.
A) Southern California has warm, sunny weather almost year-round with warm ocean water for swimming. But summer is blazing, which can be painful for you and dangerous for your pups (especially their delicate paws). So if you’re planning a day trip with dogs in Southern California from June to September, be sure to stick to coastal towns and not rural destinations.
November-March is the best time to visit inland destinations like Palm Springs, Ojai or Joshua Tree, which are popular during the California winter. However, winter is the rainy season in California, so prepare for showers and be flexible with your plans.
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B) If you plan to take dog-friendly day trips from Los Angeles or San Diego, it’s best to drive your own car. You can rent a car from LA or San Diego or from any major airport serving Southern California.
Los Angeles is extremely dog-friendly, but thanks to its location, it’s also close to some great dog-friendly spots in Southern California that you should definitely check out if you have some extra time. Another thing is that none of the beaches in LA allow dogs, so this is even more incentive to get out of Los Angeles for dog-friendly day trips. Here are my picks based on our repeated trips with Babu and Gunda during our winter holidays:
The county’s most popular dog beach is at Long Beach, a 30-minute drive from Los Angeles. Rosie’s dog beach. Additionally, the stores, shops and restaurants of Belmont Shores are very dog ​​friendly.
Long Beach has 11 dog parks, and locals love Recreation Park, El Dorado Park, Uptown Dog Park, K-9 Corner Dog Park, and Bixby Dog Park. Plus, there are many dog-friendly restaurants on 4th Street, Uptown, Belmont Heights, and Downtown, and you can check them all out in this dog-friendly Long Beach post!
Dog Friendly Beaches In California
Check out this post on Instagram A post shared by Rosies Dog Beach Fan Page (@rosiesdogbeach)
Malibu may be synonymous with Hollywood ceremonies and celebrity weddings, but it’s also popular with furry friends! Leo Carrillo State Beach is dog-friendly, and there are plenty of dog-friendly hikes in the Santa Monica Mountains to keep your pup busy. In addition, there is a small Malibu wine country by name where you can go wine tasting with your dog.
I recommend stopping at Escondido Canyon Park to hike the dog-friendly Escondido Falls Trail, explore the Solstice Canyon Trail, hike the Zuma Canyon Loop Trail, or tackle the Mishe Mokwa Trail to Mount Allen for some dog-friendly hiking in Malibu. There are plenty of dog-friendly restaurants on Highway 1 in Malibu to stop at after a day of hiking—here’s a helpful Bring Fido post that lists them all.
Ojai is one of the best dog-friendly getaways in Southern California, and one that completely surprised us when we visited in 2019 on our road trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles. While this country town doesn’t have any dog-friendly beaches, there are plenty of other fun dog-friendly activities to explore in this artsy Southern California town.
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Check out the dog-friendly Plaza Arcade shops, stop by Barts Books, get a Kombucha tasting at Revel Kombucha Bar, and take your dog for a walk in Libby Park. Ojai has many dog ​​friendly restaurants and cafes such as Farmer and The Cook, Beacon Coffee Company, The Nest (large patio area) Lebanon Ojai Rotie. which is good for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Ojai has many dog-friendly wineries such as Topa Mountain Winery and Old Creek Ranch Winery that you should check out if you are a wine enthusiast. We loved our short stay in Ojai this winter and hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Santa Barbara is often called the “American Riviera” for its picture-perfect beaches, swaying palm trees and a year-round summer vibe that’s hard to beat. Santa Barbara is also very dog-friendly, with many beaches, restaurants and other attractions that welcome dogs. If your dog loves the ocean and sand, Santa Barbara is the dog-friendly day trip from Los Angeles you should check out.
We have visited Santa Barbara many times over the past 12 years and rain or shine the city has always been fun to explore with our dogs. There are several beaches and dog parks that you can go to even if you only have one day in Santa Barbara.
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My advice is to start the day at Hendry Beach (aka Arroyo Burro Beach County Park) near Douglas Family Preserve or explore One Thousand Step Beach or quiet Mesa Lane Beach, walk along Shoreline Park and walk through Alice Keck Park Memorial Gardens. .
The Santa Barbara Pier and Santa Barbara Mission Rose Garden are both dog-friendly, and the District Court Gardens are not to be missed. If that’s not all, the Santa Barbara Botanical Garden also allows dogs, and it’s too cheap!
Downtown Santa Barbara, La Arcada Plaza, the Funk area are great places to explore as well as grab a bite to eat with your dog on a leash. Additionally, there are many dog-friendly wine tasting rooms in Santa Barbara where you can have fun tasting some
