Where to hike with a dog in Humboldt County: Elk River Trail

The dog and I loved this trail. For me it was a green oasis with a floor of ferns, walls of moss and a ceiling of tree branches. For her, it was off-leash roaming in a dense forest full of tantalizing new smells.

Photo by Nathan DeHart

The Elk River Trail is located in the Headwaters Forest Reserve near Eureka. And its free parking lot is reached after a few miles on Elk River Road, a lovely adventure of its own featuring barns and rolling pastures full of grazing horses and cows. 

Covered bridge on Zanes Road

And if you love covered bridges, keep your eyes peeled for one on Zanes Road that is definitely worth a stop before or after your hike. I read there were two in the area, but we only found the one.

The first mile of the Elk River Trail is paved and very flat, but little spur trails can take you off the pavement and closer to the water. Dogs are allowed to hike with you and can even be off-leash, but you are asked to keep them out of the river so they don't disturb the spawning fish.

Photo by Nathan DeHart

If you like dense forest canopies, I can't recommend this hike enough, and I can't wait to return.

Bathrooms & water: There were pit toilets at the trailhead, but I didn't find any drinking water. I also never would have found this trail if it weren't for the book "Best Dog Hikes in Northern California" by Linda Mullally.



Videos below of the forest and the bridge:

Where to hike with a dog in Humboldt County: Trinidad Head Loop

This hike is so short, I easily spent three times as much time driving to the trail than I spent walking on it. But the views of the Pacific Ocean you see from atop Trinidad Head immediately dissolved every minute I spent in the car to reach them.

Just one of the many spur trails leading to great views (All photos by Nathan DeHart.)

The trail begins.

And those views begin even before you park at the beach, with the pier and cove at the foot of Trinidad Head leading you to where the pavement turns to sand. 

The parking lot was easy to find, but the trailhead wasn't, tucked discreetly into a corner of the parking lot. The trail immediately heads uphill, but the climb is short and far from arduous, especially with the ocean beckoning at every turn. 






There are many dirt spur trails leading off the pavement and I recommend heading down every one of them, as each had a better view than the last. Until, of course, you reach the one that has a rock staircase leading to a rocky cliff edge that gives you the feeling of floating above the ocean. (And can also make you very uncomfortable if you are afraid of heights.)



But even without the ocean views the trail is beautiful, lined with colorful flowers and tall hedges so lush they form tunnels and made me feel as if I were in the tropics.

This trail was likely not very exciting for the dog, she cares far more about roaming off-leash than gazing at the ocean, but it is still a great trail made even greater because I could share it with my dog.

How to get there: To reach the Trinidad Head Loop, take the Trinidad exit off Highway 101 (about 30 miles north of Eureka) and head west toward the water and the pier. Once the road ends you will find a cove to the left and a parking lot to the right. If you head past the lighthouse to the cove, you'll find bathrooms and a drinking fountain, as well as a restaurant that comes highly recommended by both the hiking book "Northern California Hiking" and a close friend, but I did not eat there.

The book also recommended doing the 1.5 mile loop in a counter-clockwise direction, which I did do, but I'm not sure it would make the views any less stunning if you went in the opposite direction.

Where to stay with a dog in Half Moon Bay: Zaballa House Bed & Breakfast

Warning: if you want a fancy room to stay in with your dog, this isn't the place. The super fancy Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay allows pets, but you'll pay a couple hundred dollars in added fees alone.
Not so at the Zaballa House Bed & Breakfast, which only charged an extra $10 for my dog, no weight limit. So for the same amount of the "non-refundable pet deposit" I've paid at other places, I got a whole room that was bigger than all of the apartments I had in college.
It came with a king-sized bed, couch, fireplace and large bathroom that were a tad drab, but I'd much rather stay in a plain room that's already stained than worry the whole time about the "fancy" furnishings I had to pay extra to protect, all with no hope of getting any of that money back no matter how clean we were.

Pluses:
• a coffeemaker in the room that came with real mugs and real glasses, not paper or plastic cups.
• an alarm clock that included an auxiliary cord for playing a digital device and a USB plug for charging. Lifesaver!
• the fresh blueberries, strawberries, and cherries offered the next morning. (The rest of the breakfast included canned fruit, yogurt, bagels, English muffins and pastries. Three kinds of quiche were also offered, but I opted to get an Egg McMuffin instead. I also opted not to drink the coffee there and instead headed a few blocks down Main Street to Café Society, whose strong coffee I can definitely recommend).

Minuses:
Minor: If you're expecting fancy shampoos and lotions, you'll be disappointed. I was given just a disk of glycerin soap and "conditioning" shampoo, no conditioner or body lotion.
Moderate: the bed was not good, but if you don't have a bad back it likely would be OK.
Major: the room was upstairs in a mostly empty building completely separate from the main B&B, overlooking a parking lot, with its door and windows accessible by anyone outside. If I did not have a large dog with me who is always on alert, I would not have felt safe staying there.

Where to stay with a dog in Ashland, Ore.

Whether traveling through or staying on for some Shakespeare, if you need a hotel in Ashland, Ore., that will welcome your dog I recommend trying the Best Western Windsor Inn.

Best Western is quickly becoming my go-to choice for traveling with my dog. Firstly, they only charge you about $25, and secondly they provide you with actual “pet-friendly” touches like sheets for the furniture and treats for your companion.

Much friendlier than other places that charged me $100 while not giving me one measly biscuit or even a sheet to help me keep the room clean and avoid even more fees.

The Windsor Inn has grassy areas for the dog to enjoy doing its business on, and plenty of rose bushes for the human to enjoy while waiting.

Another nice touch for the humans: the complimentary breakfast bar had surprisingly healthy options, like oatmeal you could top with nuts and dried fruit.

This location is cheaper than the Best Western in downtown Ashland, and closer to I-5 if you are traveling through.