Where to take a dog near Seattle: Marymoor Park

The dog romping in Lake Sammamish.

This dog park has it all: large, open grassy areas for your dog to chase balls by themselves. Long, fenced walking paths that make for pleasant strolls for both of you while meeting plenty of other dogs and people. And, finally, long stretches of beaches on the shores of Lake Sammamish and the Sammamish Slough.

All 40 acres of the park are off-leash, and if you are staying in Seattle, you can reach it by driving only about 20 miles over Lake Washington to Redmond.

Words to the wise: 

• If you have a small dog, they best be brave, because there are no separate areas for them. Also, if you dog isn't super friendly with all dogs, there are very narrow areas that could cause uncomfortable bottlenecks for dogs that don't like meeting strange dogs in enclosed areas.
• If you are staying in or near downtown Seattle, crossing Lake Washington is no easy feat, especially Highway 520. It can be busy all day, but is especially clogged in the mornings with students and staff trying to get to the University of Washington. Be sure and check on the current traffic conditions before you head out. We definitely got stuck in traffic, but watching the dog running freely through the water after being strictly on-leash in the busy city streets, and on her best behavior in our hotel, was well worth the hassle.

Where to stay with a dog in Seattle: The Westin

Where to stay with a dog in Seattle: The Westin

Yes, sometimes she's a city dog, too!

They don't exactly advertise this, but the Westin in downtown Seattle allows dogs. No size limit, and no additional fee.
I love them for that, because I love staying there when I visit Seattle. It's a block from my favorite donut shop, Top Pot, an easy walk to the light rail station and not too far from either the ferry building or my favorite neighborhood, Queen Anne.
But also I like staying there with my large dog because I love the looks we get from the other guests when we walk on the elevator.
"This place allows dogs?" some will ask, and I nod and smile before looking down at my dog, because I love to watch her spend each elevator ride tilting her head from side to side, trying to figure out why we are moving and what is making those noises.

Where to take a dog near Seattle: Marymoor Park

Where to take a dog on the Mendocino Coast: Pelican Bluffs

A bench where you can soak in the views.

Most of the trails along the Mendocino Coast are dog-friendly, but the relatively new Pelican Bluffs Coastal Trail might have some of the best views yet. It's short, only about two miles, but breathtaking in spots.
And while your dog won't be wowed by walking above the seemingly endless, dramatic shoreline, there's plenty of sights and smells for them to enjoy.

How to get there: If you are heading south on Highway 1, once you leave Point Arena and see Curley Lane on your left you will soon see the parking lot on your right. The lot has only five designated spaces, with one of those for vehicles with disabled placards only, but often people squeeze in a few more spaces on the margins.
At the north end of the parking lot, one trail heads straight north while another heads west from the sign. I first headed west through the trees to get to the ocean quicker, but now I recommend taking the trail headed north instead, even though it seems to take you along the highway.

Because if you take the trail to the north, soon after you head over a small bridge you are treated to a spectacular, sweeping view of the Pacific Ocean and nearly the entire trail before it heads down a long set of stairs to the bluffs below.

 Words to the Wise:
• Dogs must be leashed.
• There are no bathrooms or water available, so be sure and stop in Point Arena to use their free public restrooms that are right off Hwy. 1 with plenty of parking alongside.
• This trail is not for someone looking for a flat, easy stroll along the ocean such as the Fort Bragg Coastal Trail. And there are narrow spots, especially near the south end, that are not recommended for anyone afraid of heights or of being close to cliff edges.

Where to hike with a dog near South Lake Tahoe: Pyramid Creek Loop Trail

This hike offers waterfalls, mountain views and a lovely creek: all right off a large highway heading into the mountains of Northern California. 
So it's a great short trek to try on your way to or back from a destination hike, which is how I found it. We were driving to Carson Pass in the Sierra Nevada when I saw the parking lot and trailhead sign right off Highway 50 and promised to investigate on the way back.
It's a pretty short trail, but not an easy one. Not only because it is steep and rocky, but often the trail just disappears and you're scrambling over rock faces with no signs in sight. I found this frustrating, but my husband said he liked that it wasn't "your typical, just-head-straight-ahead-on-this-very-clear-path kind of trail." He enjoyed the challenge of figuring out where to step next, sort of like climbing a mountain.
And the dog of course had no complaints about a creek to run in and drink from, and plenty of nooks and crannies to explore.
The loop is only about two miles, and takes you to the boundary of the Desolation Wilderness while offering views of Horsetail Falls.

Words to the wise:  

• The rocks by the Cascades, which is literally a long rock face with cascading water, are VERY slippery, and if you let your dog frolic there, they might take a scary slip like ours did. She wasn't injured, but it wasn't fun to watch. Likely not a good spot for older dogs to be off-leash. 
• Also, we did see Bigfoot:

  

  My hubby's "most perfect Patterson pose."
  
  
  
  

Where to hike with a dog near Lake Tahoe: Round Top Lake

The drive to this hike was almost as beautiful as the trail, which was pretty spectacular.

The dog in the gorgeous (and I'm sure very cold) Round Top Lake.

It was fall, so Highways 88 and 89 through the Sierra Nevadas were lined with yellow-gold trees (Trembling Aspens) and hundreds of people pulled over like paparazzi. We went in early October, and most years that is probably the latest you should go unless you like driving with snow.
We definitely walked with snow, as dark clouds followed us for much of the hike, dusting the mountains towering above us with white powder as we braved the wind gusts that took the temperature far below the promised 54 degrees.
Thanks to my husband's need to be prepared, we each had an extra jacket, without which we never would have made it all the way to Round Top Lake. Instead, we would have stopped at the very lovely Winnemucca Lake, as I think most people end up doing. Especially when you see a parade of people leaving Round Top Lake dressed as if they were climbing Mount Everest!

Winnemucca Lake.

We started at the Carson Pass trailhead on Highway 88, which is already at about 8,600 feet elevation. It was Columbus Day weekend and the visitor's center was closed for the season, but the pit toilets were still open.
Once you get through the trees and past Frog Lake about a mile in, the next half mile or so to Winnemucca Lake is relatively flat. 
The large boulders surrounding this lake made it hard for the dog to reach the water, and the gray, wet cold around us made me feel as if I had left California for Alaska or Norway.
The last mile to Round Top Lake was pretty steep and the wind made it very cold, but I am very glad we pushed on. The dog was in heaven, happily running right into the water even though it was likely barely above freezing, while the humans enjoyed just looking at one of the most beautiful lakes I have ever seen. It was well worth braving the freezing wind and altitude, which exhausted me more than expected for a relatively short hike, only about seven miles round-trip.

Words to the Wise: If my husband had his choice, as soon as we saw the "Plague Warning" signs at the beginning of the trail we would have gotten back in the car and gone to Sorensen's resort for lunch. But obviously we pressed on. And the dog did not get bitten by any rodents or their fleas, though there were plenty of chipmunks scurrying about, especially in the first mile or so.


Where to stay: I like staying at Best Westerns, because they usually allow pets and charge you a very reasonable fee, so we stayed at the BW Topaz Lake Inn about an hour away. The drive back and forth was quite pretty, and takes you through Gardnerville, Nev., which has a Raley's, Starbucks and restaurants. I have heard good things about Sorensen's, though, which was much closer to the hike and has dog-friendly cabins.

Where to hike with a dog near Libby, Montana: Saint Paul Lake Trail

This trail had the dog so high on smells she was more excited on the drive back than before.

Driving back from the Saint Paul Lake trail near Libby, Mont.

And no wonder: there were more signs here warning "This is bear country" than I had ever seen on a trail, so the dog must have been sniffing up some of the most intriguing smells she ever encountered. (Not as exciting as her first roll in seagull poop, but close!)

The trail to Saint Paul Lake begins off a long, bumpy, gravel road called Forest Road 407 in the Kootenai National Forest near the Idaho-Montana border. I chose this trail because we could easily fit it into our drive from Sandpoint, ID., to Kalispell, MT. And I'm very glad I did, though I definitely regret not having enough time to hike the four miles to Saint Paul Lake.

But no matter how many miles of this trail in the Cabinet Mountains Wilderness you hike on, it is a glorious escape into dense forest that frees your dog of their leash and you of civilization. (We saw another vehicle in the parking lot, but met no other people on our visit. Or bears, fortunately.)

The guidebook that directed me to this trail, "Best Hikes with Dogs in the Inland Northwest," described its charms perfectly: "A scenic, uncrowded lake, a well-groomed trail that hugs a bubbling creek for almost its entirety, and miles of cool, damp old-growth forest -- what more could you ask for?"

Words to the wise: the trail is mostly uphill to start and narrow in parts, so not for people looking for a wide and flat stroll. Also, the drive to and from will cover your vehicle in dirt. There is a pit toilet at the parking lot, but no water available for humans.

About the only sign on the trail not warning users of bears!

Where to eat with a dog in Geyserville, Calif: Geyserville Grille

Even if you don't have a dog, Geyserville Grille is a great place to get a tasty burger and fries, serving up everything I want in a classic diner hamburger:

• Patty of good beef that is not too big, cooked to order with just enough grease to be messy.
• Soft bun that has just enough heft to deliver each bite of the burger, and just enough chew and taste of its own so that it doesn't disappear, yet also doesn't detract from the burger
• Dressed with Thousand Island, lettuce, tomato, pickles and cheddar cheese. Some may insist on American, but I'll take either.  
• A generous portion of fries that were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. 

But what made my visit there on a recent summer afternoon most memorable was how the staff welcomed my dog. There were two patios to choose from, each that we could access without trekking through the restaurant.
I chose the one with the most shade, then was quickly offered water for both of us, with the dog's drink brought out in a large stainless steel bowl. 

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