Dog-Friendly Activities in Palo Alto, CA

The Arizona Cactus Garden is a pet-friendly botanical garden located inside Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. Fido is welcome to join as you tour the grounds, but please note that there are no boundaries around the cacti. Guests can expect to see a variety of unusual plants, including Cholla, Prickly Pear, several types of Aloes and more.

Bring Fido to play off leash at the fenced John Boulware Park Dog Park in Palo Alto, CA. This half-acre synthetic-turf recreation space offers a place for four-legged friends to exercise and play without restrictions. Pups should be leashed when entering and exiting the dog park.

Juana Briones Park is a pet-friendly community spot in Palo Alto, CA. Your leashed pup can join you to relax in the quiet and peaceful area. The park offers open fields with giant trees to keep you cool on a sunny day. Walking trails are also available on site.

You and Fido can explore the marshlands at dog-friendly Baylands Nature Preserve in Palo Alto, CA. The 1940-acre preserve includes miles of trails that welcome dogs on a leash. You can indulge in some bird watching or just enjoy the water views.

Stanford Shopping Center is a dog-friendly upscale shopping center in Palo Alto, CA, featuring stores like Crate & Barrel, Juicy Couture, Lacoste, and Neiman Marcus. Your leashed, supervised dog is welcome to join you at the center. Please note that some shops do not permit dogs inside, so be sure to ask permission first before bringing Fido in.

Pearson-Arastradero Preserve is a dog-friendly nature preserve in Palo Alto, CA. The area features a number of trails that welcome pets on a leash, but be aware that some of the trails are seasonal. You and Fido can possibly see deer, coyotes, birds and even bobcats.

Mitchell Park is a 21-acre, dog-friendly park in Palo Alto, CA. Along with playgrounds, walking paths and ball fields, Mitchell Park features a fenced-in dog run where pups can play off leash.

Leashed dogs are welcome to join their owners at the pet-friendly John Boulware Park in Palo Alto, CA. This 1.5-acre neighborhood recreation area, open to the public, offers a range of amenities, including sports courts, walking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas and more. They also have a fenced dog park where Fido can enjoy off-leash play.

Peers Park Dog Park in Palo Alto, CA is pet-friendly. The larger 4.7 acre park in the Evergreen Park neighborhood is home to a large grassy area welcomes a variety of activities and a fenced dog park to allow your pooch to play off-leash.

Hoover Dog Park is an off-leash dog play area in Palo Alto, CA. The park features two separate fenced-in sections to provide dedicated areas for small and larger dogs. Hoover Dog Park also features a water station, shady trees and gravel.

Oyster Bay Regional Shoreline is a dog-friendly recreation area located in San Leandro, CA. The shoreline features picnic areas and miles of trails for you and Fido to enjoy. Some of the wildlife you may encounter includes jackrabbits, garter snakes, birds of prey and more!

Dog-friendly Butano State Park is a quiet canyon brimming with babbling creeks and redwood trees in Pescadero, CA. Leashed dogs are welcome in the campground and in paved developed areas. Dogs must be confined to a tent or vehicle at night, and they are not allowed on trails.

Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve is a dog-friendly park in Redwood City, CA. Take your pet for an on-leash hike throughout this large, lovely nature preserve, or let them run free in the 17.5-acre area located in the center of the preserve, accessible from the Cordilleras Trail, Polly Geraci/Hassler Trails and the Blue Oak Trail. Be careful as the area is fenced and signed at entrances, but there is no fencing around the off-leash area. Dogs must be on a leash when outside of the off-leash area.

Pets are welcome to join you on-leash as you explore the rocky shores of Bean Hollow State Beach in Pescadero, CA. Bring Fido to enjoy this great spot for for tide-pooling and beachcombing.

McLaren Park is a dog-friendly park in San Francisco, CA. The park features two separate fenced-in areas, McLaren Amphitheater Dog Play Area and McLaren Park Geneva Dog Play Area, where dogs can run and play off leash.

Pets love the chance to run free at Seal Point Harbor Dog Park in San Mateo, CA. This 3-acre, fenced, off-leash dog park, located within Seal Point Park includes a separate small dog area and crushed gravel ground cover to reduce mud. Seal Point Park includes pathways for walking, cycling, and bird watching. You can walk the boardwalk along the Bay Marshes with your leashed pup, too.

Hapa’s Brewing Company is a pet-friendly brewery in San Jose, CA, where Fido is welcome inside and outside. Sample IPAs and other craft beers while you play a game of cornhole. Food trucks are sometimes onsite in case you get hungry; check their website for the current schedule of events.

The Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail is one of 1600 rail-trails supported by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a nonprofit organization that is working to create a nationwide network of trails from former rail lines and connecting corridors. Previously an unused railroad corridor, this "rail-trail" is now a great place to walk Fido in Half Moon Bay! The map below shows a parking area with convenient access to the Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail. Rails-to-Trails Conservancy has generously provided map data for this trail to Bring Fido for informational purposes only. For more detailed trail information, please visit TrailLink.com.

Leashed dogs are welcome to shop with their humans at Bass Pro Shops in San Jose, CA. You'll find supplies for outdoor recreation, fishing, camping, boating, hunting, dog training and more at this pet-friendly store.

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve is a pet-friendly recreational area in Portola Valley, CA. Leashed dogs are allowed on all trails at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve except Lost and Razorback Trails. Dog owners are reminded to clean up any mess that is left behind.