Darcy

There was a division between small and large dog parks, but they were both huge. The small dog area was the size of several full dog parks I've seen. They are almost entirely grass, except a path that meanders around. Top tier dog park.

This was a delightful hike, but very short. A great choice if in the area.

There are several trails to choose from. We love the hiking in the woods leading up to the beach the best. But it was a nice variety between that, Lakeshore beach and loose dunes.

This is a great spot if you need some treed trails in town. It has some meandering dirt paths as well as a paved trail. There are moments you can feel away from it all, until you hear some nearby construction equipment. It's great for what it is, but it's not something to go out of your way to visit.

This delightful location pops up almost out of nowhere while driving through the tunnel of trees. Our dog was invited inside the shop as we ordered and browsed, but we took our coffees outside to enjoy the serene surroundings in the outdoor seating. Discovering this unexpected gem was one of the highlights of our trip.

There were several options on where we could go for a hike here. Unfortunately, a thunderstorm was on the horizon so we just walked along the rocky beach. But I hope to go back at some point. Just note that dogs are not allowed inside the building.

This was a very interesting museum. It takes place in several different buildings - and dogs are allowed in every one. Be aware: there are several stairs. My dog's distaste for stairs made it not worth visiting the entire museum - but what I did see was great. There's also a lovely beach to meander.

The paths to see the falls are incredibly busy. Lots of families, other dogs, etc. Not a place to peacefully enjoy nature. It is very pretty though, and the side trails have a lot fewer people - but a lot more mosquitoes.
The Lower Falls has a bridge to an island - be aware the bridge is metal. My dog did not enjoy walking over it. The island does have access to areas of the falls where you can get into the water if you so desire.
The Upper Falls, unfortunately, had one of the viewing platforms out of commission. We ended up going on the Giant Pines Trail... but it had so many mosquitoes that we all but ran the last two thirds. Even the dog was insistent that we go as fast as possible, pausing to sniff was not worthwhile. Bug spray did nothing for the humans. The trail itself was extremely muddy with lots of standing water on it. Be warned.
I would like to someday do the trail between lower and upper falls. It just wasn't in the cards for this trip.

Start your visit with a stop at a visitor center to take the BARK ranger pledge with your pup. They have a sheet with the pledge and gets signed by a park ranger. It includes a list of where dogs are and are not allowed. They even did a "ceremony" to swear my pup in as a BARK ranger. It was very adorable.
This also gives you a good chance to talk over what hikes would and would not be good with your pup - as most hikes are no-dogs-allowed. Generally speaking - if it's paved, it's dog friendly.
We stopped at Miner's Castle before heading for the Au Sable Light Station. The latter was about 2 miles in each direction along a dirt access road (closed to traffic). It is mostly shaded. Seeing the lighthouse pop into view at the end of the road was quite nice. At the light station there is running water, grass and picnic tables as well. And a ranger led walking tour, though we did not do that.

If you love silly dinosaur depictions, this is a must visit location. Everything from the silliest faces on the dinosaurs to very unexpected sights inside a brontosaurus... This park was a joy to walk through. I was pleasantly surprised to see informational signs about the different dinos as well. Though, I am not versed enough to know how up to date some of the information is, it was great to see. (They had a pair of dinos fighting, and as the info boards stated... they lived about 75 million years apart. It was wonderful to include the obvious issue with their own display.) The backdrop of trees and ferns was a delightful setting for the dinos as well.
Dogs are allowed everywhere except inside the gift shop. This can be an issue if you are alone as you do have to stop inside for admission. But the pup can join you for putt-putt!
The Dinosaur Gardens was kitschy, charming and fun.

There were several dog friendly hikes to choose from at this National Lakeshore, but there are many which are not - so don't forget to double check.
We did the Pyramid Point trail and it was one of my favorite Michigan hikes thus far. We walked through a mix of woods, dunes and meadow during the hike - though the dunes were minimal. The views were nice and it wasn't too busy. I look forward to future hikes in the park and can only hope they are as nice as this one was.

This was a wonderful park to walk along. At one side there was a small, curated waterfall and at the other end a path went out over the lake. Very relaxing and pleasant park.

When I saw Herbert Hoover National Historic Site had a BARK ranger opportunity, I had to stop. It was Finn's first experience in the National Park system, and he got an adorable bandana to go with his shiny Bark Ranger tag.
Walking the grounds was surprisingly enjoyable as well. The trail through the prairie was an absolute delight and I am so glad we stopped for it. Highly recommend stopping by if you are in the area.

This was a beautiful park with some lovely trails. I may have arrived during an event, as it was extremely busy though. Be aware, some of the areas of the trail can be slick, one part of the trail went through a stream. There are also a lot of stairs. Prior to this trip my dog's stair experience was minimal, by the end of a short hike here he was a pro - at least for wooden stairs.

This was quite a pleasant stop. Whenever there is a place the dog can go inside, especially when it's hot, it's a big plus. Finn wasn't a fan of the elevator, unfortunately. But the view at the top was quite nice - seeing just how flat Nebraska is was pretty cool. I think somebody who is interested in trains would have appreciated it a lot more though.
But overall, well worth the stop.

This was our first walk that had trees and grass after driving across Nevada and Utah. Finn was so happy. It was a lovely walk along a paved trail. We saw several small snakes. The river was beautiful. Quite a chill meandering.

We stopped by for lunch specifically for the pup menu. While they didn't have a physical pup menu, it is available on their website. The chicken was 10/10 according to the dog. Human food was good as well.

Seating was around the back with a separate entrance for dogs. Popping inside without a dog to give them a heads up is likely necessary. There was a grassy yard out back with yard games. Seating was shaded. Very chill.