Redwood National and State Parks with a dog

Lori and Presto at the base of a truly massive redwood.

Like most national parks, Redwood National and State Parks on the far northern California coast are fairly hostile to dogs.  No dogs are allowed on any trails anywhere in the park, even the loop that horses use.  It turns out that there a few dirt roads in the park that are open to dogs, though.  We stopped by in the middle of a road trip up the California and Oregon Coast recently and managed to put together a full afternoon at Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, then a good morning at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park the next day.  It's a bit frustrating not to be able to go into the best groves, but there are still lots of giant redwoods to find, a pretty nice beach, and a clearing often full wild elk.  So if you find yourself in the area, don't just give up on it and drive by on 101.

Day One (Prairie Creek Redwoods SP):
Cal Barrel Road (3 mile hike)
Elk Prairie (Wild Elk Viewing Area)
Gold Bluffs Beach

Day Two (Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP):
Howland Hill Road (Scenic Drive)
Walker Road (3 mile hike)

Sunset Drive and 17 Mile Drive

Near: Monterey
Distance: Up to 14 miles
Elevation: 0 ft
Vegetation: Coastal Scrub
Last Visit: June 2018

On occasion, we find ourselves out at the Asilomar Conference Center near Monterey for work.   It's a pretty nice place to be forced to stay, just across the road from the Asilomar State Beach.  Only after a few stays did we realize that the beach is dog friendly.  The beach is small, but it's set along an unusually quiet and pleasant slice of coast on the Monterey Peninsula.  Its a thin strip of public land squeezed between the shore, the town of Pacific Grove, and a handful of golf courses.  This is no wilderness, mind you, with a paved road within a hundred yards of the water almost the entire way.  But the road is quiet and a continuous strip of publicly accessible shoreline offers the public 7 miles of beaches, dunes, rocks, and tide pools perfect for a run or a stroll.  Seals, otters and, sea lions are often visible along this coast, especially around Bird Rock at the south-western end.