California’s
Central Coast starts in dog-friendly
Santa Cruz County and winds some 350 miles south to
Ventura County, just north of L.A. Yes, the famous coastal Highway 1 provides lots of mesmerizing scenery (and
dog-friendly beaches) along the way, but there’s so much else to see and do that you might prefer to make base camp with your four-legged friend and just chill for a few days somewhere along the route.
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Many
Mendocino County visitors stick to the Instagram-worthy sweep of coastline between Little River and Fort Bragg, but you can veer inland for different views. Interior Mendocino is dotted with redwood groves, wineries, off-the-beaten-path parks and small towns that extend a warm welcome to travelers with pets. Take Highway 101 north from Cloverdale to reach Ukiah, Willits and Leggett, where you’ll find the winding Eel River and an irresistibly kitschy roadside attraction: the
Chandelier Drive-Thru Tree Park.
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Dreaming of a wine country getaway without the premium lodging prices of Napa Valley and Sonoma County? Here’s an insider’s tip for DogTrekkers: Base yourself in
Vacaville. Close to both established and emerging wineries, this Northern California community lives up to its “Small. In a Big Way” tagline.
Find more dog-friendly things to explore in Vacaville:
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Vacaville is an ideal basecamp for touring wine country with your dog. Nearby Sonoma County and Napa Valley get all the attention, but this region is also home to one of California’s best-kept secrets. The laid-back Suisun Valley is
rustic wine country charm at its best, with vineyards dating to the 1880s and standouts like
Vezer Family Vineyard and
Wooden Valley Winery. Sunshine and landscaped gardens make this one a pup-friendly, picnic-friendly favorite.
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Sip award-winning wines as your leashed pup enjoys the creekside courtyard of
Bargetto Winery. Located in Soquel, Bargetto has been producing handcrafted wines in the Santa Cruz Mountains for nearly 90 years. Another local wine favorite with a touch of historical intrigue is
Soquel Vineyards. Soquel Vineyards was established in 1987 by members of the same Bargetto family. Want to continue your dog-friendly wine tour? Check out
this helpful blog!
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While Napa and Sonoma bask in California wine-country publicity, Solano County’s “Rustic Wine Country,” aka
Suisun Valley, deserves a place on your dog-friendly bucket list, too. The “hidden” valley is just off Interstate 80 near the dog-friendly city of
Vacaville (40 miles from Sacramento, 33 from Davis, 52 from San Francisco), which you’ve likely zoomed past many times without a thought of getting off the highway and exploring.
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Visiting dog-friendly California wineries is a favorite DogTrekker activity. Even during the second year of the pandemic, summer saw crowded tasting rooms, packed patios and sold-out tours and special events.
Find tips and insights on dog-friendly wine areas ripe for visiting:
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Nothing like a change of scenery to cleanse your soul of the pandemic blues (but don’t forget your mask)! If wine tasting is on your agenda, know that
Mendocino County is home to 10 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) lumped together under the Mendocino County label.
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There are so many wine-tasting choices in
Santa Cruz County – more than 70 small-production wineries and tasting rooms in all – that narrowing down a dog-friendly itinerary can be a delightfully difficult exercise. Might as well pick a region, a theme and a “wine trail” to stay on course. There’s the
Organic Wine Trail showcasing organic vineyards, for example.
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The
city of Gilroy is part of the historic Santa Clara Valley, one of California’s
oldest wine growing regions and home to more than 35 family-owned wineries and tasting rooms, many of them
dog-friendly. Even though some of Gilroy’s wineries have been around since the turn of the century, the region is still one of California’s best-kept secrets when it comes to wine tasting!
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Maybe you know
Vacaville in Solano County as a place you see exit signs for as you zoom past on Interstate 80. But if you and your four-legged companion have never checked it out, you can’t know what you’re missing! Vacaville is an affordable base camp for DogTrekkers keen on visiting Northern California wine country. And, it's very dog-friendly!
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Just up Highway 50 from
Sacramento, the city of
Folsom is a superb dog-friendly destination with a handsomely renovated Old Town just a block or two from the Sacramento River. Cuddle up in
dog-friendly lodging and spend a weekend exploring with your four-legged friend. Get your bearings on Sutter Street (the main drag), where you can soak up some local motion at a dog-friendly
taproom or
restaurant.
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Just 15 miles south of downtown
Sacramento, the
scenic Sacramento River Delta opens up, city life slows to a crawl and the Clarksburg American Viticultural Area offers all kind of dog-friendly, small-batch wine-tasting experiences, along with a few good places to eat. If you’re not from Sacramento, it’s probably all new to you, so take a leisurely drive of discovery and find out more.
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As the seasons change and the smoke from Northern California wildfires gives way to crystal-blue skies, opportunities for exploring Sacramento and the destinations in its “big back yard” expand. Make the state capital your home base and take off from there. Here is the best of dog-friendly Sacramento and neighboring communities:
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It’s no secret that California Highway 1 (aka the Pacific Coast Highway) is considered one of the most scenic routes in the country. All the better, then, that it leads to
Santa Cruz, arguably one of the most scenic sun-and-surf towns in the state. You’ll love it there and so will your dog, given all the fun activities you can do together.
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Leaving Highway 101 at Cloverdale (Sonoma county), and heading on CA-128 West, this scenic road offers up many delights, from the
Boonville General Store (think deli goodies from pizza to soups and sandwiches) in southern
Mendocino County, to Leggett, on the Eel River in the north. In between? Let us count just a few of the ways along this 55-mile stretch of road to make your DogTrekking trip memorable.
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The
Tackles4Cancer organization is partnering with
Lion Ranch Vineyards & Winery on March 6 at 5 p.m. PST for a Virtual Wine Tasting hosted by former NFL Player, Philanthropist and Wine Enthusiast, William Dominic Austin. The Sommelier for the event is the renown Samantha Capaldi.
The event will also include a special performance by Ashley Támar Davis, an American singer who came to prominence through her association with Prince and an exclusive raffle item for a Champ Bailey 2019 Hall of Fame autographed football will be given to one lucky winner. Best of all your pup can attend by your side!
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From the editors: We thank John Poimiroo for this special tribute to Cooper, a passionate and loyal DogTrekker! Check out his adventures...
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Taken aback by prices at Napa and Sonoma hotels and wineries?
Stay in Vacaville at half the price (or, just make it a day-trip) and visit nearby
Suisun Valley Rustic Wine Country, a verdant Solano County agricultural region where you’ll find numerous dog-friendly wineries offering outdoor, socially distanced tasting opportunities.
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There’s no time better than October to visit the
Suisun Valley between Davis and
Vacaville in Solano County. Not only are the vineyards ablaze; pumpkin patches, farm stands and other agricultural points of interest are in full swing. (Don’t miss
Larry’s Produce, a vast produce enterprise with adjacent pumpkin patch.)
The valley is just a ridge away from the famous Napa Valley, and its wines share many characteristics native to the shared climate. Suisun bills itself as “rustic wine country” and prides itself on providing friendly welcomes to visitors with dogs on the other end of the leash.
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Now here’s a wine region that’s hiding in plain sight. The Santa Clara Valley (also known as Silicon Valley) is one of California’s oldest wine-growing regions and home to some 34 family-owned wineries and tasting rooms,
many of them dog-friendly.
The
city of Gilroy, known for its famous garlic festival, is your home base for exploring the region; just follow the
Santa Clara Valley Wine Trail signage to craft your own tour.
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Think “
Santa Cruz County,” and you may not be able to distance yourself from its sand-and-surf image. But the county is in fact large and diverse, encompassing inland redwood forests, dozens of mountain wineries and almost as many microclimates where you and your canine companion can sip and chill (wine for you, water for your pup!).
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October is prime time to pack the corkscrew, the leash and your four-legged friend for a trip up north to
Mendocino County, where the vineyards are blazing with fall color and the mood everywhere is as mellow as can be. The county’s
11 diverse appellations each express a style of their own, and while you can hardly sample them all in a weekend, you can choose an itinerary along one of the county’s “wine roads.”
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Mendocino County is known for its
wines (and its
brews, too) but as tasting-room openings and closures fluctuate in accordance with state mandates, DogTrekkers will want to pay close tabs before setting out to sip. As of July 13, all indoor facilities are shut indefinitely. In general, outdoor tasting is permitted, by reservation.. Keep up with the latest at
mendowine.com.
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Sonoma County is one of the biggest pieces of real estate in California, and its treasures span a geographic landscape stretching from the Russian River Valley to coastal communities and beyond. Best bet for you and your tail-wagger, especially in winter: pick a region and settle in for a few days.
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The San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta is a boater’s paradise that in places feels like anther world. But you don’t need a boat to explore this rich agricultural region marked with old-time lift bridges, small towns and miles of levees that in the id-1800s transformed a once trackless wetland into 55 agricultural islands that still produce food for Northern California (pears and wine grapes are the main crops). Numerous winery tasting rooms have cropped up over the past decade on both sides of the river, all of them dog-friendly.
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Mark your holiday calendar because Santa and his water sleigh are making their way to Tomales Bay! Jolly Old Saint Nick is making his 9th annual visit to
Nick's Cove on Sunday, December 8, from 3-5PM.
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Yes,
Oakland is a vibrant urban place to visit, but it’s not all about dog-friendly
ale and
wine trails, waterfront dining and hotels (more about that below). As dog-centric locals know, one of the pleasures of living here is proximity to many open-space preserves where you can flee the big-city hustle-bustle and revel with your pup in the shade of redwoods or atop grassy ridges with panoramic views.
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The remote part of California east of
Redding and Red Bluff, in the shadow of Mount Lassen, is one of the fastest growing but least known wine regions in the state. But there’s much to get to know, from producers with Redding and Oroville tasting rooms to dog-friendly boutique wineries way out in the country whose wines will surprise and delight.
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Monterey wines rely on warm sun, cool fog and nurturing soils resulting in intense varietal flavor. Chardonnay, pinot blanc and riesling are notable varietals grown near the coast, while reds are more common in the warmer southern areas. You can sample them all while your dog waits patiently (we hope!) by your side at dozens of
pet-friendly tasting rooms from
Cannery Row to Carmel to the Santa Lucia Highlands. Best bet: Pick a region and check out our recommended itineraries.
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The
San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta (often referred to as the California Delta) is a maze of navigable waterways winding from Sacramento to the San Francisco Bay. You don’t need to go far out of town to get a taste of the farm towns, wineries and bucolic agricultural scenes alongside the Sacramento River. The dog-friendly places we recommend for a short outing are all within 15 miles of downtown Sac.
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Oh, the carefree life of a winery dog. It ranks high on our list of reincarnation fantasies. Yet in
Santa Cruz County, which is home to over a
dozen dog-friendly wineries, you needn't wait until the next go-round to enjoy a breezy life of leisure.
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If you’re up for a special-occasion getaway centered on food and wine and can’t leave your four-legged other behind, consider the oh-so-chic
Napa Valley town of
Yountville. This culinary mecca is chock-a-block with strollable
tasting rooms and
restaurants (most with dog-friendly outdoor seating). Some 19 tasting rooms clustered within a mile of each other participate in the
Yountville Wine Walk, which awards prizes based on the number of establishments visited.
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Are you one of those folks who enjoys taking selfies with your dog wherever you roam? Add some fun to your quest by participating in the
Placer Wine Trail Photo Hunt, a contest taking place through December. The deal: Visit a member winery, find the “treasure” (it might be an artwork, an artifact or a physical feature of the property), take a selfie, post it on
Instagram and be entered to win a $100 gift card.
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“Agritourism”—an agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch—is as old as winemaking in California, yet there aren’t many places where visitors with dogs can spend the night on the premises.
Bed & Barrel at Stonehouse Cellars, a winery/tasting room/B&B in Clearlake Oaks,
Lake County, is an exception.
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Yes it’s primarily a bike path, but dog walkers will find much to enjoy along the shaded, 4.4-mile
Alamo Creek Bikeway, which meanders through southern Vacaville and connects several municipal parks, including Nelson, Patwin and Beelard. Want to keep going? The trail intersects the
Southside Bikeway connecting downtown Vacaville to the north and Al Patch Park (sports fields and restrooms!) to the south.
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Don’t you love it when you stumble upon something great that you never knew about before? That’s the feeling that takes over upon entering
Lagoon Valley/Peña Adobe Regional Park, a 470-acre preserve just off Interstate 80 between Vacaville and Fairfield.
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OK, nobody can visit four dozen dog-friendly wineries on one trip! Nevertheless, that’s how many await along the Highway 128 and Highway 101 corridors. Pick a region and let serendipity be your guide as you spend a leisurely day wine-tasting with your pup.
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Clear Lake, that big puddle of blue in the middle of Lake County, is a popular vacation destination for families, but it’s hardly the only body of water in the vicinity.
Blue Lakes (Upper and Lower), just five miles away, are a pair of clear, spring-fed bodies of water ideal for swimming and fishing. Only human-powered craft or those with or electric motors are allowed (speed limit is 5 mph), but you can rent an electric “yacht” or pontoon boat from the
Lodge at Blue Lakes and pile the family (dogs included) on board for a great day of cruising about.
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While water activities are of course a big attraction in
Lake County, more than
30 wineries, most with
dog-friendly picnic areas and tasting rooms, welcome visitors in what is one of the fastest growing wine regions in the country. While the region is best known for its sauvignon blancs, petit sirahs and big reds are gaining well deserved cachet. The
Lake County wine-growing region blanketing the eastern portion of the county is divided into seven AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), or appellations, each with its own sense of place.
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Napa Valley isn’t all about food and wine; it’s also a magnet for artists and art lovers from around the world. Combining a dog walk with a little art appreciation is a great way to spend a day—and get some unique backdrops for your photos while you’re at it. Start with the
2017-2019 Napa Art Walk, called “Shifting Perspectives,” featuring 10 sculptures by artists from four Western states installed in downtown locations.
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When it comes to dog-friendly lodging in
Napa Valley, there are almost as many choices as there are wineries to visit. Start your search by sorting out your parameters regarding type, location, level of luxury, price, etc., then delve into the dog-friendly listings on
DogTrekker.com.
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Lodging choices in
Napa Valley run from extravagant, five-star resorts to budget motels, but for that certain brand of DogTrekker who prefers to rough it a bit, there’s another alternative: camping. Whether sleeping in a tent, an RV or a rustic shelter, you’ll enjoy the valley from a unique perspective—and have money left over for a splurge. Here are three places to check out.
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Potential visitors to
Napa Valley tend to think first of vine-covered hills dotted with wineries, wineries and more wineries. They’re all here, of course. But it would be a shame to bypass the city of Napa itself. A renaissance over the past two decades has transformed what once was the utilitarian center of wine country into a visitor destination packed with pizzazz.
Downtown Napa is walkable, dog-friendly and filled with surprises for two- and four-legged visitors alike.
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After a rough fire season that took out homes, businesses and lives,
Mendocino County is bouncing back with a full helping of winter events and holiday cheer. The gorgeous seashore offers uncrowded respite in winter, while towering redwoods invite contemplation and dog-friendly wineries welcome visitors with treats for the pups and tastes for their people.
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While parts of
Sonoma County were ravished by the October wildfires, residents are banding together to stand strong and welcome visitors to the vast majority of the county that was untouched by the blazes. Whether you come to spend a winter weekend in
Santa Rosa or explore the
Wine Road Northern Sonoma County, you and your four-legged travel companion will find a warm welcome almost everywhere you go. But before your dog can settle down in a tasting room or hotel, she likely needs some exercise.
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California’s desert regions are at their most compelling in winter, when cool weather and clear skies combine to energize people and pets alike. If you’re planning a trip, don’t think only of cactus and rock. Southern California’s
high-desert wine country invites visitors with vines, wines and a swaggering touch of the Old West. It’s all centered around the town of
Temecula, 60 miles north of San Diego, 80 miles east of
Greater Palm Springs and 90 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
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If you don’t live in
Santa Cruz County, you probably know this gorgeous stretch of the California coast for its beaches, its stellar university and the namesake town that proudly embraces its somewhat eccentric reputation. But Santa Cruz County is also known for its mountains, its redwood forests and its
wines, particularly the pinot noir and chardonnay that thrive in the fog-kissed climate. Wineries and tasting rooms are sprinkled throughout the county, and dogs get a warm welcome at many of them.
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Mendocino County is mostly rural, and its extensive patchwork of public lands encompasses everything from national forests and state parks to dog-friendly preserves administered by the Bureau of Land Management. If you and your well behaved, always-comes-when-called pup prefer to wander together without being tied by a leash, head to Stornetta Public Lands, a 1,665-acre coastal haven near Point Arena, where you’ll also want to check out one of the West Coast’s most iconic lighthouses.
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Lake County is dominated by – you got it – one of the largest bodies of water in the state. But
Clear Lake, a popular vacation destination, is just one piece of a diverse county that is coming on strong as a fast-growing wine region with laid-back (and dog-friendly) appeal.
The
Lake County wine-growing region blanketing the eastern portion of the county is further divided into seven AVAs (American Viticultural Areas), or appellations, each with its own sense of place. While best known for its sauvignon blancs, petite sirahs and big reds like tempranillo and cabernet sauvignon are gaining well deserved cachet.
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Wine grapes were introduced to the Sierra Nevada foothills during the Gold Rush years, when miners were thirsty for refreshment and farmers eager to provide. Today, the
Sierra Foothills AVA (American Viticultural Area) stretches from Yuba County in the north to Mariposa County in the south, with five smaller AVAs under the umbrella designation. Two of them, El Dorado and Fair Play, are in
El Dorado County, within easy striking distance of
Sacramento, gateway to the Gold Country wine country.
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The
Tri-Valley region, an hour east of San Francisco, is nothing if not full of surprises, especially when it comes to wine. Production is centered in the rolling
Livermore Valley AVA (American Viticultural Area), where the first grapes were planted in the 1840s. More than 50 wineries, two dozen of them proudly dog-friendly, have since sprung from the rich soil, and they’re all close enough for a day trip or overnight trip from the Bay Area or Sacramento. So leash up your pup, crack a window and take off into the so-close-but-so-far-away countryside.
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Winery rich
Mendocino County is home to 10 American Viticultural Areas (AVAs), a half-dozen of which are smaller regions lumped together under the over-arching Mendocino County label. While there are many dog-friendly tasting rooms scattered about, it makes sense for newbies to follow one of two designated “wine roads,” one tracing
Highway 128 through the famed Anderson Valley, the other centered around the
Hopland area on Highway 101.
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What part of the Napa and Sonoma valleys is closest to the Bay Area and Sacramento? The answer: Carneros, a wine-growing region and AVA (American Viticultural Area) that spans parts of
Sonoma and
Napa counties and backs up to San Pablo Bay. The marine influence makes Carneros (which means “sheep” in Spanish) a bit cooler than regions up-valley, with a microclimate ideal for cultivation of grapes used in sparkling wine production. Dog-friendly tasting rooms abound, and while we haven’t visited them all, we have some favorites.
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While the Tri-Valley region is within easy commuting distance of the Bay Area and Sacramento, after a day of hiking or touring the wine or craft beer trails, it’s always nice to stay for dinner, pull into a nearby hotel and spend the night. Tri-Valley has accommodations to fit any taste or budget and by our count, over two-dozen are dog-friendly. The
Hyatt House in Pleasanton even has their own resident dog who hangs out in reception.
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There’s no shortage of places in Tri-Valley to chow down at an outdoor table with your pup at your side. Enjoy the small town hospitality and laid-back vibe whether your choice is award-winning California cuisine, local farm-to-fork comfort food, rustic bistro classics or pubs featuring craft brews. Speaking of craft brews, nine out of the 14 dog-friendly breweries, tap rooms and restaurants on the
Tri-Valley Craft Beer Trail serve food. Many are conveniently situated just off Interstates 680 and 580, in or near the cities of Pleasanton, Dublin and Danville.
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A laid-back atmosphere and dog-friendly vibe prevail at many Tri-Valley
wineries where you can both make yourselves at home. Most establishments are located in the picturesque
Livermore Valley, one of the country’s oldest winemaking regions. Wine-grape cultivation started here in the 1840s, and today, more than 50 wineries, 23 of them proudly dog-friendly, share an AVA whose terroir is characterized by warm days, cool nights and gravel-based soils. You can check out DogTrekker’s dog-friendly
Tri-Valley wine trail before heading out.
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Three valleys and four cities make up the
Tri-Valley region, which away from urban areas is characterized by rolling hills studded with gnarly oaks and sprawling vineyards. It’s less than an hour from San Francisco or Sacramento, straddling the line between Alameda and Contra Costa counties on the “sunny side” of the bay. Dog-friendly
hotels,
restaurants,
wineries and
craft breweries abound as you explore the three valleys—Livermore, Amador and San Ramon—from which the region takes its name.
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If you plan to put on your hiking shoes and head out to enjoy the East Bay Regional Parks mentioned in this issue, we have just the place to refresh, relax and renew after the hike – the
Tri-Valley region of California! Just a little over 30 miles from San Francisco on the sunny side of the bay, this area encompasses three valleys and four cities where dog-friendly
hotels,
restaurants,
wineries and
craft breweries and tap rooms abound.
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Last fall’s fires, combined with harsh winter storms, were not kind to the popular state parks along Highway 1 in the Big Sur region. Much of this scenic slice of coastline remains inaccessible due to unstable hillsides and destruction of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge (about half a mile south of Big Sur Station), which has been demolished and is being rebuilt. It won’t reopen until fall at the earliest, meaning camping opportunities this summer are heavily curtailed.
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Mendocino County’s 47 wineries produce many reds, of course, but crisp viogniers and other whites are also specialties of the region. If visiting in winter, when inclement weather is a possibility, you might want to do a little homework in advance to select establishments that welcome dogs in their
tasting rooms as well as in their outdoor picnic areas.
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While most
Mendocino County restaurants with
outdoor dining venues allow dogs to curl up under the table with their owners, winter weather can throw that option a curve ball. In inclement weather when patios aren’t open, your pup can always wait in the car while you dine. Or—if you know in advance—you can take an unconventional route to an indoor venue.
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Ready for some wine tasting? The verdant Suisun Valley, about 20 minutes from downtown
Vacaville, is home to numerous wineries that welcome canine guests in their picnic areas.
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Northern California’s
Tri-Valley once supplied hops—a primary ingredient in beer—to brewers around the world. Those roots are reflected in an emerging craft-beer scene drawing visitors and their four-legged companions. Located just 45 minutes east of the Golden Gate Bridge, the region is made up of the charming towns of Pleasanton, Livermore, Dublin and Danville.
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For those who live in San Francisco, Sacramento and most points in between, the
Tri-Valley region, with its rolling topography and semi-rural character, offers a refreshing change of venue for weekend explorers traveling with their dogs.
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