Dog-friendly hikes near Palo Alto

Bringing a dog changes the map around Palo Alto. The Stanford Dish, Rancho San Antonio and most of the famous Skyline preserves are closed to dogs. Yet a few miles away, other preserves welcome them on every trail and one even has an off-leash zone. The trick is knowing which agency runs the land under your feet, because the city, Stanford, Midpen and two counties all set their own rules.

Our dog parks guide covers the fenced city runs and the basic leash laws. This page goes further onto the trails. It picks hikes by distance from town, lists the places that ban dogs and gives practical advice on heat, foxtails and water. Rules come from each agency's official page, checked in late October 2026.

The ground rules

A few rules hold almost everywhere around here:

• Leash length. Six feet or less in Palo Alto open space, Midpen preserves and Santa Clara County parks. San Mateo County asks for six feet or less near other people.
• Retractable leashes. Midpen allows them up to 25 feet, locked at 6 feet when other visitors are near.
• Three dogs per person in Midpen preserves, San Mateo County parks and Palo Alto dog parks.
• No dogs in water. Midpen bans dogs from all streams and ponds, including creek pools under seasonal waterfalls.
• Pack it out. Bag the waste and carry it home. San Mateo County treats a bag left by the trail as littering. Midpen is testing waste bins at the Pulgas Ridge, Fremont Older, Lower Windy Hill and Thornewood lots, but nowhere else.
• Service dogs are accommodated wherever the public may go.

Close to town

Pearson-Arastradero Preserve

The default answer for a Palo Alto dog. Arastradero covers 622 acres of grassland and oak woodland with about 10 miles of trail. Leashed dogs are welcome every day from 8 a.m. to sunset and there is no fee. The flat walk to Arastradero Lake suits older dogs and puppies. The 1.5-mile Redtail Loop gives a fitter dog a real climb. Bikes and horses share the trails, so keep your dog on the inside of the path when they pass. Shade is patchy, which makes summer middays rough on dark-coated dogs.

Baylands Nature Preserve

Flat levees and constant breeze make the Baylands the easiest long walk in town. Leashed dogs may use most trails, including the hills of Byxbee Park. They are not allowed on the trails around the Renzel Ponds. There is no shade at all, so go early or late on warm days. Keep your dog out of the marsh, where rails and other birds nest.

Foothills Nature Preserve, weekdays only

The city allows leashed dogs at Foothills Nature Preserve on weekdays only. On Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, rangers turn dogs away at the gate. On a quiet weekday the highlights loop of about 3 miles passes Boronda Lake and climbs Vista Hill for a bay view. People may not swim or wade in the lake, so keep your dog out too.

Esther Clark Park

This 21-acre patch of grass and oaks off Arastradero Road has no facilities but makes a calm leashed walk when Arastradero is busy. The city requires dogs to be under physical control.

The best Midpen hikes with a dog

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District lists 11 preserves where dogs are allowed. Seven allow them on all trails: Coal Creek, El Sereno, Foothills (not the city preserve of the same name), Fremont Older, Pulgas Ridge, St. Joseph's Hill and Thornewood. These are the picks for a Palo Alto dog owner.

Pulgas Ridge, San Carlos

Up Interstate 280 in San Carlos, Pulgas Ridge is the only Midpen preserve with an off-leash area. The 17.5-acre zone sits in the middle of the preserve and is reached from the Cordilleras, Polly Geraci and Hassler or Blue Oak trails. It is signed but not fenced. You must carry a leash and keep your dog under voice control. Outside it, leash rules apply. The preserve has about 6 miles of trail, a 0.8-mile accessible trail at a gentle grade and a two-mile loop on the Polly Geraci, Hassler, Dick Bishop, Dusky-footed Woodrat and Cordilleras trails. Take the Edgewood Road exit, turn left on Crestview Drive and then left on Edmonds Road. The lot holds 23 cars plus two accessible spaces.

Windy Hill, Portola Valley

Dogs may use the Spring Ridge, Betsy Crowder, Sequoias, Eagle, Meadow, Hamms Gulch and Anniversary trails, plus the Lost Trail between Anniversary and Hamms Gulch. That covers the classic 7.2-mile summit loop from Portola Road. The Sausal Pond walk is easier, but keep your dog out of the pond. Our Windy Hill guide has parking details.

Coal Creek, Skyline Boulevard

Midpen's Crazy Pete's Road and Coal Road loop is 1.7 miles and almost entirely shaded, so it works on warm afternoons when grassland hikes do not. It passes a small seasonal waterfall in winter. Parking is tight; see our Coal Creek guide.

Fremont Older, Saratoga

Leashed dogs may use every trail. The Seven Springs Loop runs about 2.5 miles through hayfields and oaks. A side climb reaches Hunters Point at 900 feet. The Prospect Road lot has 21 spaces and fills on weekends.

Limited-access preserves

• Long Ridge: dogs on the Chestnut Trail only.
• La Honda Creek: the Grasshopper Loop is closed to dogs from August 1 to about December 15 for cattle calving, so it is closed right now. The Cielo and Coho Vista trails in the upper area need a free permit.
• Sierra Azul: the Kennedy, Priest Rock and Limekiln trails only. Dogs are banned from the whole Mount Umunhum area, even inside a car.

County parks and the coast

San Mateo County lists its dog-friendly parks and trails: Coyote Point Recreation Area, Flood Park, Junipero Serra Park, the Devil's Slide Trail, Pillar Point Bluff, Quarry Park, Mirada Surf and the Coastal Trail at Fitzgerald Marine Reserve. Dogs must stay on leash and on the trail. The big exception is Quarry Park in El Granada, where off-leash dogs are allowed on many trails after a pilot that began in 2022. The county approved a coastal permit for long-term off-leash use in November 2023. Dogs stay out of the playground and pump track there.

On the state beaches, dogs are banned from the sand at Half Moon Bay, San Gregorio, Pomponio and Pescadero. Leashed dogs may use the Half Moon Bay Coastside Trail and Bean Hollow State Beach. Our beaches guide has the details.

Santa Clara County's general rule allows leashed dogs on most park trails, with restrictions marked on each park map. Stevens Creek County Park is a good example, but do not follow the Zinfandel Trail into Picchetti Ranch, where Midpen bans dogs.

Where dogs are not allowed

Leave the dog at home for these popular hikes:

Heat, foxtails and water

Midpen warns that dogs overheat easily because they cool themselves mainly by panting. Signs of trouble include heavy panting, dry gums, weakness, confusion and not responding to you. Stop in shade, offer water and cut the hike short. Midpen also suggests limiting exercise in the hottest part of the day. Our heat wave guide covers the hottest stretches.

• Water. Midpen provides none for dogs on the trail and dogs may not drink from its creeks or ponds. Carry enough for your dog as well as yourself, plus a collapsible bowl.
• Foxtails. The barbed seed heads of wild grasses dry out from late spring and can work into paws, ears, noses and eyes. Stick to the middle of wide trails in summer and fall, check between toes after every hike and see a vet if your dog sneezes hard or shakes its head.
• Ticks. Check your dog and yourself after brushy trails, especially from fall through spring.
• Rattlesnakes and wildlife. A short leash protects your dog from rattlesnakes, bobcats and mountain lions, as well as from cyclists.
• Poison oak. Dogs can carry the oil on their fur to you. Wash them after hikes in the oaks.

Picking a hike by season

Winter brings green hills, cool air and mud, so wipe paws before the car ride home. Spring is the best season everywhere, but foxtails start to ripen by late spring. In summer, go early to Arastradero or the Baylands, or pick shaded routes on Skyline. Fall is clear and dry. It is also when La Honda Creek's dog trail stays closed until about mid-December.

Frequently asked questions