Best Dog Hikes Southern California Paperback – October 1, 2016

Californians love their dogs. But not outdoors. The state park system, the most extensive in the nation, bans dogs from nearly all their trails. Several regional parks do as well. National Parks and monuments in the Golden State also restrict dogs to developed areas (i.e. Paved roads in campgrounds). I used to believe that was just NPS policy, but I discovered that as I travelled east from California, more and more national parks and monuments open up at least one trail for dogs. In Shenandoah, virtually all trails are open to dogs. So the banning of dogs from many public spaces really is a California thing. But happily, it is not universal (yet). Dogs are still welcome in most national forest and BLM lands, and in a few urban parks. So, if you long to hike with your four legged friend, you can seek out these areas... And if you want to find the best such hikes, you can seek out this book.There's a lot to love about the Mullally's latest hiking guide from Falcon press. First there is the geographical diversity: beach hikes in Big Sur, desert walks in Palm Springs, high mountain lakes in the Eastern Sierra, and sequoia groves. Who could ask for more than that? Then there is the usual Falcon guidebook features that make these so nice: good two color sketch maps, point by point directions, beautiful photos on glossy paper, near plate quality, and very detailed trail write ups, often two to three pages per trail.But as a dog owner, what I really appreciate is the hike selection. All of these are day hikes, though a few are suitable for short backpack trips. And many, though by no means all, are relatively gentle. And even where the hike is not gentle, options for older or slightly arthritic dogs are included. Why is this important? Because, despite the appearance, our little four legged bundles of energy are not in fact cut out for long distance hiking. I love to take my dog backpacking with me on the Pacific Crest Trail, but long distances and dogs don't mix. It's better to do shorter hikes and break up your trail days with rest breaks. Day hikes are best, and hikes with lots of smells, as well as trail variety, are best for dogs and their owners.I've hiked a little more than 20 of the trails in this book, many with my dog. They are all very nice. But I was excited to find several new hikes in these pages I wasn't even aware of. And even as ski season approaches, reading this book has given me many ideas for my upcoming winter weekends. After all, Bambi is also banned from the ski slopes, and I want to spend quality time with my dog, despite living in a state that implicitly assumes all such time is indoors or at a (very) small developed dog park. There's more to life than that, and I want to share it with my best friend. If you do too, this book comes highly recommended.

Book has chapters according to SoCal counties: very helpful!

Great book! Well worth it.

I own the Best Hikes in Northern California book in this series. I feel like this isn't as good in terms of recommendations.

Haven't tried any hikes yet but I'm very pleased with the book.

Best book out there! Easy to use and follow. Up to date.