Dog travel tipsMapping out a successfulroad trip with Champ andFrisky takes more than justpunching your destinationinto the GPS. Here aresome tips from DogTrek-ker on traveling with yourfour-legged friend.

1 If dog-friendly hotels orvacation rentals are in thepicture, speak with a liveperson before booking toget the bark on policiesand fees. Many propertieswon’t accept certainbreeds, some have weightrestrictions, and someallow pets only in smokingrooms.

1 Don’t take off on acamping or hiking tripassuming that your dogcan accompany you ontrails. At many state andnational parks, canines arerestricted to campsites.

1 Familiarfood, toys,bedding andother comfortsfrom home will helpChamp be more relaxedin new environments.Throw in a towel for wip-ing muddy paws. Andremember, dogs can getcarsick, too.

1 To minimize canine-caused distractions onthe road, make sure Friskyis safely secured in a crateor with a seat-belt leashor harness.

1Make sure your cher-ished bundle of fur has anID tag that includes yourcell phone number. Tuck acopy of shot records inyour canine travel kit, andcarry photos just in case.

1 “Leave no trace” princi-ples are not just forcamping. Always, alwayspick up after your dog.

— Janet Fullwood, travel@sfchronicle.com

Richard Stenger / Redwoods.info

Matt Lang and his dog, Dante, hike on a redwood trail in Eureka’s Sequoia Park, which offers 67 magnificent acres of trees, meadows, ponds and creeks.

By John Flinn

It’s yappy hour in the cocktail lounge of Carmel’sswanky Cypress Inn, and that’s no typo.

Among the quietly mingling guests — I never heardany actual yapping — are Djinn-Djinn, a winsome Labra-doodle; Newton, a hyperaware Border collie-Australianshepherd mix; Sadie, a life-of-the-party Chihuahua; andTucker, my 12-year-old golden retriever.

It’s just the kind of welcome we were looking for when we went in search of the most dog-friendly destinations in California. Our criteria: They had to have hotels and restaurants thatdid more than grudgingly accept pets — they had to roll out the red carpet for their four-leg-ged guests. And they had to have lots of places — beaches, trails, tourist attractions — wheredogs could romp off-leash.

Surfing, whale watching, gallery browsing, even canoeing — we found places in Californiawhere your dog can do it with you. Our picks for canine-friendly locales are on Pages N4-N6.

Five of California’s dog-friendlylocales thrive on being fit forman and beast to stay (and heel)

Rick Hemmings / Special to The Chronicle

Below: Catch-a-Canoein Mendocino rentswide-beamed canoesbuilt to carry dogs.

John Flinn / Special to The Chronicle

Above: Tuckerinspects a“mutt-tini” duringyappy hour at theCypress Inn.

Road hounds’ spots

TravelSan Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com | Sunday, July 22, 2012 | Section N

FivePlaces:Tattoo’spermanentmark onfashion,decor anddesign N2

N6 | Sunday, July 22, 2012 | San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com

When Dog Fancymagazine went lookingfor the most dog-friendlysmall town in America, itchose Carmel as best ofshow. And for good rea-son: From Doris Day’scynophilic Cypress Innto the town’s dazzlingwhite leash-free beach togalleries that hang paint-ings at dog’s-eye level,everything about Carmelseems designed withdogs in mind. A goodthing, too, because thetown gets 50,000 caninevisitors a year.

Walk down OceanAvenue, the main street,and you’ll see dispensersof dog waste bags on thecorners, “hitching posts”for leashes outsideshops, and big jars ofdog treats on the count-ers of boutiques andgalleries. A sign outsideone shop summed it upnicely: “All Dogs Wel-come.”

Step into City Hall,and you’ll spot an oilpainting of Pal, the“town dog.” It’s beenhanging there since Paldied 79 years ago. Pal isthe only village residentever buried within Car-mel’s 1-square-mile citylimits. (Father JuniperoSerra almost makes thelist, but he was tech-nically never a Carmelresident because thetown wasn’t incorporat-ed until 132 years afterhis death.)

Sleep: The Cypress Innis a great spot to encoun-ter dog-loving celebrities.I never saw owner DorisDay (who rarely dropsby these days) or BettyWhite, a frequent visitor,

but during yappy hour Ifound myself chattingwith Barbara “I Dreamof Jeannie” Eden, whotold me she named herLabradoodle Djinn-Djinnafter a dog she had onthe show. “We come heretwo or three times ayear,” she said. “It’s theonly place we stay inCarmel, because ofDjinn-Djinn.”

The Old World-stylehotel, built in 1929, rollsout the red carpet forcanine guests, who areserved “mutt-tinis” atyappy hour (a waterbowl in the shape of a bigmartini glass with atennis ball dyed to looklike an olive) and special-ly prepared dog treats atafternoon tea. Dog own-ers — about a third of allguests — are issued dogbeds, blankets and waterbowls at check-in. Thehotel has even installed adog-themed brand oftoilet in its rooms: Toto.Details: www.cypress-inn.com, (800)443-7443. Rooms start at$188, including breakfast.Pet fee, $30 per night.

Not quite what youhad in mind? Carmel has24 other dog-friendlyhotels in all price ranges.www.carmelcalifornia.org/pet-friendly-inns

Eat: I was casually scan-ning the menu at theForge in the Forest — the8-ounce New York steakwas tempting — when Inoticed the words at thetop: Canine Cuisine. Thehuman menu was just asappealing, though, and Ican attest that the odd-sounding Reuben eggrolls were improbably

tasty.Forge in the Forest is

regularly voted the bestdog-friendly restaurantin Monterey County, andit’s easy to see why. It hastransformed its enclosedOak Tree Patio into the14-table Dog Pound, withits own entrance, shadein the summer and heatlamps in the winter.Canine guests are imme-diately brought a waterbowl, sometimes evenbefore their human com-panions get their waterglasses filled. Located atJunipero and Fifth inCarmel. www.forgeintheforest.com, (831) 624-2233. Dinner and lunchentrees (for humans),$7.50 to $36.

More choices? Carmelboasts 24 restaurantswhere you can dine withyour dog on outsidepatios and terraces.www.carmelcalifornia.org/pet-friendly-restaurants.

Play: At the end ofOcean Avenue is thefinest dog beach inNorthern California.Wedged between PointLobos and Pebble Beach— you’re just a few feetfrom the 10th fairway —its white sand is so sug-ary it squeaks beneathyour feet. It’s shaded bycypress trees and lappedby aquamarine surf, andit’s all off leash. Users areconscientious aboutcleaning up, and youshould follow their lead.

If it’s cool and foggy atthe beach, as it often ison summer mornings,head inland to the Car-mel Valley and 4,462-acre Garland RanchRegional Park, whereyour dog can hike off-leash on trails throughthe oak-studded foothillsof the Santa Lucia Moun-tains. Some trails evensport doggie drinkingfountains. www.mprpd.org.

Carmel: Town seemsdesigned with dogs,devotees in mind

Photos by John Flinn / Special to The Chronicle

The Rodrigue Studio in Carmel, on the west side of Dolores Street between Ocean Avenue and SeventhStreet, features original “blue dog” paintings by popular Louisiana artist George Rodrigue.

Deborah Karas divides an order of chicken stripsfrom the Canine Cuisine menu at Forge in the For-est, which also has an appealing menu for humans.

They serve animals inthe restaurant at Mendo-cino’s dog-friendly Stan-ford Inn, but they don’tserve animals.

Uh, let’s try that again:You can bring your petinto Ravens’ restaurant,but you won’t find anymeat products on theall-vegan menu. “We loveanimals too much to eatthem,” said hotel ownerJeff Stanford.

With at least 20 pet-welcoming lodging op-tions, the town of Men-docino makes a greatbase for sniffing aroundthe wild MendocinoCoast. Your dog can gocanoeing on a river, ridethe Skunk Train throughthe redwoods, go whalewatching, accompanyyou into tasting rooms,and scamper leash-freeon a driftwood-tossedbeach.

Stay: The StanfordInn was first along theMendocino Coast towelcome pets, and inmany ways still leads thepack. Sixty to 70 percentof guests bring pets, andthey’re not all dogs.Iguanas, parrots, hair-less Egyptian cats andbaby pot-bellied pigshave also come for avisit. Dog owners get dogsheets, toys, water bowlsand organic treats madeout of sweet potatoesand yams by the hotel.Dogs under voice com-mand have the run of the10-acre grounds.

Details: www.stanfordinn.com, (800) 331-8884.In-room fireplaces, freeWi-Fi, refrigerators andmicrowaves in room,breakfast included.Rooms start at $185,including breakfast.One-time pet fee, $45.

Other options rangefrom the Inn at School-house Creek, which is ashort walk from a pri-

vate, leash-free beach, tothe Little River Inn,which has its own petconcierge. www.mendocino.com/dog-friendly.html

Eat: Stanford Inn’sRavens’ is one of the fewrestaurants where yourdog can join you indoorsfor a meal. They do thisby setting up tables inthe lobby, which appar-ently gets around thenormal restrictions. Theinnovative vegan restau-rant is part of the in-ternational slow-foodmovement, and themenu includes suchspecialties as sea palmand root vegetable stru-del and hazelnut-al-mond-encrusted tempeh.

Details: www.ravensrestaurant.com, (800)331-8884, (707) 937-5615.Dinner entrees, $16 to$25.

Pet owners unwillingto amend their carnivo-rous habits have theirchoice of a dozen Men-docino restaurants with

dog-friendly outdoorpatios, from Mendo Bur-gers to the landmarkCafé Beaujolais. Notethat many outdoor patiosare open in summeronly.

Play: At Catch-a-Canoe, next door to theStanford Inn, rent acanoe to explore the flat,sheltered water of theBig River estuary withyour dog. For stability,choose an outrigger. Afew miles up the coast,in Fort Bragg, your dogcan romp off-leash atNoyo Harbor Beach,thanks to a partnershipbetween the city and theMendocino Coast DogOwners Group. Dogsride free on Fort Bragg’s127-year-old SkunkTrain, which chuffs pastmossy redwood canyonsand Zen-like waterfalls.Your pet can accompanyyou on most of thewhale-watching andfishing excursions of-fered by All AboardAdventures, also in Fort

Bragg. Many wineries inthe renowned AndersonValley permit you tobring your pet into thetasting room; phoneahead to confirm.

Catch-a-Canoe: www.catchacanoe.com, (707)937-0273. Adults, $28 forup to three hours; chil-dren half price; dogsfree.

Noyo Harbor Beach:From Highway 1, takeNorth Harbor Drive,follow it to the end, andpark below the NoyoBridge.

Skunk Train: www.skunktrain.com, (707)964-6371. The standardexcursion runs from FortBragg to Northspur andtakes four hours. Adults$28; children $24; dogsfree. Check the websitefor other excursions.

All Aboard Adven-tures: www.allaboardadventures.com, (707) 964-1881. Whale-watchingtrips offered Dec. 26through April 30. Twohours, $35; dogs free.

Mendocino: Inns, restaurants cater to petsand canoeing estuary is a real dog paddle

Stanford Inn

The Stanford Inn sets up tables in the lobby for guests to dine with their pets,and dogs under voice command can run freely on the 10-acre grounds.

If your dog has acertain affinity for trees— and what dogdoesn’t? — he’ll certainlyenjoy a fragrant strollamong the tallest in theworld.

Humboldt County hasone of the few places weknow where you can letyour dog scamper off-leash among redwoods.And while other regionsboast of having a singleoff-leash dog beach,Humboldt has six ofthem — one of whichawaits at the end of adazzling, 5-mile coastaltrail.

Go ahead and tie thatred bandanna aroundyour dog’s neck: Withits easygoing, back-to-the-earth vibe, Hum-boldt is one of the fewplaces in America whereit won’t look ridiculous.

Sleep: For dog-friend-ly hotels in the Eureka-Arcata area, you’remostly looking at chainmotels. The Quality Innin Eureka’s Old Townhas no breed restrictionsand doesn’t charge a petfee. Plus, it’s close toHalvorsen Park on thewaterfront, site of theannual Mutt Strut dogparade. Visit www.qualityinn.com/hotel-eureka-california-CA611,(707) 443-1601. Roomsstart at $90 a night; nopet fee.

Not your style? Thereare 14 others to choosefrom in Humboldt Coun-ty. Details: humboldt.info/html/pet.html.

Eat: In Eureka’shandsome Old Towndistrict, Café Nooner hasa Mediterranean-Cajunmenu that includes ev-erything from falafelsand dolmas to po’ boysandwiches and “creolekabob” plates. Dogs are

welcomed on the out-side patio.

Details: 409 OperaAlley, Eureka. www.cafenooner.net, (707)443-4663. Open daily 11a.m. to 4 p.m. Meals,$7-$15.

Play: Dogs are per-mitted to roam off-leashon the first 3 miles ofthe walk into the Head-waters Forest Reserve,6 miles southeast ofEureka. For a morecasual, but on-leash,walk, head to Eureka’sSequoia Park, 67 acresof redwoods, meadows,ponds and creeks. Ortry Arcata CommunityForest, with its 2,134acres of second-growthredwoods. North ofArcata, leashed dogsare allowed on theHammond CoastalTrail, which follows anold rail line for 5 milesthrough coastal bluffsand meadows to off-leash Clam Beach inMcKinleyville. Less-ambitious beachgoerscan drive straight to theparking lot. Five otherHumboldt beaches —Big Lagoon, Moonstone,Luffenholtz, Mad RiverCounty Park and Sa-moa Dunes RecreationArea — also allow dogsto run free within thewave slope.

For information onthe Headwaters Forest,Sequoia Park, ArcataCommunity Forest, dogbeaches and HammondCoastal Trail, visitwww.redwoods.infoand use the search tool.

John Flinn is the formereditor of Travel. Hededicates this story to hisdog Tucker, who passedaway while it was beingresearched. E-mail:travel@sfchronicle.com

Humboldt County: Redwoods, 6 beachesallow leash-free runs

ROAD HOUNDS’ SPOTS