Day trip to dog-friendly Santa Cruz

We had some extra time to fill while staying in nearby Monterey so decided to drive to Santa Cruz for the day as it was only a 45 min drive North. However Santa Cruz was definitely hit and miss in terms of dog-friendly things to do. Unfortunately the famous boardwalk and nearby main beach are not dog-friendly at all, and it felt like every time we got to an interesting looking area, we saw another 'No Dogs' sign . It almost got to the point that we were ready to go back to Monterey…. but we persevered and finally found a couple of interesting things to do.

THINGS TO DO

Santa Cruz Boardwalk

Arguably the most famous attraction in Santa Cruz, we were a bit disappointed that we couldn't walk around inside the gates. While we understood that dogs wouldn't be allowed on rides etc. and his rule is likely in place for safety reasons, it would have been interesting to have been able to walk around when it wasn’t busy. But we were still able to get a few cute pictures outside.

While you can’t go in, there are still a few photo ops around the Boardwalk

Walk the top of West Cliff Drive

The entire town seemed to be covered in fog so we weren't sure if we were going to see much, but decided to walk up along the cliff edge (to the right side of the Boardwalk). While it was a bit of a hike, as we got higher and the fog cleared we were rewarded with some pretty spectacular views. The path was nice and wide and there were lots of viewing points and platforms to watch the waves and surfers.

We also stopped at Lighthouse point, which is set on a rocky outcrop and is surrounded by grass. The building there is the Surfing Museum - which is free and allows well behaved, leashed dogs inside.

The large beach on the North side of the lighthouse (called Lighthouse Field State Beach) is also dog friendly and there were lots of dogs running around. There were also quite a few different beachy areas along the way with stairs down to them. While we saw plenty of dogs off leash enjoying these areas, they were potentially not all official dog beaches….

As we’d worked up an appetite on our walk, we stopped into Steamer Lane Supply for a delicious and inexpensive lunch. It had great views, loads of outdoor seating and was super dog-friendly.

Surfing Museum

Henry Cowell State Park (Redwoods Forest)

About a 20 min drive out of Santa Cruz is Henry Cowell State Park. You drive some narrow and twisty road to reach it, but you're flanked on either side by gigantic Redwoods, so totally worth it. Entry to the park is $10 per vehicle which is pretty reasonable if you're intending to stay for a few hours.

Dogs are allowed, but only on some trails. The most popular (and shortest) trail in the park is not dog-friendly - its called the 'Redwood Grove Loop Trail' which is a condensed trail of trees and it only takes about 15 mins to complete (so definitely an option if you want to take turns). I did do this trail solo as I have FOMO, and while the trees were more condensed, I thought the dog friendly trails were actually better as there was so much more space to see the huge trees and a lot less people. Plus who wants to come all this way for a quick 15 min walk!?!

The size of the trees is amazing

To get to the dog-friendly trail, from the Park Office Main Entrance head to Pipeline Road. This road seems a bit lacklustre at first, but after a few minutes you’ll reach the spectacular Redwoods and there are lots of different areas to explore within the trail and photo ops galore. If you keep following the trail you’ll eventually end up walking with trees on one side the and the river on the other. We loved this trail, it was nice and wide, shady in parts, has some good spots to sit - and best of all  - not many people! We spent a good couple of hours meandering the trails and had a great time.

You can find more information about the dog-friendly trails here

To see the locations of the dog-friendly trails you can use this map

Beats loved exploring the redwoods

OTHER THINGS TO DO

Historic Area

If you're interested in historic houses and learning more about the history of Santa Cruz you can walk a row of Victorian style houses on Walnut street - which also have plaques outside with construction dates.

Roaring Camp Railroads

This railroad has two options to choose from, the first goes through the redwoods, and the other along the beach - and both allow well behaved dogs to ride.  This is something we might have been interested in if the timing had worked out for us as looked like a fun and unique thing to do. Check out their FAQ page for more info about ticketing and taking your dog along.

Wineries

If you’re keen on a spot of wine tasting or just interested in touring some of the local wineries, there are a few that are dog-friendly in the Santa Cruz area, you can find a list of them at SantaCruz.org

GETTING AROUND

The attractions were quite spread out so I would definitely recommend having your own vehicle. We initially parked across from the boardwalk as though we'd spend more time in this area - but probably wouldn’t recommend this as it was quite expensive. The Cliff Drive area had a good amount of parking, but I imagine it would be snapped up on busy days, but if you're willing to go back a block or two there may be more options.

IN SUMMARY

While we saw quite a lot in one day, we didn’t make it into the downtown area, so I think spending a weekend in Santa Cruz would give you more time to look around and see all that it has to offer. Visit SantaCruz.org for a list of dog friendly beaches, hikes and accommodation in the area.