Dog-friendly trails near Los Angeles and Orange County

If you are visiting Los Angeles or Orange County with your dog, or you live here and want a new walk, the good news is that there are a lot of trails where a dog on a leash is welcome. The catch is that the rules change from one agency's land to the next, sometimes on the same ridge. Here are five trails we like, what the rules say at each, and the big parks where dogs can't go.

Before you go

Bring water and a bowl, bags, and a six-foot leash, which works on every trail below. Inland trails here are dry and get hot by late morning for much of the year, so go early, and turn back sooner than you would on your own. Rattlesnakes live in all of these hills: keep your dog on the trail and out of the brush.

1. Mount Hollywood Trail, Griffith Park

The classic Los Angeles hike: up from the Griffith Observatory to the top of Mount Hollywood, with the city on one side and the Hollywood Sign across the hills. In City of Los Angeles parks, licensed dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than six feet, and off leash only in the designated dog areas.¹ Griffith Park's own rules say the same: dogs on a leash at all times. The park is open from 5 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.²

The roads near the Observatory are crowded and parking is short on weekends, holidays and all summer, the city says.² A weekday morning is easier on everyone, your dog included: the park is arid, with little shade on the upper trails.

2. Solstice Canyon Trail, Malibu

A gentler walk in the Santa Monica Mountains, a short drive up Corral Canyon Road from Pacific Coast Highway. The National Park Service welcomes dogs on its trails here, on a leash no longer than six feet,^3,4 and asks you to stay within 100 feet of the trail and to pick up after your dog. The first half mile or so is paved and the canyon is shady, and there are drinking fountains at the parking lot and about a quarter mile up the trail. Parking is limited, so the park asks visitors to carpool, and to bring enough water on very warm days.³

One thing to know in these mountains: the Park Service's land and California State Parks' land sit side by side, and most state park trails are closed to dogs.¹⁰ The place cards on our map tell you which is which.

3. Bob Henderson Loop, Whittier

On the other side of Los Angeles, the Puente Hills Preserve has an easy, nearly level two-mile loop from the Arroyo Pescadero trailhead at 7531 Colima Road, with parking on site and a drinking fountain at the trailhead. It is open from sunrise to sunset.⁵ Dogs are welcome on a leash, no more than three per person.⁶ One trail from the same trailhead, Arroyo San Miguel, is closed to dogs to protect sensitive habitat, so stay on the loop.⁵

4. Santiago Oaks Regional Park, Orange

In the hills above the city of Orange, Santiago Oaks Regional Park has a creek and hiking and riding trails, including the Windes Nature Trail. OC Parks allows dogs on a leash up to six feet.⁸ The park is open from 7 a.m. to sunset, at 2145 N. Windes Drive. Parking is $3 per car on weekdays and $5 on weekends, and trails may close for up to three days after rain.⁷ Swimming and wading in the creek or lake aren't allowed.⁸

5. Juanita Cooke Trail, Fullerton

Fullerton has about 28 miles of recreational trails, shared by hikers, riders and horses, and the Juanita Cooke Trail is one of them. The city's rule for its trails: dogs on a leash ten feet or shorter, and off leash only at the Fullerton Pooch Park.⁹ Hikers yield to horses here, which matters with a dog: step aside, keep your dog close, and let the horse pass.⁹

Where dogs can't go

Some of Orange County's best-known trails are closed to dogs, and it is better to know before you drive there. At Crystal Cove State Park, dogs are allowed on paved areas only, not on the beach or in the backcountry,¹⁰ so the Moro Canyon Trail is out.

OC Parks' wilderness parks are closed to pets too, including Aliso and Wood Canyons,¹¹ and so is most of the Irvine Ranch Open Space, with one exception: dogs on a leash are allowed on Black Star Canyon Road.¹²

A simple plan

1. Start early with a Griffith Park walk, or Solstice Canyon if you are near the coast.
2. On an Orange County day, try Santiago Oaks in the morning, and bring cash or a card for parking.
3. When it is hot, choose the shady one: Solstice Canyon.

The place cards above always show today's rule. Rules change, and the signs on the ground are the final word, so check posted signs.