What Is Hike With Your Dog?

Updated

Hike With Your Dog (hikewithyourdog.com) is a long-running editorial guide for dog owners who travel in the United States and Canada and want to find parks, trails, and beaches where dogs are welcome. It is a discovery and reference site, not a booking or retail platform: you use it to research destinations and understand where leashed dogs can go, then make your own travel arrangements. It has been publishing trail-finding content since 2001, according to the site.

What the site covers

The homepage presents the site as a way to "find a tail-friendly trail" and organizes its material around a few recurring themes:

  • State and province rankings — the current front-page prompt asks where you will hike with your dog in 2026 and says the site ranks all the states, pointing to a destination-first way of browsing.
  • Curated lists — examples on the homepage include "300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out," "50 Doggie Dream Destinations," and "70 Public Gardens To Visit With Your Dog."
  • Public-land rules — dedicated pages address hiking with dogs in national parks, why national forests tend to be more dog-friendly, and state park passes as a value option for dog owners.
  • A dog-history book — the site also promotes a paperback and ebook profiling famous dogs (Seaman, Greyfriars Bobby, Togo, Balto-era sled dogs, war dogs, and film dogs such as Rin Tin Tin and Terry/Toto), so expect some non-travel content alongside the trail guides.

How to use it

  1. Start with your destination. Use the state or province rankings to see how a region is assessed for dog-friendly hiking before you commit to a trip.
  2. Shortlist by land type. If your plan involves a national park, read the national-parks guidance first, since those rules are the most restrictive; national forests are presented as the more permissive default.
  3. Check the themed lists for inspiration. The day-hike and destination lists are useful when you have flexibility about where to go rather than a fixed address.
  4. Confirm details with the land manager. The site is an editorial guide, and rules, fees, and access change; verify current leash rules and pass requirements with the park or forest agency before you go.

What it is not

There is no indication on the site of booking, payments, or reservations, and no pricing information is published for its guides. Treat it as a research starting point: it tells you where dog-friendly trails and parks are and how public-land categories differ, but it does not handle permits, campsites, or trip transactions.