Lodging
The Airbnb · Thu 13 & Fri 14 — 2 nights, Aug 13–15
$1,883 total / ~$940 per night
Dogs: Pet-friendly. Confirm the fee covers both dogs when we book.
It's a whole house and the dates line up with our route. The dogs can stay home during Boy Scout Tree instead of going to daycare, and there's a kitchen for the night we don't feel like going out again.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1134952002049559623?unique_share_id=38411136-cc72-4876-bf21-2422276566b7&viralityEntryPoint=1&s=76
Fern Hook Cabins · Alternative for Thu & Fri
Deluxe cabins · $$
Dogs: Two big dogs, so confirm that directly. Verify the pet fee at booking.
Newly built cabins with full kitchens, set in private redwoods near the Smith River. They're minutes from Howland Hill and the Myrtle Creek trailhead, so we'd cut 20 minutes off every Friday leg. They also sit above the coastal fog.
https://www.byowner.com/vacation-rentals-details/cabin/newly-built-deluxe-cabins-in-a-private-redwood-setting-near-the-smith-river-4276738
Cheaper motels and inns in Crescent City & Hiouchi · Alternative for Thu & Fri
$–$$
Dogs: Hiouchi Motel: 17 rooms by the Smith River, $25/night pet fee. Anchor Beach Inn: ~$20–25/pet. Lighthouse Inn: no stated pet fee. Best Western Plus Northwoods: $45/pet.
Hiouchi Motel is closest to the trailheads. Anchor Beach Inn has ocean views. Lighthouse Inn has ground-floor units. Best Western Plus Northwoods is full service.
https://www.bringfido.com/lodging/921598
Benbow Historic Inn · Wed 12 — 1 night
1926 Tudor lodge · $$–$$$ · budgeted at $280 incl. pet fee
Dogs: Two big dogs are fine, 2 allowed in designated rooms. Pet fee is $30 per visit. Benbow only has a handful of terrace/dog rooms, so reserve early.
It's a National Register landmark and a member of Historic Hotels of America, sitting on the South Fork Eel about 10 minutes from the southern end of the Avenue of the Giants. Eleanor Roosevelt and Herbert Hoover both stayed here. The rooms have antique furnishings and decanters of sherry, and the inn does tea and scones daily, lends out bikes, and has a seasonal pool, a jacuzzi and a 9-hole golf course. We can eat in the dining room or outside at the tables under the redwoods.
https://benbowinn.com/
Napa River Inn · Tue 11 & Sat 15 — 2 nights
Historic inn · $$$ · top pick · both Napa nights budgeted at $700 incl. $50/night pet fee
Dogs: Two dogs of any size, which is rare here. Pet fee is $50 / night. They hand out treats and a pet-friendly city guide at check-in.
It's in the restored 1884 Napa Mill on the river, and we can walk to Oxbow Public Market and downtown from it. The Riverwalk is right outside for evening walks. Book both nights at once.
The Knoll Hotel Napa Valley · Alternative for Tue & Sat
Boutique · $$$ · Tapestry by Hilton
Dogs: Two big dogs, any size, no weight limit. Pet fee $50 / pet / stay.
It's a polished boutique hotel and one of the few in Napa with no weight limit. The pet fee is flat per stay, which makes it the cheapest good option when we're doing two separate one-night stops.
River Terrace Inn · Alternative for Tue & Sat
Hotel · $$$ · Napa Paws Program
Dogs: Max 2 dogs per room. Pet fee $150 / dog + $250 refundable deposit.
They do more for dogs than anywhere else, with a VIP welcome, biscuits, a gift box, a bed and Yappy Hour events. The catch is the cost. A per-dog fee plus a per-dog deposit adds up fast across two separate nights.
https://www.riverterraceinn.com/dog-friendly-napa-hotel/
Napa places we ruled out for weight limits · n/a
n/a
Dogs: Napa Winery Inn and Casa Mani stop at 50 lbs, Hilton Garden Inn at 75, Wine Country Inn at 30, and SENZA allows one dog under 30 lbs.
Most Napa hotels cap well under what a Golden weighs. Check the limit before we fall for a photo.
https://www.visitnapavalley.com/things-to-do/trip-ideas/pet-friendly/
Stops
Boy Scout Tree Trail
~5.5 mi round trip · Moderate · 3–4 hrs
This is the hike the whole trip is built around. It runs through old growth in Jedediah Smith to the double-trunk Boy Scout Tree at ~2.5 mi, and Fern Falls is further on. The grade is gentle but there are roots the whole way. The lot is small and dirt, right on Howland Hill Road ~3.5 mi in from the Elk Valley Road end, and it fills fast in August. We can turn around at the tree and save ~45 min. The falls run low in August anyway. The trail has a documented Nov 1 – May 1 seasonal closure and its AllTrails page still says CLOSED. Our dates fall outside that window, but it's worth confirming before we go.
Dogs prohibited. This is the one morning they stay home at the house.
Myrtle Creek Trail · our pick
2.1 mi round trip · Easy · ~250 ft · ~1 hr · Smith River NRA
It's a real forest trail one mile east of Hiouchi on Hwy 199, and it's the closest dog hike to where we're staying. It follows a historic gold-mining ditch with 15 interpretive stops through a designated Botanical Area, and carnivorous California pitcher plants grow along it. It's shaded and the footing is easy. It's five minutes from the Stout Grove turnoff. Tick advisories are posted, so check both dogs afterwards.
Leashed · welcome
Craig's Creek Trail · our pick
6.4–7.4 mi round trip · Moderate–strenuous · ~1,420 ft · 3.5–4 hrs
It's a full day's hike and the dogs can do it with us. It climbs high above the South Fork Smith through temperate rainforest, redwoods, Douglas fir and rhododendrons, and it ends at a deep swimming hole. The trailhead is just before the second bridge on the road to Stout Grove. Watch for poison oak on the path, because the oil rides home on their coats.
Leashed · welcome
Howland Hill Road
10 mi one way · Unpaved · Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP
It's officially a road, which is why the dogs are legal the whole way. Drive it at 15 mph with the windows down and walk sections from the pullouts. The trees come right up to the edge. Go in from Crescent City on Elk Valley Road. Go at first light if we want photographs. The fog is still sitting in the trunks then.
Leashed · pullouts, legal the whole way
Stout Grove
0.5 mi loop · Jedediah Smith
We split up here. One of us walks the 0.5-mile loop while the other takes the dogs down the spur to the cobble beach on the Smith River, then we swap. The light is best late in the afternoon.
Dogs prohibited on the loop, but the river spur and cobble beach work for them
Fern Canyon
1 mi loop · plus 7.5 mi dirt Davison Road each way · ~2.5 hrs total
A permit is required May 15–Sep 15, plus a $12 day-use fee in cash or check. We drive Davison Road out to Gold Bluffs Beach, then walk the loop between 50-foot fern walls. Our feet will get wet. Davison is narrow dirt, passenger vehicles only, no trailers or RVs, 24-ft limit, and it takes ~40 min each way. It's the most crowded stop on the whole trip, though Thursday permits are far easier to get than weekend ones.
Dogs prohibited in the canyon, so one of us takes them to Gold Bluffs Beach instead
Cal Barrel Road
~3–3.5 mi · Moderate · ~700 ft · Prairie Creek Redwoods SP
This is the official exception to Prairie Creek's dog ban. It's a gravel road through old growth, just north of the visitor center on the Newton B. Drury Parkway. It's the one place in the park where the dogs get to walk under the big trees. Cars use it too, so walk it early.
Leashed · welcome
Avenue of the Giants
31 mi · Humboldt Redwoods
It runs 31 miles through the largest contiguous old-growth redwood forest on Earth, walled in by 300-foot trees. It's ten minutes from Benbow, so we drive it the day we arrive. The road runs north to south, so late in the afternoon the sun comes across the trunks side-on. We can do a second pass on Saturday's drive south if we want one.
Dogs legal at every turnout and parking area, so stop constantly
Founders Grove & Rockefeller Loop
0.5 mi and 0.6 mi flat loops
These are two flat half-mile loops among the biggest trees on the Avenue. Founders passes the 346-ft Founders Tree and the fallen Dyerville Giant. Rockefeller is 1.5 miles west on Mattole Road. The understory there is more open and there are far fewer people, and it sits in the largest contiguous old-growth redwood forest on Earth. If we only do one, do Rockefeller.
Dogs prohibited on the loops, because it's a state park. One of us walks while the other waits, or we skip both and walk the turnouts together
Women's Federation Grove
Day-use area on the Avenue
It's a developed day-use area with a picnic spot and an easy beach on the Eel. The water is low and warm in August.
Dogs welcome, leashed. This is the dog-legal river spot on the Avenue
Smith River swimming
Gravel-bar access along South Fork Road
It's the clearest river in California, and August is the warmest it gets all year. The water is low and clear by then, which makes it easy for the dogs. Get in it with them. Kayak and raft outfitters are in Hiouchi.
Leashed · dogs welcome
Gold Bluffs Beach
10 mi of sand · Prairie Creek
It's ten miles of sand with bluffs behind it, and there are usually elk somewhere in view. Bring lunch, because there's no food out here.
Leashed · welcome (keep leashes short around elk)
Roosevelt elk at Elk Prairie
Prairie Creek · nearly guaranteed
Roosevelt elk roam Elk Prairie and Gold Bluffs Beach. They weigh 800+ lbs and react badly to dogs. Stop at Big Tree Wayside and scan the prairie on the way through.
Leashed and short. Give them 100+ feet, never move between animals
Crescent City “Dog Town”
Fully fenced · Beachfront Park, Front St
It's a fenced off-leash park across from SeaQuake Brewing, with separate areas for large and small dogs. They get ten minutes of zoomies before dinner after a whole day on leash.
Off-leash · fenced
Crescent Beach
Crescent City
It's wide and easy to walk, and it's good at sunset. We use it Thursday evening and again for the Saturday morning beach run. The other local options are South Beach (miles of sand for running), Pebble Beach (walkable from town), Point St. George (bluff trails and dunes), Tolowa Dunes State Park and Lake Earl Wildlife Area.
Leashed · in the parks
Mill Creek Day Use Area
Network of old logging roads · Easy · Del Norte Coast Redwoods SP
Dogs are welcome on the old logging roads here, which almost never happens inside a state park. It's open Saturdays and Sundays only, 9am–8pm from Memorial Day through Labor Day, so Saturday Aug 15 works on the drive south.
Leashed · Sat & Sun only, 9am–8pm
Walker Road
~3 mi round trip · Easy · Flat · Jedediah Smith Redwoods SP
It's a quiet dirt road through big trees down to the Smith River. It's the dog walk the rangers recommend in Jed Smith. Park by the pedestrian crossing sign on Hwy 199, or turn onto Walker Road where there's more parking. Several small grove trails branch off it.
Leashed · welcome
Elk River Trail · Headwaters Forest Reserve · our pick
Up to 6 mi round trip · Easy–moderate · Gentle grade · BLM land
This is old growth the dogs are actually allowed into. They're permitted on the first three miles, which follow an old road along the South Fork Elk River, and the first mile is paved and fully accessible. The trail passes the ruins of the old town of Falk, where fruit trees and bits of buildings are still standing. It's six miles southeast of Eureka.
First 3 miles · under control
Arcata Community Forest
Miles of trails · Easy–moderate · Arcata
It's California's first municipally owned forest. Stairways, footbridges and paths run through second-growth redwoods, and there's moss and fern everywhere. It's the most trail mileage the dogs would get all trip.
Leashed · welcome on ALL trails
Sequoia Park · Eureka
Short loops · Easy · Eureka
It's a century-old redwood park with developed trails, bridges and roads running through real old growth. It's an easy leg-stretch on the Thursday drive north, right by the zoo and the canopy walk. Dogs stay on the ground trails.
Leashed · welcome
Hammond Trail
5.5 mi · Easy · Paved/multi-use · McKinleyville
It's a dog-friendly stretch of the California Coastal Trail, and it runs along bluffs and the Mad River. It's out in the open and the walking is easy, so it's a good call on a foggy morning when the forest is dripping.
Leashed · welcome
Trees of Mystery
Trail loop + gondola · Easy · Klamath
It's a private attraction near Klamath, and it lets dogs on its old-growth trails and on the SkyTrail gondola through the canopy. It's fun, and it works as a rain-day backup where the dogs don't get left out.
Leashed · trails AND gondola
Off-leash beaches — Moonstone, Clam, Luffenholtz, Mad River, Samoa Dunes
Trinidad / McKinleyville / Arcata / Eureka
Moonstone Beach in Trinidad has sea stacks, a river mouth and driftwood. Clam Beach in McKinleyville is wide open. Luffenholtz Beach in Trinidad has tide pools and a small cove. Mad River Beach in Arcata has dunes and a river mouth. Samoa Dunes near Eureka is a 300-acre dune park.
Off-leash under voice control (county beaches)
Leashed park beaches — Freshwater, Hidden, Trinidad State
Orick / Klamath / Trinidad
Freshwater Beach is near Orick and Hidden Beach is in the Klamath area. Trinidad State Beach works too, but only the beach, not the trails.
Leashed · in the parks
Napa River Trail
Flat riverside walk from Oxbow
It's flat and shaded, right in downtown Napa. It's where we walk after we arrive Tuesday and again on Saturday evening. Alston Park has off-leash areas, Skyline Wilderness Park has leashed trails, and downtown is easy to walk with plenty of patios.
Leashed · welcome
Dog-friendly Napa wineries
Napa Valley · Wed morning or Sun morning
Several Napa wineries let dogs on the grounds. Wednesday morning is short enough that we could fit a tasting in before we leave. Otherwise we do it Sunday, on the way out.
Dogs welcome on the grounds at several; check each
Benbow Inn grounds, Eel River & Benbow Lake Rec Area
At the inn, Garberville
There's afternoon tea and scones, a seasonal pool and jacuzzi, bikes to borrow, a 9-hole golf course, and a swimming hole on the Eel below the lawn. Richardson Grove SP is 6 mi south, and Southern Humboldt Community Park has trails, river access and disc golf. The One Log House and the Legend of Bigfoot are roadside kitsch on the same stretch.
Leashed · lawn and river welcome
Grove of Titans
1.7 mi boardwalk · Jedediah Smith
We see the giant trees from an elevated boardwalk here. We can swap it in for Boy Scout Tree Trail if we want an easier Friday morning.
Dogs prohibited (state park trail)
Lady Bird Johnson Grove
1.4 mi loop off Bald Hills Rd
We could stop here on Thursday while we're in the Prairie Creek / Orick area.
Dogs prohibited (national/state park trail)
Newton B. Drury Parkway & Coastal Drive
10 mi scenic alternative to 101 · plus the narrow Coastal Drive
The Drury Parkway is the scenic alternative to 101 through Prairie Creek, and Big Tree Wayside and Elk Prairie are both on it. The Coastal Drive is narrow and usually foggy, and it's worth doing. Klamath River Overlook has whale watching.
In the car; leashed at pullouts and the wayside
