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Travel Matters | by Stephen & Andie
  • Our L.A.

Dog-Friendly Things To Do In And Around Los Angeles

February 3, 2021 2
a small white dog sits on a surf board on the beach in California. dog beaches are just one of the many dog-friendly things to do in Los Angeles .

If there’s anything Southern Californians love as much as being outdoors and enjoying the famously near-perfect weather, it’s doing it all with their dogs! There are so many dog-friendly things to do in and around Los Angeles, and we’d like to share some that we’ve enjoyed ourselves.

Los Angeles – and Southern California in general – is known for its casual and laid back vibe, so it makes sense that it’s one of the most dog-friendly areas as well. Be it city streets, hills or beaches, you’ll be hard-pressed to not see a pup with their human just about anywhere you look. But you already know this, because you’re here searching for places to tag along with your own pup, right? Cool, then let’s jump right into it!

Dog Beaches In And Around Los Angeles

Huntington Dog Beach

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A post shared by Huntington Dog Beach (@huntingtondogbeach)

A little over 30 miles south of Los Angeles, along the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), is probably the most well-known dog beach in SoCal. Huntington Dog Beach lies between Seapoint Ave. and 21st Street, and is an ample, off-leash stretch of sand where you and your furry friend can run, get wet, and go crazy like no one’s watching. Or, if you’re the more laid back type, you can also just grab a spot to kick back, catch the sea breeze, and pupple-watch. That’s cool, too. 

Hot Tip: A day at the beach usually results in a hefty appetite, and we’d like to recommend this perfect SoCal spot that we usually hit after the beach – Sancho’s Tacos It’s just a couple of miles south on PCH from the dog beach. Just across the street from the ocean, you can enjoy the view and their freakin’ awesome food while kicking back on their pet-friendly patio. 

Hot Tip #2: If you’re looking to stay the night out in “Surf City USA,” here’s a great resource for pet-friendly hotels with oceanfront views.

Rosie’s Dog Beach

Long Beach is a beautiful city within Los Angeles County and has plenty of its own mojo to offer. One of its hidden gems is Rosie’s Dog Beach. Located on Ocean Blvd. between Granada and Roycroft Avenues, there is free street parking or a metered lot. The dog beach is 4 acres worth of sand for you and your pup to rage freely.

Dog-Friendly Hiking In Los Angeles

L.A. has no shortage of hiking trails within its many hills. Most are pet-friendly and have just a few basic restrictions, such as leash laws. We recommend researching the specific area or trails you might plan to visit to be sure you’re in compliance, but here are a few of our favorites.

Hiking Runyon Canyon

Runyon Canyon is one of the city’s most popular hikes. Greater Runyon Canyon Park is 160 miles of meandering trails in total, but the common Runyon hike is only between 1 and 4 miles. The entrance to Runyon Canyon Dog Park is at the top of N. Fuller Ave. in Hollywood, north of Franklin Ave. Be sure to observe signs when you enter the foot of the trail here, as there are both on and off-leash areas throughout. Parking is very difficult in this neighborhood, but you can start your hike instead from the opposite side of the hill, at the entrance off of Mulholland Drive. There is a small parking lot here, but bring your patience and be sure to read any posted signs. Whichever end you start at, you’ll see spectacular views, and even a few horses and goats if you pass a certain house along the trail.

Hiking To The Hollywood Sign With Your Dog

The Hollywood Sign is about as iconic as it gets in this town. If you and your pup are ambitious and physically able, the payoff will be unforgettable. This is a long hike, at around 6 miles total, but the views from both in front of, and especially behind the Hollywood Sign, are literally what postcards are made of. Bring plenty of water and dress comfortably, as you’ll be getting a workout. Check out our post for The Best Way To Get The Best View Of The Hollywood Sign here, and watch our 40 Questions Challenge vlog where we take you on our hike to the sign and show you the spectacular views!

a woman walks a small brown dog up to the Hollywood sign, on of the many dog-friendly things to do in Los Angeles.

Photo by Roberto Nickson on Unsplash

Hiking Mount Hollywood Trail

Alternatively, the Mount Hollywood Trail is much less impactful and only 3 miles total, but also with some of the best views of the city as well as a great view of the Hollywood sign. You’ll find vistas from San Gabriel to the sea, and come out of it with a little more energy to spare. 

Laurel Canyon Off-Leash Dog Park

Laurel Canyon Dog Park is the first officially established dog park in the city of Los Angeles. Located at 8260 Mulholland Drive in Studio City, it boats three acres of off-leash heaven for your pupper to party it up. There’s a separate area for small and timid dogs, and the park also has a shaded structure, portable restrooms, tables, benches, and an enclosed, animal-free, children’s play area adjacent to the small/timid dogs area. 

Escondido Falls

You don’t hear much talk about waterfalls in L.A., which probably why this next suggestion flys under the radar. Escondido Falls is a hidden gem in Malibu that will make you forget you’re anywhere near a city. When flowing strong (most likely early in the year) it’s one of SoCal’s finest waterfalls. It’s got a lower tier that’s easier to get to at around 50 feet, and the upper tier is around 150 feet tall and absolutely STUNNING! The hike through Escondido Canyon Park is just under 4 miles round trip (from PCH) and worth every step. It’s a bit steep, so make sure your pup can handle it. And who knows, maybe he/she will get a little doggie bath up there!

Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park

The trails of Westridge-Canyonback Wilderness Park don’t just offer you and your pup incredible views of downtown L.A. and the ocean, but the park sometimes also provides mutt mitts along some of the trails for paw-protection! The park can be accessed either from the West L.A. side, at the end of Westridge Road, or from the San Fernando Valley side in Encino, at San Vicente Mountain Park.

All this wilderness-y stuff is making us and our two mutts pretty thirsty. Let’s check out some city stuff…

Dog-Friendly Things To Do In Los Angeles – The City

The Grove L.A. And Farmers Market

If city activities are more your vibe, there’s plenty to do and see right inside The Grove, in the heart of L.A. You’ll find plenty of reasonably priced parking in the structure along with hours of strolling, window shopping, and people watching. As for food and drink, you and pup have loads of options. Restaurant patios are dog-friendly, and The Farmers Market provides loads more options in a more casual walkup setting. Our favorite spot is the Dog Bakery! This super fun shop is full of fresh-baked, healthy, and cute doggie treats. From cookies to buns to whatever else they might concoct, your pup won’t know what to sniff first!

nine dogs sit in front of the famous pink wall outside of the Paul Smith store on Melrose in Los Angeles

Photo by Hannah Lim on Unsplash

The Morrison

The Morrison was voted “Top Pet-Friendly Restaurant In L.A.” by the L.A. Times. With  locations in Atwater Village and Burbank (plus an O.C. location in Huntington Beach),  it’s known for its signature crafted burgers and cocktails, large beer and whiskey selection, and their patio dining offers a dog menu! “Where’s the Beef,” “Cock-a-Doodle-Do,” and the “Frankenweinie” are all served in cute doggie dishes with paw & bone designs. And if you’re like us and don’t feed your pups human food, no worries! You can still enjoy food, drinks, and the patio atmosphere with your pup by your side.

Abbot Kinney Blvd. In Venice

Abbot Kinney in Venice is mega dog-friendly! This boho chic-vibed, mile-long road near Venice Beach is lined with boutiques, restaurants, and galleries. They feature one-of-a-kind local goods as well as internationally recognized brands. Just about every establishment more than welcomes dogs, and your pup won’t have to walk more than a few feet for their next drink of water.  There is tons of cute stuff (and dogs) to check out, while you enjoy the sea breeze, sun, and whatever else you might decide to pick up along the way.

Beverly Gardens Park In Beverly Hills

Beverly Gardens Park is one of the most photographed spots in the city. It’s an approximately two-mile linear park featuring the world famous, forty-foot long Beverly Hills sign. The sign is illuminated and has a water feature along with a variety of flora that sets off the surrounding garden area. The park has a fountain on either end – the Wilshire Electric and the Doheny – and also features a cactus garden, a rose garden, arbors, and a decomposed granite jogging and walking path. 

Muddy Paw Coffee

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A post shared by Muddy Paw Coffee LA (@muddypawla)

We saved this one for last because it combines 3 of our favorite things; coffee, dogs, and a good cause. Muddy Paw Coffee supports local animal shelters and their slogan is “have a cup, save a pup!” Both of our pups are rescue dogs, so we’re all about this. They’ve got 2 locations; Silver Lake and Eagle Rock. Both have private patios, and the Eagle Rock spot has a dog park, too! You can also buy some coffee, tea, or other cool stuff from their online store to help support the local, independent charities they contribute to nationwide. 


We hope we’ve given you some cool and fun ideas here to have a great hang with your best friend. If you’ve got some dog-friendly things to do in Los Angeles that we haven’t included, please let us know in the comments. We’re always looking for new ideas ourselves!

More Los Angeles

Looking for more hikes, things to do, and places to stay with your dog in Los Angeles? We got you:

  • How To Get To Murphy Ranch: An Abandoned WWII-era Compound In Los Angeles
  • 10 Dog-Friendly Hotels In And Around Los Angeles
  • Our Los Angeles: Your Guide To Los Angeles From A Local Perspective
  • 48 Hours In L.A.: The Perfect Los Angeles Itinerary

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Tags:beachesCaliforniacitieshikesLos AngelesmountainsNorth Americatravel with dogsUnited States
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Today we explore the Amazon jungle by night. Our flashlights reveal plenty of creepy crawlies, including unusual insects, cute frogs, a variety of spiders – including a bizarre one that looked like a robot, and Andie got her wish when we saw not one, but two tarantulas! Stephen was relieved to not run into any snakes, but later that night he was jolted awake by an an uninvited “guest” in our bed!

Only 2% of the #Amazon Jungle is in Ecuador, and part of that is in the #Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, which is where we visited during our Ecuador trip. It was our first visit to the world's largest rainforest, and we already can't wait to go back and see more!

This is the sixth video in our first-ever international series! Quito, Ecuador was the first international trip we took together back in 2011. Eleven years later, it’s where we filmed our first international series and first drone footage for our channel! 

We spent two weeks in Ecuador this time, including Quito, day-trips to Mindo and Cotopaxi National Park, the Amazon, and one of our top-3 bucket list destinations: the Galápagos Islands! 

If you’ve missed our previous Ecuador videos, you can catch up on the series here:
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📍LOCATION: Cuyabeno Wildlife Reserve, Ecuador, South America

✦ PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG: 

Cuyabeno Dolphin Lodge
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CHAPTERS:
00:00 Intro
00:28 Lagoon Swimming
01:00 Caiman Search
01:38 Baby Snake
02:30 Claustrophobia
02:43 Night 2
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04:18 Nightwalk in the Jungle
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THE JUNGLE at NIGHT | Ecuador Travel Vlog | Ecuador Series, ep. 6
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Follow Our Mission to See ALL 50 STATES! 🇺🇸 🚐

Stephen & Andie | Travel Stuff
Oregon’s got #mood for days! Oregon is state no Oregon’s got #mood for days!

Oregon is state no. 22 in our mission to see ALL 50 STATES (plus DC & Puerto Rico)! Our first sleep and first morning of #vanlife was in Astoria, then we headed to Cannon Beach and were bowled over by the foggy views of majestic Haystack Rock. 

👉 LINK IN BIO 👈 to see more of the beautiful Oregon coast in our latest vlog, “First Night In Our Van!”

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#traveloregon #cannonbeach #oregoncoast #cannonbeachoregon #oregon #haystackrock #travelmatters #all50states #vanlife
We fell in love with Oregon! Swipe 👉 to see why We fell in love with Oregon! Swipe 👉 to see why!

After buying our Sprinter in Portland we headed for the Oregon coast to spend our first night in her in Astoria. The next day we explored town and also made our way to Cannon Beach. Both were nothing short of stunning! Our drives through the state just got more and more beautiful and we couldn’t stop thinking how grateful and excited we are to be new #vanlifers. 

This is going to be an amazing year!

📷 Our first coffee on our first morning after our first night sleeping in our campervan. 📍Astoria.

📷 Isn’t she lovely? 😍 That’s Haystack Rock behind Andie. You might recognize it from movies like Point Break and GOONIES! 📍Cannon Beach.

📷 Having too much fun watching a pile of giant sea lions sleeping peacefully. 📍Astoria

📷 Loving our lives! 📍 Cannon Beach

👉 Link in bio 👈 to see all of this and more in our latest vlog “First Night In Our Van!”

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#oregon #oregoncoast #astoria #cannonbeach #haystackrock #lewisandclarkrvpark #vanlife #sprintervan #sprintervanlife #all50states
Hello #vanlife! 🚐 We’re so excited to finally Hello #vanlife! 🚐 We’re so excited to finally share this news with you – we bought a camper van! *Join us at 12:15pm EST today (Monday)* for a live chat during the Premiere of our new vlog, where we spill the tea.

After months of behind the scenes planning and hunting, we settled on this beauty at the end of October: a 170” wheelbase, high top Sprinter, located in Portland, OR. In this video we fly to the Pacific Northwest to make the purchase and begin our two and a half week, cross-country journey from Portland back to North Carolina. But not before grabbing a rainy day lunch at one of Portland’s food cart havens – Cartlandia. Some hot grits from Grits Gone Wild warm us up to send us on our first outing in our new home on wheels.

We couldn’t be more excited, and this trip already kicks off our mission to see all 50 states (plus DC and Puerto Rico!). You’ll be seeing this cross-country trip, plus another month-long run in her over the holidays –  all in our upcoming vlogs!

Now — any guesses what we named her? 
Hint: any fans of the movie Role Models? 😜

PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG:

@gritsgonewildpnw 

#cartlandia

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#sprinter #sprintervan #sprinter2500 #campervan #vantravel  #vanlifers #roadtrip #roadtrippers #travelmatters #travelvloggers #UStravel #USAtravel #youtubers #DIY #Ace #kissmyvanthia #vanlifeusa
$150 train ticket from New York to… New York? $150 train ticket from New York to… New York? 

We REALLY loved our first time doing some train travel in the U.S. together! We rode the Hudson River Rail aboard the 20th Century Limited – the last two remaining, fully restored, 1940s train cars from what was “The Most Famous Train In the World” in its day. 

Our journey took us from Penn Station in Manhattan up to Albany and back. 

Sit back and enjoy the views! 👉 Link in bio 👈 to see the vlog!

📷 1: on the platform in Albany

📷 2: Penn Station, NYC

🎥 3: enjoying the VIP lounge at Penn Station pre-boarding

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#newyork #traintravel #hudsonriverrail #20thcenturylimited #1940s #vintagetrain #hudsonriver #travelmatters #travelvloggers #youtubers
California sunsets just hit different. 🌅 We we California sunsets just hit different. 🌅

We were Angelenos for literal decades and we still can’t believe how many iconic places in California we took for granted and never visited! Morro Bay is just one of them, and we’re SO STOKED that a recent cross-country road trip (big announcement on that front soon!) took us right past the area. Naturally, we looked at each other, said “Morro Bay?,” and turned the 🚐 around to head back just in time for a gorgeous sunset. 

Now we’re even more determined to hit all the spots that we took for granted and we’ll always find excuses to make our way back through Cali! Yosemite, Redwoods, Death Valley – we’re talking to you! 

What other spots do we need to hit? Shout ‘em out in the comments!

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#morrobay #sunset #centralcoast #SLO  #SanLuisObispo #california #southerncalifornia #daytrip #roadtrip #californialandmarks
We saw ALL THE MANATEES today! This was our second We saw ALL THE MANATEES today!
This was our second attempt at @bluespringstatepark within a couple weeks. We saw zero manatees the first time, and committed to returning after spending some time in Southern Florida. Turns out, we happened upon some manatees in the marina @evergladesnps, but the water was so murky we could only see parts of them… if they surfaced. 

Today was the day we got to return to Blue Spring. The weather was much cooler this time (great conditions for spotting manatees in the springs), and when we pulled up to the entrance, the sign read “MANATEE COUNT *288*” For context, there was no count on the sign for our previous visit, so… YAY! 

Can’t say exactly what OUR manatee count was, but we easily saw dozens in a short amount of time – from adorable little babies to giants! The water was crystal clear. It was so serene – watching them graciously glide through, only occasionally making a splash. Hearing that beautiful sound when they surfaced for air. Today was an AWESOME day, and we’re so thankful that we had the flexibility to come back and spend some quality time with these beautiful, unique creatures. 🥰

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#manatees #bluespringstatepark #centralflorida #orlando #florida #therealflorida #wildlife #statepark #bluespring #bluesprings #manateestatepark #bluespringmanatees #travelmatters #travelvloggers
Is this seat taken? Nothing says “classic New J Is this seat taken? 
Nothing says “classic New Jersey” like Asbury Park! We visited the boardwalk for the first time this summer as part of our DIY food tour of New Jersey. 

A killer coffee roastery? ✅
Cereal pancakes? ✅
Disco fries? ✅
$27 milkshake??? ✅

LINK IN BIO to see all that, plus a unique Jersey twist on “the slushee” in our latest vlog, now live on YouTube! 

This is state #20 in our mission to visit all 50 states (plus DC & Puerto Rico) - join our adventures! 

PLACES VISITED IN THIS VLOG:
@buddysjc
@roastd.coffee
@thetopsdiner
@coneywaffleasburypark

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#newjersey #asburypark #newjerseyfood #foodtour #jerseycity #fortlee #jerseyshore #travelvlog #travelmatters
As you set your goals for 2023, don’t be afraid As you set your goals for 2023, don’t be afraid to be the orange fish. If an idea or dream scares you or feels too different, it’s probably the one you should go for!

We spotted these guys while snorkeling in the Galápagos Islands. See the full vlogs on our YouTube channel. LINK IN BIO!

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#fish #schooloffish #galapagos #galapagosislands #ecuador #travelmatters #travelvloggers #wildlife #conservation #underwatervideo #snorkeling🐠 
#newyeargoals #lifegoals
We saw so much cool wildlife in the Galapagos! See We saw so much cool wildlife in the Galapagos! See the full vlogs on our YouTube channel. LINK IN BIO!

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#galapagos #galapagosislands #ecuador #travelmatters #travelvloggers #wildlife #conservation #sealion #bluefootedbooby #tortoise #frigate #iguana #crab #fish
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