Dog Friendly Palo Alto

Palo Alto sits between San Francisco Bay and the foothills, and both give a dog room to roam, from marsh boardwalks to grassland preserves. It is walkable, green and relaxed about dogs on its downtown patios. The limits are the usual California ones, no dogs in indoor dining, plus a couple of local quirks worth knowing, like a foothill preserve that only allows dogs on weekdays.

It is mixed. Caltrain, the main rail line through Palo Alto, allows only service animals, not pets. VTA buses and light rail do take small dogs, but only in a fully enclosed carrier small enough to sit on your lap. So a larger dog means walking, driving or a pet friendly rideshare. The downtown and California Avenue districts are compact and easy on foot.

In the fenced dog parks and a couple of marked areas. Peers Park in the north of the city has a fenced off-leash park with separate large and small sections, and Mitchell Park in Midtown has a fenced dog run. Everywhere else dogs must be leashed, including the Baylands trails. One local rule to remember: the Foothills Nature Preserve allows leashed dogs on weekdays only, never at weekends or on city holidays.

Peers Park is the pick for off-leash play, fenced and double-gated with split areas for large and small dogs. Mitchell Park adds a fenced dog run in Midtown. For leashed walking with scenery, the Baylands Nature Preserve gives bayfront marsh boardwalks, and Pearson-Arastradero and Bol Park offer foothill grassland and a creekside meadow with the famous Barron Park donkeys. All are free.

Indoors, no, under California health rules, but California lets restaurants welcome dogs on outdoor patios at the owner's discretion, and Palo Alto has plenty. St. Michael's Alley keeps a heated dog friendly patio, and spots along University and California Avenue seat dogs outside with a water bowl. Ask as you arrive and keep your dog leashed at the table. The patios are the way to dine out with a dog here.

Walk the Baylands marsh boardwalks at dawn for the birdlife, hike the grassland trails of Pearson-Arastradero, and let your dog run at Peers Park. Bol Park is a gentle favourite for its creekside path and resident donkeys. Round it off on a downtown or California Avenue patio. Keep dogs leashed outside the off-leash areas, remember the Foothills weekday-only rule, and the Stanford campus museums are service-dog only.

Yes, the coast is close. Over the hill at Half Moon Bay, about 40 minutes west, Poplar Beach and Montara State Beach welcome dogs on a leash of six feet or less with cleanup expected. Inland, the open space preserves of the Santa Cruz Mountains give leashed hiking, and the redwoods are within easy reach. Check each preserve's dog policy before you go, as some Midpeninsula preserves restrict dogs to certain trails.

Dogs must be leashed in public on a lead of six feet or less except in the designated off-leash areas, and you must clean up after your dog. Dogs four months and older need a current rabies vaccination, and city licensing applies to residents. The one that catches visitors out is the Foothills Nature Preserve weekday-only dog rule, so keep that for a Monday-to-Friday walk.