Sonoma County Parks to Walk Your Dog

Like many dog lovers, you probably love to travel with your dog. If you find yourself in Sonoma County for the day or a long vacation, here are four dog parks and half a dozen parks with beaches where Fido can romp and have a ball (or at least chase one).

Your pet can be off-leash in the dog parks, but leashes are usually required elsewhere. Entrance to all parks listed here is free, but some require a parking fee.

A smiling dog sits next to many tennis balls in a dog park

Rincon Valley Community Dog Park

Founded in 1992, Rincon is a fenced-in, three-quarter-acre doggie paradise within 18.7-acre Rincon Valley Community Park. Dogs can run about unleashed in the fenced lawn and wood chip areas, and also enjoy a small swimming pond. There's also a doggie drinking fountain and separate areas for large and small dogs.

Ragle Ranch Dog Park

Nestled within 157-acre Ragle Ranch Regional Park, this half-acre pup retreat offers a redwood-chip surface for cavorting dogs, as well as benches, shade trees, and water. Beyond the fenced-in dog park, Ragle contains 3.56 miles of mostly woodland trails with good opportunities for wildlife viewing.

Ernie Smith Dog Park

Located within Ernie Smith Regional Park in Sonoma Valley's El Verano, Ernie Smith Dog Park provides a pet drinking fountain and picnic tables. Beyond the fenced dog park you'll find a children's play area, a softball field and a one-half mile paved walking path with a wildlife viewing platform along the route.

Elizabeth Anne Perrone Dog Park

Located within the 162-acre Sonoma Valley Regional Park in Glen Ellen, this dog park includes a fenced, one-acre, off-leash play area with a double-gated entry, dog drinking fountain, and a shade gazebo. The park also offers paved and dirt trails; outside the play area, dogs must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet.

Two people sit in chairs onthe beach looking at the ocean with their dog in between them — Doran Regional Park

Dog-Friendly Beaches

Sonoma County's Regional Park System operates 50 recreational sites, and almost all of them welcome dogs on leashes that are no more than six feet long. For a great day at the beach with your dog, head to one of these regional parks:

Doran Regional Park (Bodega Bay) has a two-mile stretch of sandy beach.
Forestville River Access (Forestville) offers a wide, sandy beach on the Russian River.
Gualala Point Regional Park (Sea Ranch), has 195 acres that feature featuring open meadows mixed with coastal forests.
Riverfront Regional Park (Healdsburg) has trails extending along the Russian River.
Steelhead Beach (Forestville) contains a small launch and picnic area.
Sunset Beach River Park (Forestville) has a beach and picnic area.

To learn about hiking in other regional parks, read our Guide to the Sonoma County Regional Park System.

A dog shakes its head and splashes in the water

And if your dog loves swimming even more than walking, each September the swimming lagoon at Spring Lake Regional Park hosts several weekends of Water Bark. With a temporary fence keeping dogs close at hand, dogs are free to swim and play off-leash. (During Water Bark, swimming in the lagoon is for canines only.)

For more ideas, read Pet-Friendly: Where to Go with Your Pet in Sonoma County and Pet-Friendly Restaurants with Treats for Your Dog.

See Sonoma County's safety tips for water activities.

Written by Sonoma Insider Suzie Rodriguez.