I didn't hike with my dog this weekend. This weekend was devoted entirely to socializing Jake to water. On Saturday, I made plans with a couple friends and Jake and I packed the car and went to the beach. In Huntington Beach, there is a stretch of beach called Dog Beach.
I would say that it is at least a mile long. Jake and I arrived before our friends did, so we got to walk up and down the beach. This was his first visit anywhere near water and to walk on sand. He LOVED it! What's great about Huntington's Dog Beach is that there are dogs everywhere! Now, these dogs are all off leash, and for the most part, very well socialized. Their owners know how to keep one eye on their dog and keep them engaged - they have to, because there is no fencing at this beach and Pacific Coast Highway is just a beat away.
Jake (in the middle) with his friends Obie and Farrah |
If you go, please make sure that your dog is well socialized. I have a friend who doesn't take her dog because she knows that other dogs raises her dog's stress levels. Also, make sure that your dog's recall is at least 90%. This is important. At some point, when your dog is off leash, he will be running around, engaged with other dogs, and you will want to keep walking down the beach. I'm sure you will want to take him with you.
To get to Dog Beach, from the 22 or 405, take the Bolsa Chica exit. You can take Beach Blvd. and go all the way to the beach, but you will have to make a left or u-turn to get to the parking, which is a pain on PCH.
- I take Bolsa Chica to Warner, Turn left.
- Turn right at Edwards
- Turn Right at Garfield
- Turn left at Seapoint - this will take you to PCH with the least amount of traffic.
- Turn left on PCH and check out the first 2 parking lots. If there is not parking, keep going towards downtown Huntington Beach.
Parking is $1.50/hour. There are always people coming and going, so just be patient. Obviously the earlier you get there, the more choices you will have for parking.
Afterwards, go for a walk (on leash) through downtown Huntington Beach. There are some places with outdoor patios that allow dogs. We wound up at the Starbucks at Yorktown and Golden West - because we wanted to use the wifi!
Happy Trails!!