Best Hikes With Dogs: Southern
California by Allen Riedel
A Good Book (That Shouldn't Have To Be Written)
Southern California hikes selected to delight your dog (and you)—many
accessible from urban areas · More than 60 dog-suitable trails,
accessible from metro areas including Los Angeles, Palm Springs, San
Diego, and Santa Barbara
· Most trails are lightly traveled; off-leash permitted on nearly half
· What to pack for your pooch on the trail Allen Riedel and his canine
trail companions, Chewbacca and Socrates, have hiked thousands of
miles together in southern California to select the best dog-friendly, dog-
fun, and dog-safe hikes in the region. More than two-thirds of the hikes
are on lesser-known trails where travel is light and where you’re unlikely to
meet horses, bicycles, or motorized vehicles. On nearly half of the trails,
off-leash hiking is permitted. The hikes avoid steep, rocky terrain and many
offer lakes or streams as a reward. Paw comfort rating (whether you’ll be
walking on sand, dirt, or pavement) is clearly noted in the information block
at the beginning of each hike description; potential dog hazards such as
ticks or poison oak are described in the text. A Trail Finder chart in the
front of the book indicates trail length, which hikes include water,
swimming, or shade, which are good for senior dogs or best for fit dogs.
Personal Review: Best Hikes With Dogs: Southern California by
Allen Riedel
So you live in Southern California and want to take your dog for a good
walk in the out of doors. Where do you go? This is a problem that came
up for me when my relatives from out of state visited and naively assumed
they could take a dog pretty much anywhere. There are so many
restrictions on dogs in this state that it can be downright daunting to take
your four legged friend on vacation with you. Happily, you can find dozens

of wonderful hikes in Allen Reidel's new book. You and your pooch are
more than welcome on all of them.
Not surprisingly, this book does list some of the "dog beaches" where you
can actually walk with your pet (unlike the remaining 99% of the coast), but
the thrust of this book describes the many wonderful hikes open to your
dog in the Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernardino and Cleveland National
Forests. The multiple use policy of the forest service is much more open
to pets than the other major state and national land agencies. And in
Southern California, national forests offer some of the premier outdoor
recreation in the state. Reidel includes some classic hikes in these areas:
Knapp's Cabin, Mt. Baden Powell, and the Laguna Mountain Recreation
Area are just some of the popular trailheads he describes. However,
hikers will also find some remote and spectacular hikes to share with their
dogs that are rarely mentioned in other guidebooks. Black Mountain,
Cleghorn Mountain, and Kitchen Peak are some of my favorite trails. You
can easily find yourself enjoying solitude on these trails even on
weekends.
In all, this is an excellent book. I do have a few concerns however. In a
few cases, I think mileages are too short. Also, Reidel suggests you
should not walk your dog in areas with bighorn sheep. He then lists two
trails (Baden-Powell and Toro Peak) where bighorn frequent. I'm not sure I
understand that. But what I really don't understand are the policies that
make a book like this necessary at all. Unfortunately, national parks and
California State Parks have adopted an anti-dog (really anti-people)
attitude about recreation. Their rationale is that dogs disrupt the "natural"
wildlife in an area. And this is simply untrue. Dogs (wild and
domesticated) have been around for thousands of years and they are a
part of the environment. If anything, it is "unnatural" for dogs not to be in
the wild. So, as you use this book to find wonderful adventures for you
and your pet, consider a little political activism on behalf of "man's (and
woman's) best friend." Maybe this state will eventually adopt a more
enlightened policy and future editions of this book could simply be titled
"Best Hikes in Southern California."
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