Pets

 

Two visitors walking their dogs at North Beach.

NPS Photo

Enjoying Point Reyes with Your Pet

Leashed pets are welcome at Point Reyes on sections of specific beaches and trails and in a few areas. Visiting a National Park with a pet poses unique challenges. Please take a moment to review these guidelines to keep your pet, visitors, and wildlife safe. Pet owners are responsible for knowing park rules and regulations. Those not adhering to the regulations will be cited.

 

Locations Where Pets are Permitted

Pets are allowed in parking lots, along public roads, and along with the trails and beaches described below. All other trails, beaches, and off-trail lands within Point Reyes National Seashore and the Northern District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area are closed to the possession of pets. Always keep your pets on a leash.

 

A man walks his dog on the Cross Marin Trail.

NPS / Anela Kopshever.

Trails

Warning: Many of these trails pass through cattle pasture.

Please Note: Sections of the trails listed below may temporarily be closed to dogs due to unexpected circumstances. Please check our Current Conditions page for information about temporary closures of the following trails.

Within Point Reyes National Seashore

Pets are permitted on:

• Kehoe Beach Trail.
• the paths and roads within the Niman Ranch/Commonweal area south of the Commonweal entrance road and west of Mesa road. This does not include RCA Beach.

All other trails within Point Reyes National Seashore are closed to pets.

Within the Northern District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area

Pets are permitted on the :

• Tomales Bay Trail*
• Bolinas Ridge Trail
• Cross Marin Trail
• Jewell Trail
• McCurdy Trail
• Randall Trail
• trails within the Giacomini Wetlands

* Please note that the Tomales Bay Trail on the east side of Tomales Bay is not the same as the Tomales Point Trail at the north end of the Point Reyes Peninsula. Pets are not permitted on the Tomales Point Trail.

Download a map showing the trails within the Northern District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area where pets are permitted. (4,592 KB PDF)

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A woman walks her dog on Kehoe Beach.

NPS / Anela Kopshever.

Beaches

Please Note: Sections of the beaches listed below may temporarily be closed to dogs due to unexpected circumstances. Please check our Current Conditions page for information about temporary closures of the following beaches.

Ocean-facing Beaches

Pets are allowed on the following ocean-facing beaches throughout the year:

• Kehoe Beach - north of the Kehoe Beach trail
• Limantour Beach - southeast of the parking lot to the beach adjacent to Coast Camp
• Point Reyes/Great Beach - from the North Beach parking lot south to the historic Navy installation/lifeboat station located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the South Beach parking lot.

Download a map showing the ocean-facing beaches within Point Reyes National Seashore where pets are permitted throughout the year. (3,197 KB PDF)

Tomales Bay Beaches

As of May 30, 2023, pets are no longer permitted on National Seashore beaches on the west side of Tomales Bay.

In addition to the National Seashore beaches on the west side of Tomales Bay, pets are not permitted on:

• Hog Island, Duck Island, or Pelican Point.,
• beaches within Tomales Bay State Park.

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Maps showing locations where pets are usually permitted year-round*:

Full park map (8,316 KB PDF)
Beaches map (3,197 KB PDF)
Bolinas Ridge map (4,592 KB PDF)

* Notice: Sections of the beaches or trails highlighted in the above maps may temporarily be closed to dogs due to unexpected circumstances. Please check our Current Conditions page for information about temporary closures of the highlighted beaches and trails.

Adobe® Acrobat Reader® may be needed to view the maps.

 

Become a Point Reyes BARK Ranger

 

B = Bag Your Poop

Collect and dispose of all animal waste in a proper waste receptacles. Pet waste can pass diseases to park wildlife. Water sources may be impacted by pet feces.

A = Always Wear a Leash

Pets must be on a leash no longer than 6 feet (1.8 meters) at all times. Leashes protect your pets and wildlife. Wildlife can harm your pets, and off-leash dogs have injured and killed wildlife.

R =Respect Wildlife

Pets can chase and threaten wildlife, scaring birds and other animals away from their nesting, feeding, and resting sites. Please keep your distance from any birds roosting on beaches.

K = Know Where to Go

Listed above are the beaches and trails where pets are welcome.

Never leave a pet unattended in the car.

 

Additional Information

 

Service Animals

Working service dogs may accompany their owners to all park locations and programs. If you have a service dog, please inquire at a park visitor center for information before setting out.

Please note: Only dogs are classified as service animals, and they must perform a specific task that assists a person with a disability. Emotional support or comfort animals are not service animals.

Regulations

If you bring a dog, or any other pet, to the park, please observe the following regulations:

• Pets must be on a leash at all times; the leash must be no longer than 6 feet.
• All trails, beaches, and off-trail lands within Point Reyes National Seashore and the Northern District of Golden Gate National Recreation Area are closed to the possession of pets, except as described above.
• Pets are not permitted in public buildings, on public transportation vehicles, or in locations designated as a swimming beach, or within any structure or area closed to the possession of pets by the superintendent. This prohibition does not apply to working service dogs, which are allowed on trails and in public buildings.
• Leaving a pet unattended and tied to an object is prohibited.
• All backcountry campgrounds within the park are closed to pets.
• During the nesting season of the threatened western snowy plover (March 1 through September 30), pets are not allowed on the beach south of the trail at Kehoe Beach or on the beach to the north of the North Beach parking lot. Temporary closures of other beaches may be in effect during the nesting season.
• During the northern elephant seal pupping and mating season (January through March), pets and humans are not allowed on the beach south of the historic Navy installation/lifeboat station located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) south of the South Beach parking lot.
• Pet owners not adhering to regulations will be cited.

Code of Federal Regulations Title 36 Chapter 1 Section 2.15 provides more details concerning pets within National Park Service sites.)

Issues with Pets at National Parks

Dogs and other pets are wonderful animals that give comfort and companionship. However, a national park is not the best place for them.

• Dogs can scare, chase, harass, and/or kill wild animals, such as nesting shorebirds, deer, rabbits, and marine mammals. As an example, in 2019 here at Point Reyes, a dog which was illegally off-leash attacked and killed a rare Guadalupe fur seal.
• Dogs leave behind a territorial "predator" scent typical of all wild canines, like wolves and coyotes. This scent can linger in the area for long periods of time and can disrupt or alter the behavior of the native animals this park has been set aside to protect.
• Pets can transmit diseases to wild animals—such as coyotes, badgers, and marine mammals—or contract diseases from wild animals. Some diseases transmitted by ticks and fleas, such as Lyme disease and bubonic plague, could then be transmitted to humans.
• Native predators, such as mountain lions and coyotes, may see pets as prey, placing both pet and owner in danger.
• Pets can damage the ground, sensitive archaeological sites, and plants by digging or rolling.
• Even normally well-behaved pets can become stressed by unfamiliar surroundings, threatening visitors and wildlife in close situations, such as on park trails or along the narrow paths to the lighthouse.
• Pets can intimidate, disturb, and/or annoy other visitors by making noise or by scaring wildlife away.

Cattle

Bolinas Ridge Trail, Jewell Trail, McCurdy Trail, and Randall Trail within Golden Gate National Recreation Area and the trails and roads within the Niman Ranch/Commonweal area pass through cattle pasture. Cattle can feel threatened by dogs, which they may perceive to be a predator. Mother cows may become aggressive when trying to protect their young. Please read Understanding Working Rangelands: Sharing Open Space: What to Expect from Grazing Livestock (1,314 KB PDF) to better understand basic cattle behavior and to give yourself a better chance to predict how cattle are likely to react to your dog's presence. This will help make your hike along these trails safer and more enjoyable.

 

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