Last Updated on January 3, 2021 by Paroma
San Francisco Bay Area is that perfect place to explore with a dog, thanks to the many dog friendly hiking trails that exist here. Of all the dog friendly hiking trails in the bay Area, the ones that deserve special mention are dog friendly hikes in Marin county, an excellent winter destination in California. This part of SF Bay Area is north of Golden Gate bridge and encompasses cities such as Sausalito and Tiburon, which are not only very picturesque but have dog friendly hiking trails with gorgeous views.
One such hike with spectacular views of the Golden Gate bridge and the bay is a dog friendly hiking trail in Tiburon, i.e. the Tiburon ridge trail at the old St. Hilary’s open space preserve (in Tiburon) and is easily one of the best dog friendly hiking trails in Marin. This is an easy short 1.1 mile hike and the preserve be accessed from several points as I will mention below. Do scroll down to read more about this dog friendly hiking trail!
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Dog friendly hikes in Marin County: Tiburon ridge trail
Old St. Hilary’s open space preserve is part of Marin county parks system and is home to the super rare Tiburon jewelflower. This land became accessible to the public in the 1990s and has trails leading to the top of the hill from where you can get majestic views of our famous Golden Gate bridge, Angel island (Angel island is not dog friendly) on one side and the city of San Francisco far away.
Trail length
The entire Tiburon Ridge trail is a whopping 7.4 miles, with a mile or so passing through Old St. Hilary’s open space.
Ease of Hiking
I’d grade it as moderate since there is an elevation gain of 400+ ft at Old St. Hilary. Please wear sturdy shoes for the hike and be well protected from the sun since this is an open trail.
How to get there
Tiburon is easily accessible from San Francisco via short 25-30 minute drive and the open space reserve itself can be accessed from several points, one of which has a beautiful wooden chapel at its entrance. More on that below.
Dog Friendly hiking trails in Marin: Old St. Hilary’s open space reserve
It is a good idea to carbo load before you hike since you have to do quite a bit of steep uphill climbing to be rewarded with sweeping views. I recommend stopping by for breakfast at New Morning Cafe on Tiburon Boulevard before you start your dog friendly hike in Marin.
As I mentioned before, there are several trailheads at Old St. Hilary’s and the first time we went hiking, we headed on Lyford drive and stopped at Heathcliff drive to take in the sweeping views that the main trail head had to offer. We started hiking down from there, stopping often to savor in the beautiful scenery. It was a pretty windy day so despite all that huffing and puffing, we did not feel too hot.
This is a completely open dog friendly hiking trail in Marin, as in there is no shade, and so you are best advised to come in early since it can get pretty hot in the afternoon. A hat and sunscreen are good to have for this hike since there is canopy of trees to provide shade.
Dog friendly trails in Tiburon: trailhead from Old St. Hilary’s Chapel
As I mentioned before, one of the entrances to the reserve has the Old St. Hilary’s Chapel looking down from a hill, on 201 Esperanza St. There is a trail from here that meets the Fishbits’ trail trailhead. You can either go on that trail or simply hike around the chapel for a good 30-40 minutes, like we did our second time around. The wooden chapel itself is a work of beauty and makes an excellent backdrop as you are hiking up.
Hiking with dogs in Tiburon: Know before you go
Although old St. Hilary’s open space reserve offers one of the dog friendly hikes in Marin, there are a few things that you need to remember as you prepare to hike.
First, stay on the trail at all times and do not pick any wildflowers. Second, come equipped with water and protection from the sun (hat/sunscreen/sunnies) since this is an open trail. Finally, please pick up after your dog as a responsible pet parent. The trail is steep and narrow in many parts and although we did not see that dogs have to be on leash, you need to carry a retractable six foot leash with you at all times.
I hope you enjoyed reading this short post on one of the most scenic dog friendly hikes in Marin county. This dog friendly hiking trail in Marin county is gorgeous and a must visit for hike lovers, with or without dogs! You can follow all our dog friendly hiking adventures right here!
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It looks beautiful there! The views are stunning. I love hiking with my dogs but haven’t been doing it as often as I’d like this summer. I’m hoping soon the weather will cool down a bit and we’ll get out more.
These photos are just spectacular! You’re so lucky to be living in a bit city that has so much open area and so many places to explore nature, not every city has that. I’m amazed that the Bay area has kept the city limits from sprawling out and taking over those beautiful areas. Good for them – and for you! I pinned this to my Pet Travel board! Thanks for sharing.
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
What a stunning view of the cityscape! Definitely putting that on my list of hikes to try. Are dogs allowed off-leash there?
Those views of the city and the bridge! Ahhh.. Looks like another awesome hike. And also, I now want your breakfast.. lol. Thanks for sharing, so cool!
Great pictures!! I think I have being there two years ago, it’s a very pretty hiking place..congrats for the healthy lifestyle!
Those are some beautiful pictures. I love the open spaces with views of the city in the background. I live in the Midwest, so it is fun to see what other cities parks and open spaces look like. And if I ever do visit California with my dog, it will be nice to know of some parks to hike in 🙂
What a stunning place! I think even my Lyla could handle the terrain! I could see spending an entire day there just hearing the water and watching the sights. That food looks SCRUMPTIOUS too!
Looks like a great place to hike! Those views are amazing!
How great that you have this place! And I say that as someone close to the Rocky Mountains! Great pictures. I love that your area is so dog friendly.
What a beautiful view of SF and the bay. You are lucky you have access to areas you can get to away from the city to enjoy the area.
I have been fortunate to visit Tiburon though I had no idea it was so dog friendly. I love these photos and it really looks like you had the place to yourselves – which is pretty amazing especially so close to an urban area.
What a travelogue. We are so spoiled seeing all this!
Thank you!
Wow! What a beautiful place to take a hike. I absolutely love your photos! Such beautiful views.
Beautiful as always! You are so lucky to live so close to such amazing hiking areas that are dog friendly!