Dog walking in Sonoma

El Verano

Just west of Sonoma lies the small community of El Verano, California. El Verano is a quiet town with warm weather, lovely scenery, and many families who love living in beautiful wine country. There are many dog owners in this area, and they often meet at Ernie Smith Community Regional Park. This fenced-in dog park is a place dogs can run free and burn off energy while they meet and interact with other dogs. There is also a playground nearby, as well as sports fields and other recreational activities. You will also find many walking paths and a wetland preservation in the park's vicinity.

West Side

West Side is a large community in Sonoma with plenty of green space and parks for you to explore with your dog. This is a good area for hiking and walking, and it is also where you can access the Sonoma Bike Path. Part of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy non-profit program, the Sonoma Bike Path was once a railway line, but it was turned into a trail that is great for not only riding bikes but also for walking dogs. This trail is part of a network of trails that spans nation-wide, and it's an excellent way to explore American cities.

Waterfront

Petaluma is just a 20-minute drive from Sonoma, and although it's a small town, it has many activities for dogs and dog owners. One such activity in the Waterfront neighborhood of Petaluma is the Rocky Memorial Regional Dog Park. This 9-acre park is not fenced in, but it is far from roads and very spacious. If your pooch is particularly energetic, they'll really love all of the room to run and play at this Petaluma park. While this park doesn't have a fence on the perimeter or separate sections for dogs of different sizes, there is enough room for everyone to play nicely.

Northwest Napa

Napa is another city synonymous with Wine Country, and it's a very short drive from the city of Sonoma. Northwest Napa is a beautiful part of the city with lots of sniff-tastic greenery to explore and plenty of open space to run and play. One of the best places to do this in Northwest Napa is at Alston Park. Dogs and humans alike appreciate that this park has flat trails to walk and hills to climb. This vast nature preserve has a fenced dog area with both on-leash and off-leash sections. There is also agility equipment, water, toys, and doggy doo-doo bags to keep the park clean.

South Boyes Springs

Boyes Springs is an area of Sonoma famous for its warm and inviting hot springs, which are one of three hot springs in the area. The springs were first discovered in 1895,  and before long, the area was a premier health resort where wealthy Californians would visit. Many still visit the hot springs today, but Boyes Springs is now much more than a health resort area. In South Boyes Springs, you'll find what many call the best Mexican food in all of Sonoma County at El Molino. This popular restaurant has outdoor picnic tables that are dog-friendly, so your pooch can stay by your side while you dig into enchiladas, tacos, nachos Verdes or any of their other tasty meals.