The worst part of any trip is having to leave your four-legged friend behind. Between the money and the hassle of finding someone to take loving care of your fur-baby while you’re out of town is the last thing you should be worrying about before hitting the open road. This summer, save yourself the trouble and take your pup along for the ride to these dog-friendly destinations!

A Northwestern Adventure

  • Catch a ferry to the San Juan Islands off of Washington
  • Check out Idaho’s top pet-friendly attraction, Lake Coeur d’Alene
  • Let your dog smell all of the trees in Big Horn National Forest in Wyoming
  • Find inspiration along Montana’s Beartooth Highway

Southwest Style

  • California offers several great vacation spots for your pooch from Huntington Beach to San Diego to Carmel’s dog beach to Santa Barbara
  • Recreate in Nevada’s Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area
  • From there, explore the Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona
  • Colorado is known to be an outdoor lovers dream and very dog-friendly, one of the best doggy playgrounds is none other than Telluride Gondola 

South Central Experience

  • Remember the Alamo with man’s best friend along the San Antonio River Walk, walk around West Austin Dog Park, and check out the floating Klyde Warren Park in Dallas
  • Albuquerque, New Mexico boasts several dog parks including North Domingo Baca, Rio Grande Triangle Park, Coronado Park, Montessa Dog Park, and several others
  • The Buffalo National River is calling all water lovers and Labradors to Arkansas

Splash in the Great Lakes

  • Ohio’s Holden Arboretum is just a short distance from Lake Erie
  • Take in Lake Michigan along Chicago’s Navy Pier
  • For a more laidback take on Lake Michigan, head over to the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore
  • Mackinac Island and Arch Rock will transport you to a past world where times were simpler so you can fully experience where Lake Huron runs into Lake Michigan

Exploring the Southern Plains

  • Travel the 309 miles from St. Louis, MO to Nashville, TN, we encourage rest stops at the Gateway Arch Park and Shelby Farms Park
  • The State Gardens Park in Baton Rouge is the perfect place to hang out with your pup before catching an LSU game

Show in the Southeast

  • Take a day to daydream around the beautiful Biltmore Estate Gardens and Grounds
  • Bask in the sun at Fort De Soto Dog Beach in Florida
  • Let your royal canine prance around the Rock City Gardens of Georgia or the Magnolia Plantation of South Carolina

Journey through the Northeast

  • Reflect on history at The National Mall in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, or take a tour around Colonial Williamsburg
  • Sail on a cruise on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay
  • Take a break from Muscle Beach to visit Jersey Shore’s Wildwood Dog Beach

Your dog is probably perfectly happy playing fetch and getting belly rubs all day but if he had a bucket list, visiting these places would most likely be on it.