Dogs are wonderful animals that give comfort and companionship. However, a national park is not the best place for them. Dogs chase, scare and can transmit diseases to wild animals such as nesting birds or marine mammals. Dogs leave behind a "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.

If you bring a dog to the park, please observe the following regulations:

• Dogs must be on a leash at all times; the leash must be no longer than 6 feet.
• All trails within the park are closed to dogs - with the exception of Kehoe Beach trail and designated trails in the neighboring Golden Gate National Recreation Area.
• Dogs are allowed on the following beaches:
• • 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 to the south
  • Palomarin Beach - no longer open to pets
• Due to threatened snowy plover habitat, dogs 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.
• During the elephant seal pupping and mating season (December through April), dogs and humans are not allowed on the beach south of the South Beach parking lot.
• Dogs are allowed in the Bear Valley Visitor Center parking lot and picnic area.
• 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 guide dogs accompanying visually impaired persons or hearing ear dogs accompanying hearing-impaired persons.
• Leaving a pet unattended and tied to an object is prohibited.

Pet owners not adhering to regulations will be cited.

Stop by a visitor center to pick up a free flyer on dog regulations for the Seashore and other parks in the area.

Maps showing locations where pets are permitted:
Full park map (516 KB PDF)
Beaches map (317 KB PDF)
Bolinas Ridge map (355 KB PDF)

36CFR2.15 provides more details concerning pets within National Park Service sites.

Adobe® Acrobat Reader® needed to access the maps.

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