Timber Town

One of the best parts of living on the West Coast is the ability to road trip to the mountains, the ocean, the desert and to visit all the large cities in California, Oregon, and Washington. In the spring of 2022, we decided to drive from Berkeley to Seattle (a 13-hour drive) to visit friends and explore the city. I immediately started researching all the activities, hikes, and restaurants we could take Squash to during our week-long visit. I quickly found out that Seattle is a very dog friendly city and offers a great mix of dog friendly urban activities (i.e., a club for dogs), stunning hikes and a ton of off-leash dog parks. This is a list of our favorite dog-friendly activities.

Dog Friendly Urban Activities Around Seattle

Pike Place

Pike place is the quintessential Seattle backdrop and a must-see if you are in the area. It is also, as you have probably already guessed, very dog friendly. You can walk around the entire market, visit the original Starbucks, and hang out in the surrounding areas with your pup in tow. I would highly encourage you to visit during off hours so you can walk around more easily with a dog and avoid the huge crowds that form during peak hours. Visiting early in the morning or late in the evening will also provide the best light for photographs and you can take pictures of your pup with the legendary “Public Market Center” sign in the background without having to fend off all the Instagrammers and influencers. 

Pro Tip: If you want some cool photographs of your dog with all the iconic backdrops and “Instagram-able” hotspots in Pike Place, book a photoshoot in Pike Place Market – a pet friendly Airbnb Experience hosted by Cameron Thomsen Photography.

Dog Yard

Dog Yard is basically a club for dogs – think lines out the door, a cover fee, and treats and happy hours. Located in Ballard, a hip and historic (deep Nordic and maritime roots) neighborhood, Dog Yard is an urban off leash dog play park and bar where the pups can socialize and run around while the humans feast on finger foods and drink craft beer, wine, and ciders. Aside from their open play time, they also host breed meetups, puppy play dates, private parties, and happy hours. 

We visited with Squash on a Friday at around 4pm and there was a line, but it did move rather quickly. Once you enter there is a lobby and seating area with lots of treats, dog accessories and other merchandise. From the lobby there is a set of gates that lead you to the main play/hangout area. Once you get pass the gates you can let the pups run around, order food and drinks from the bar and hang out in one of the many seating areas. There were a lot of staff members walking around, watching the pups play and ready to intervene in case there were any dog fights (we did not see any while we were there). 

Pro Tip: All dogs must register a Pet Profile and upload vaccination records before entering. I would suggest creating a profile for your pup before going or while you are waiting in line. Registration was fairly easy – we were able to upload vaccination and spayed/neuter records within minutes.  

Seattle Water Tours & Ice Cream Cruise

The Seattle Water Tours Sunday Ice Cream Cruise is a fun and informal family and dog friendly 45-minute narrated cruise around Lake Union. The cruise set sails every Sunday (year-round) from Lake Union Park, next to the Museum of History and Industry. It departs every hour (11am – 3pm) on a first-come-first-aboard basis with no reservations or advanced tickets required. Tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children (ages 3-12). The ice cream is optional but highly encouraged. They love our furry companies and encourage guests to bring their well behaved and leashed pups for the tour – ice cream also optional for the dogs but also highly encouraged. It’s a great way to spend an hour learning about Seattle while the pup gets to enjoy the wind in their hair and potentially some ice cream or human snacks. If you are anything like us, your dog will have their own ice cream cone every time you have ice cream – just ask Squash. 

Japanese Garden

While dogs are sadly not allowed at the Seattle Japanese Gardens, they are more than welcomed at Kubota Gardens. Kubota is a 20-acre Japanese garden in the Rainier Beach neighborhood of Seattle (about 20 mins south of downtown Seattle). There is no parking or entrance fee, beautiful and very family and dog friendly. Dogs are allowed on leash and are expected to be kept out of the plants and ponds, although to say Squash was obsessed with the koi is an understatement. There are also plenty of bridges, streams, and picturesque garden vignettes for photographs and contemplation. 

Off-leash Dog Park & Beaches

Luther Burbank Dog Beach

Luther Burbank Dog Beach is one of two off leash dog beaches located on Lake Washington, the other being Magnuson Dog Beach. Luther Burbank Dog Beach is at the north end of Luther Burbank Park in beautiful Mercer Island, and it was our favorite of the two dog beaches on Lake Washington because of its beautiful surroundings, large play area and pristine shoreline. The park was never overcrowded, very well kept and they even have water available to rinse your pooch after they are done playing in the water and sand. 

Magnuson Dog Beach

Also located on picturesque Lake Washington, Warren G. Magnuson off leash dog area is a fully fenced 6-acre park. The beach is slightly smaller, and the park is not as well kept as Luther Burbank, but it is a great option for water loving dogs. 

Pro Tip: The dog beach is not far from the University of Washington campus and if you visit in the spring, you will see hundreds of beautiful cherry blossoms in full bloom. We made a quick stop with Squash after the beach and captured some beautiful moments of her with the blossoms as the backdrop. There were a lot of dogs, families and students enjoying the beauty of the cherry blossoms.  

Other Off-Leash Areas

In Seattle, dogs are welcomed in parks, but they must be on a leash, but there are exceptions. In fact, there are 10+ designated off-leash areas throughout the city. Check out the Seattle Parks and Recreation website for a comprehensive list of off-leash parks in Seattle. We did not get to visit a lot of these but they all sound like great off-leash options and we are looking forward to going back in the summer and checking them out.