Happy week after independence day to America! Today I thought I would do something kind of fun, just to celebrate the unity and beauty of all 50 states. I have had the opportunity to explore SO many different states and areas, and I love hiking! Therefore, I figured I would recommend a day hike for every state, so everyone can recognize your state’s beauty and enjoy a hike near you.
I went ahead and asked our FACEBOOK GROUP for suggestions for the states I haven’t yet been to; and the states I didn’t actually hike in. Every trail I recommend can be found on the Alltrails App. I hope this post leads to a wonderful dogventure near you!
Alabama- Dugger Mountain via Pinhoti Trail in the Talladega Forest
While Alabama is one of the 4 last states I have yet to explore; I had plans to drive from South Carolina to the Talladega Forest but Hurricane Dorian got in my way! This was the trail on the agenda- 8 miles, dog friendly, pretty quiet with a stream and good views. Sounds like bliss! Panola Mountain just south east of Atlanta is another great recommendation.
Alaska- Perseverence Trail in Juneau, AK
And here we are again, with the 2nd of the 4 states I have yet to explore. Thankfully we had some great Facebook recommendations including: Tonsina Point, resurrection to Juneau falls, Russian river falls, Skilak overlook, Turn Again Arm Trail, Winner Creek, and Eklutna Lake trail. Huge shout out to Lindsey for these recommendations! With some research; I am extremely motivated to check out Perseverence trail, which is a 5 mile gorgeous path amidst mountains and streams.
Arizona- Grand Canyon National Park Hike: Dog Saddle to Saddle Mountain Trail
Did you know there are ACTUALLY dog friendly hikes near the Grand Canyon? Dog Saddle is hard to get to, and suuuper long; but low traffic and dogs are allowed on leash here. Vishnu Trail is a short dog friendly hike that is closer to Kaibab National Forest.
Arkansas- Ozark National Forest, Whitaker Point/Hawksbill Craig
I actually LOVED exploring the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas. The buffalo river, the ‘glory hole’, and King’s Bluff are all awesome pet friendly adventures! This was pre- Chloe when I was a significantly less responsible hiker, and would you believe I forgot my phone and camera for this beautiful hike! This was taken by an awesome random person and sent to me; to help celebrate this moment on top of this rock.
California- Red Woods National Park and surrounding forests
I just got out of my car and started walking! That is how I found this trail. Is it even a trail? So my suggestion is to drive until you see a cool hike with your dog, and start walking!
Colorado- Rocky Mountain National Park
While Rocky Mountain National Park is a destination for many to behold in its beauty; the park itself is not dog friendly. I have to say, if you are up for a CRAZY dog friendly drive, I highly recommend the old falls road; which is a part of the national park route. This drive is a single lane jam packed adventure in itself! I had to back up my truck around every corner to make the switchbacks; and my car-friends were SO nervous, but I was having a blast! Now as for hiking; if you’re ready for a challenge, check out Roaring Fork Trail, just south of the park.
Connecticut- Mirror Lake, Castle Craig, Merimere Reservoir
Delaware- Cape Henlopen State Park: Gordon’s Pond Trail
Florida- Florida Keys Dog Beach
Florida might not be the first place you consider when thinking about hiking destinations; especially not the turquoise waters of the Florida Keys! But I cannot help but recommend yall to check out the Dog Friendly Beach just outside of Louise Backyard Restaurant in the Florida Keys! It is a small beach, with only 2 other dogs there. Chloe and I enjoyed an entire day at the beach!
Georgia- Blood Mountain and Freeman trail
Hawaii- Kuliouou Ridge Trail
Idaho- Ferragut State Park outter loop near Sandpoint Idaho
I absolutely LOVED this state park and Sandpoint Idaho in general! I stayed here on an overnight adventure when headed up to Glacier National Park and by golly it was so worth it! Definitely one of those underrated places that no one ever talks about.
Illinois- Starved Rock State Park: Hennepin and Wildcat Canyon
Indiana- Pate Hollow Trail
Iowa- Dubuque, IA Mines of Spain
Have you ever been to Dubuque Iowa? I took a spontaneous adventure trip to meet up with a friend and we had a great time! The Mines of Spain were extremely fun to explore.
Kansas- Elk River Trail near Elk City
Kentucky- Land Between the Lakes
If you’re looking for fireflies, unbeatable sunsets and sunrises on a lake screaming with ciadads, you better check out the Land Between the Lakes State park in Kentucky. This was such an amazing find; with dog friendly hikes throughout the park.
Louisiana- Wild Azalea Trail: Segment Four
Maine- Cutler Coast Trail near Lubec
I’ve mentioned this awesome find in the blog when discussing solo hiking; and this gem is in the very North Eastern corner of the United States.
Maryland- North Point State Park Trail
Massachusetts: Provincetown
Okay so hiking along the Cape of Massachusetts is pretty awesome, but not nearly as awesome as spending a day in Prinvincetown. Between the sand dunes, beaches, sea food restaraunts and open, wonderful atmosphere, provincetown has dogs EVERYWHERE. It was awesome.
Michigan- Upper Penninsula Porcupine Mountains, Escarpment Trail
Minnesota- North Shore Tettiguchi State Park
This was on an adventure to find some frozen waterfalls, and it was a blast!
Mississippi- WHITE SANDS!
During the solar eclipse, my friend-family and I got ourselves some fried green tomatoes and fresh seafood; walked along the white sand beaches of Mississippi. The Gulf of Mexico is a great place to spend time with your dog!
Missouri- HaHa Tonka State Park
The name may be pretty funny, but the castle is pretty awesome! HaHa Tonka is a perfect spot to walk around with your dog, checking out the castle ruins, some gorgeous blue spring water and spending a day outside.
Montana- Glacier Mountain National park, Ousel Peak Trail
One of my all time favorite hikes EVER was on Highline Trail in Glacier National Park which is NOT dog friendly, unfortunately. Thankfully; not far away from Glacier there are National Forests which are MUCH quieter, still gorgeous to behold and a place you can get away with letting the doggo off leash (as long as they have those recalls down).
Nebraska- Lake Ogallala Trail
Nevada- Angel Falls Recreational Area
In Northern Nevada there is a little secret place for camping, exploring and mountain adventures. Angel Falls recreation area was a recent find and we had a great time exploring.
New Hampshire- White Mountains, Sugarloaf Mountain
Ironically enough, Chloe and I had the opportunity to explore Sugarloaf Mountain over a short Christmas weekend! The ice coated river, snow patched mountain top and owl spotted along the way were all just little perks within the adventure.
New Jersey- Blue Mountain Trail in Stokes State Forest
New Mexico- Soledad Canyon in Organ Mountains
And here we have it, the 3rd state out of 50 I haven’t had the chance to explore! Thankfully Avery (MJcrazydoglady13) on instagram made some great suggestions on the Facebook group, including: Picacho Peak, and Slot canyon!
New York- Watkins Glen State Park, Mount Jo near Lake Placcid
Okay if you ever have the chance to see the North East in the fall, it is incredible! The rolling appalachain mountains look like they’re on fire! And naturally as a result, I highly recommend spending some time at Lake Placcid, NY.
North Carolina- Great Smokey Mountain National Park: Fire Mountain Trail System
North Dakota- Badlands Area
Did you know, you can camp ANYWHERE in the badlands as long as you are not visable from the road? But bear in mind, this is an extremely easy place to get lost, because trees are nonexistant and the land literally looks like Mars. It’s amazing. Check out Maa Haa Trail (at least the beginning of it) and see the best of North Dakota. Make sure to watch a sunset- the colors are stellar.
Ohio- Cuyahoga National Park
Chloe and I explored Blue Hen falls and ventured down to Buttermilk falls from there. It was a fun adventure, following the river! We saw a number of people and dogs on the weekday; so likely a busy area. I also found it too bad you can hear traffic from the trail head; but it disappears the deeper you go into the forest.
Oklahoma- Witchita Mountains: Mount Scott Overlook Trail
Seriously one of my favorite finds in Oklahoma! Sure Broken Bend State Park is well known; and the Glass Mountains as well; but Witchita had some amazing rugged terrain to explore, with a rapunzel castle too with Jed Johnson Tower Trail! I did the Mount Scott Overlook trail; but be careful because I lost the trail at one point and wound up following some people to the top; one of whom forgot water and was pretty sick! I had a spare bottle in the pack thankfully; and don’t worry, no rattle snakes were injured on this adventure.
Oregon- Dome Peak in Cascade Range
I am a little bit biased because the pacific north west has truly become one of my favorite places on the planet! The waterfalls, the mountains, the ocean and the smell of pinetrees and salt water… I’ve ended up spending almost a year in Oregon; with frequent trips up to Washington just to keep exploring this area! But Dome Peak is definitely an AWESOME find in the cascade mountain range. I chose to make this a training hike day; with a 12 mile total trek and about 4,000 feet of elevation gain from Detriot, Oregon. But there is a secret backroad that will make the hike a lot shorter; as long as the National Forest road is snow-free.
Pennsylvania- Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike
I am sure there are other awesome hikes in Pennsylvania (looking at all trails, there are a TON) but one of the cool spots I found with some friends was the abandoned Pennsylvania turnpike near Breezewood, PA. We hiked along this road toward dark tunnels and reveled in its abandoned nature!
Rhode Island- Cliff Walk in Newport Rhode Island
South Carolina- Folly Beach
Beaches or Mountains, Waterfalls or Water channels; how do you choose? I loved bringing Chloe to Folly Beach; where dogs are allowed but must remain on a leash! We also enjoyed exploring Poinsett State park; where we actually lived for a short time!
South Dakota- Harney’s Peak
This is an easy win in my book! Super popular, super gorgeous, I definitely recommend starting this hike at sunrise on a weekday; because Chloe and I had the trail to ourselves! 6 miles round trip with an incredible tower on the top of the mountain; Harney’s Peak is the highest point between the Appalachains and the Rocky Mountains; and is an incredible sight to behold; according to Chloe anyway.
Tennessee- Chimney Mountain Trail, Great Smokey Mountain National park
Texas- Galvaston Island State Park
Utah- Ben Lomond Mountain near Ogden, Utah
Vermont- Mount Horrid via Long Trail (it’s really not so horrid, I swear)
Virginia- Smith Mountain Cooperative Wildlife Management Area
Washington- North Cascades National Park, Thunder Knob Trail
I loved this hike! I did it on a winter camping trip with Chloe Rue and we had a blast. What an incredible view of Lake Diablo from the top!
West Virginia- Blackwater falls state park
Wisconsin- Door County: Rock Island Trail
Wyoming- Grand Tetons National Park: Blue Miner Lake Trail
Similarly to most National Parks, it is tough to find the dog friendly spots! Thankfully, the Grand Tetons in the winter are stunning, and Chloe and I found a lot of places to explore.
Ben Lomond Peak, UT Farragut State Park, ID 
Tumble Lake Trail, OR 
Iron Mountain, OR
No matter where you live in the beautiful United States, no matter what adventure your heart craves, I encourage each one of you to go on that hike and savor every opportunity that presents itself. I hope you all enjoyed this post and found a hike in your state to explore with your dog. Don’t forget to subscribe and share! Happy trails and happy tails until next time!
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What a great list! I live in Pinedale, Wyoming and there are so many hiking trails that allow dogs. Pinedale is about an 1 1/2 hours South of Jackson. So beautiful and less crowed.
That is so good to know! Jackson is such a gorgeous area, thanks for sharing the info!
This list is awesome! And you always have the most beautiful pictures!