Hiking with your dog around Los Angeles

Yes, you can hike with a dog around Los Angeles, but not everywhere: the answer depends on which agency manages the land. The county allows leashed dogs on all its trails, California State Parks keeps them off trails unless a trail is specifically opened, and Angeles National Forest requires a six-foot leash. This guide uses only what those agencies publish, trail by trail.

Does your dog have to be on leash on the trails?

Yes, everywhere, and with every agency in the region. Los Angeles County is the clearest on this. It writes that dogs are permitted in county parks and on trails as long as the dog is on a leash no longer than six feet and under the full control of its owner. The same page rules out four sites: the Arboretum and Botanic Gardens, the golf courses, the John Anson Ford Amphitheatre and the Hollywood Bowl. Its trails service adds that dogs are required to be on leash on all trails at all times.

California State Parks works the other way round: a trail is closed to dogs unless it is expressly opened to them. The general conditions are set out in our guide to Los Angeles with your dog.

Which trails are open to leashed dogs?

State Parks publishes the list. Its “Trails for You and Your Dog” sheet names the routes open to a dog on leash. On the Pacific Palisades and west side:

• the Inspiration Point loop at Will Rogers State Historic Park, given as roughly a two-mile hike;
• the Rivas Canyon Trail, 2.1 miles each way, between Temescal Gateway Park and Will Rogers State Park;
• Sullivan Ridge Fire Road, in West Los Angeles;
• Trailer Canyon Fire Road, where dogs are allowed 0.7 miles in and then have to turn back.

On the valley side, the same sheet opens the Caballero Canyon Trail, reached from Reseda Boulevard, and the 8.5-mile section of Mulholland Drive closed to vehicles, between Woodland Hills and San Vicente Mountain Park. It also lists Summit Valley Edmund D. Edelman Park on Topanga Canyon Boulevard, Franklin Canyon Park in Beverly Hills and Red Rock Canyon Park in Topanga.

The Will Rogers park page spells out the limit: dogs are allowed in the historic zone, though not on house tours, and on the Inspiration loop, but on no route that leads out of the park, neither the Backbone Trail nor neighbouring Topanga State Park. The same trail sheet marks two fire roads as off leash, Westridge and Canyonback, on the Brentwood side. The county, for its part, requires a leash on all its trails at all times, so check which agency manages the ground you are walking on before unclipping your dog.

Which trails are closed to dogs?

The trails of several large state parks, and the ban is written plainly. The Topanga State Park page answers “no” on dogs and states that they are allowed neither on the park trails, nor on the fire roads, nor in the back country, citing sections 4312(e) and 4312(f1) of title 14 of the California Code of Regulations.

The National Park Service publishes the same for the neighbouring state parks: pets are not allowed on the backcountry trails of Topanga, Malibu Creek, Leo Carrillo and Point Mugu. In the last two, dogs are confined to the beach and the campground, and only in certain sections.

Two adjoining parks show how far the rules can differ. At Baldwin Hills Scenic Overlook, State Parks writes that dogs are allowed on leash; the park opens from 8 a.m. to sunset and its main trail climbs a mile from the Jefferson Boulevard entrance. Next door, at Kenneth Hahn State Recreation Area, the same agency writes that dogs are allowed only on the paved road, not on the trails.

Can you hike in Griffith Park with your dog?

Yes, on leash, on a trail network reached straight from the city. The city writes that dogs must be on leash at all times in the park, where hikers may use the entire 53-mile network of trails, fire roads and bridle paths.

Two opening times matter: the park is open daily from 5 a.m. to 10.30 p.m., but all trails close at dusk. The same page points to the Ranger Station, on (323) 913-4688, which holds the maps and the current trail closures.

In the Santa Monica Mountains, the National Park Service publishes a similar rule: leashes, retractable ones included, must be six feet or less, and pets stay on trails, roads and developed areas. It names the sites that take dogs on leash, among them Solstice Canyon, Paramount Ranch and Circle X Ranch on federal land, Temescal Gateway Park and San Vicente Mountain Park on Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy land, and Runyon Canyon Park and Laurel Canyon Park for the City of Los Angeles.

What are the rules in Angeles National Forest?

A six-foot leash, a parking pass, and close attention to closures. The Forest Service writes that all pets must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet at all times. At trailheads an Adventure Pass is required: the Three Points Trailhead page lists $5 a day or $30 a year, with interagency passes also accepted, and notes that no potable water is available there.

Closures need checking before every outing. The forest’s alerts page carries an Eaton Fire area closure, extended through 31 December 2027, which keeps specified roads and trails shut. It also records that the fire danger level was raised to “very high” on 24 July 2026.

The forest publishes advice that bears directly on walking with a dog. It stresses staying on official trails only, since not everything that looks like an official trail is one. It recommends keeping your dog leashed to avoid rattlesnakes and poison oak, checking yourself and your pet for ticks regularly, and notes that stream and pond water is not safe to drink.

What should you take, and when should you go?

Water, waste bags, and an outing timed to the temperature. The county trails service puts a figure on the water: at least 8 ounces per dog per hour of hiking, in any weather. It also offers a simple test: if the ground is too hot for your hand, it is too hot for your dog’s paws. The same page notes that dogs are more susceptible to heat stroke than humans, especially dogs not used to big hikes in hot weather.

Three further points from that page are worth keeping. Never leave your dog in the car while you are out on the trail: even on cooler days, a locked car can reach temperatures that can be fatal. Always clean up after your dog and carry the bags back to the bins at the trailhead. Finally, the county advises talking to your vet about vaccinations, preventive medicine and tick and flea treatment, and asking at what age a young dog can start hiking. It adds that a ten-mile hike does not necessarily make the best first day out.

Why do trails close on some days?

Because of red flag warnings, the fire-risk advisories. The National Park Service writes that parks close during these warnings: undeveloped backcountry areas and trails, but also parking lots and visitor centers. The warnings are issued by the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles/Oxnard, based on humidity, wind and dry lightning combined with dry fuels.

Four agencies apply this together under their 2025-2030 cooperative management agreement: California State Parks, the National Park Service, the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy and the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority. Roads stay open unless behind a locked gate, as do State Parks developed parking lots and campgrounds. The page warns that not every closed area is signed or locked.

How can your dog get to the Los Angeles trails?

In the cabin, on a private flight, where it stays at your feet for the whole trip. Loulou Air, a brand of AEROAFFAIRES, a private aviation broker since 1991, sells individual seats on Pay-per-Seat private jets: you pay for your seat, not the jet, and each ticket covers one person and their dog. Your dog travels in the cabin with you, never in the hold, so none of the weight limit imposed by scheduled airlines applies; capacity depends on the aircraft and on how many animals are on board, and a broker approves each dog case by case. Boarding is through a private aviation terminal, with no queues, and the crew is briefed on welcoming animals. Entry requirements still apply on every flight, private ones included, and our brokers check every dog’s file before departure: the American conditions are set out on our United States travel requirements page.

See flights to Los Angeles or talk to a broker. Arrival itself is covered in our article on arriving at Van Nuys with your dog.

Frequently asked questions

Can you walk your dog at Runyon Canyon?

Yes, on leash. The National Park Service lists Runyon Canyon Park among the City of Los Angeles sites open to a dog on leash. Check the signs on site before unclipping your dog.

Can you hike with your dog in Topanga State Park?

No. California State Parks writes that dogs are allowed neither on the trails, nor on the fire roads, nor in the back country of that park. The closest options are the Inspiration Point loop at Will Rogers State Historic Park and the Rivas Canyon Trail.

How long can a leash be in Los Angeles?

Six feet at most. That limit comes up with every agency: the county, California State Parks, the National Park Service and Angeles National Forest, which states the same length. Retractable leashes are held to it too.