Rated one of the top dog parks in the country, Point Isabel is right here in our Bay Area backyard! This coastal park gives you a little bit of everything – beach access, paved walkways, grassy knolls, hills, trees, benches, a walking bridge, and even a jetty! It’s very spacious, which is great because you can kind of carve your own path around and through the peninsula. Good thing, too, because after it got some online publicity, it definitely got more crowded. I’ll comment more on that later. But first…
Here are the details:
Point Isabel Regional Shoreline
2701 Isabel Street
Richmond, CA 94804
Take the Central Avenue exit off of either the I-80 or I-580 freeways. You’re going to exit and head west toward the Costco, which will be on your right hand side. Drive past their parking lot and gas station and round the corner onto Isabel Street. Follow the road to the end of the avenue, where you will begin to see cars congregating. There is ample street parking, in addition to a proper parking lot. Your dog will probably be squealing from excitement at this point. You’ve found it!
This entire area is an off-leash, dog friendly sanctuary, so I pretty much just let Charlie out of the car, and we start our walk. Of course, use your equipment and gear as needed; guiding your dog away from the street, for example. After that initial dismount and introduction to the area, you can let them run.
I like this place because if you walk the exterior path of the entire shoreline, it takes about 1 hour and 30 minutes. A nice long walk for my boy. He loves swimming, so he’s always climbing the rocks, watching for me to toss his ball into the bay or canal that runs through the middle of the park.
Once you walk down the main path, you’ll come to a walking bridge. This is the half way point. You can either continue around to the other side of the peninsula or turn back here.
Keep walking…you’ll see the walking bridge (at the very end of the first main path).
Right around this area, there is also a bathroom and water fountain for both humans and pups. A nice resting spot half way through, if needed.
Some more details FYI:
– I made reference to crowded space in the introduction of this article. This area is a highly populated dog park. Therefore, your pup should be well-versed in meeting and interacting with new (and unfamiliar) dogs that will inevitably approach you. No matter how well-trained your dog is, you never really know who you’re walking up on in a public place like this. Always be super cautious.
– This place is really spacious and versatile, so it’s great for all folks. You can stick to the paved path. Or you can off-road onto the grassy/hilly areas if you want. OR find yourself a private little beach for some fetch in the ocean! It’s all good – the dogs are gonna take 20 steps for every 1 you take anyway, no matter what path you choose.
– If you’re training a puppy on their recall, this would be an advanced or high-level location in which to practice. I’ll make recommendations later for other off-leash but more confined trails that would be better for training. This spot is super wide open with lotssss of distractions! If your pup doesn’t know to stick around, they might find their way into an adventure.
– On the flip side, if you’re ready for the recall challenge of Point Isabel, this place works because other than maybe having to chase your dog for a minute if they have selective hearing, there are no cars around. Your pup will likely not run out of trail real estate before they come upon a car or street.
If your dog is a swimmer like mine, they may need a rinse after an outing at Point Isabel. Mud Puppies has got your back!
Go check it out! It’s fun. The dogs have a blast! And with beautiful views of the Bay to top it all off!
This trail is Macy, Diva, and Korben approved!
BAY AREA DOG TRAILS 