Taking a Hiking adventure with your Dog can make for a bonding, energizing and just plain fun experience for both of you.

But hiking with a dog involves a little more than just heading to a park with a leash. There’s some prep work that can help make an outdoor trek run more smoothly.

For starters, not all trails are dog-friendly. And if this is your first time hiking with your dog, you’ll need to consider how much he or she can handle. Also, there are safety considerations including wildlife, pests and potentially dangerous plants.

“Some things I try to keep in mind when selecting a spot to hike with dogs are opportunities for shade and water; access, popularity and likelihood of crowds; the width of the trail; and the terrain,” says Marjorie Anderson, store manager at REI in Woodland Hills. “While some dogs can tackle just about anything, my most recent experience is hiking with a senior dog and a 9-month-old puppy — very different energies, and both require a little more thought in location when it comes to hiking.”

SoCal dog hikes

Anderson has her own personal favorite hiking locations, depending on the situation; all the locales can be found with a little help from online search engines.

If you don’t mind getting wet, she says that Switzer Falls off Angeles Crest Highway in the Angeles National Forest in Tujunga, near Pasadena, is a great hike that includes many stream crossings along the way to keep your pup cool.

“This trail can be very popular, so I recommend going first thing in the morning to get a parking spot,” she advises. “If you’d prefer to not be in solitude or are just getting used to hiking with your dog, this is a great transitional hike where your dog can meet others while still being in the great outdoors.”

A popular trail like this also means a lesser likelihood of having to worry about things like snakes and other trouble your dog may accidentally find on the side of the trail, she says. “Foot traffic usually keeps them farther away, and the trail is very well maintained.”

In the Santa Monica Mountains, Solstice Canyon off Corral Canyon Road and the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, is another favorite for Anderson. There are informational posts with historical facts along this hike, and much of it also follows a stream.

“While part of the hike is exposed, the remainder near the stream is shaded,” she says. “This trail offers a great medium between an exposed challenge and a nice stroll in the shade with sounds of water.”

If you have a very active, experienced dog and consider yourself ready for something a little more intense, traveling north of Riverside to the Icehouse Canyon Trail at Mount Baldy offers a great physical challenge with amazing views as a payoff.

This trek can lead to multiple areas depending on the adventure you choose. Several mountain peaks are accessible from this trailhead, or you can decide to simply head up to shorter mileage at Cedar Glen Camp — a little backpacking camp where you will often find the place to yourself. Or head to the Icehouse Canyon Saddle, which offers great views without having to go farther uphill.

“You can see the amazing sight of Mount Baldy from many of these spots,” she says. “This area can be exposed at times and does not offer the benefits of streams and water, so it’s incredibly important to make sure you carry enough water for yourself and your dog while you tackle some challenging inclines here. Keep in mind, this means you will be carrying extra weight on some steep inclines.

“The trails are also narrower,” she adds. “If you are just starting out with your dog or have an older/younger dog, I recommend beginning with a few of the other hikes mentioned and work your way up to this area’s [trails].”

Moriah Quinn, a sales specialist at REI in Woodland Hills who hikes with Siberian husky Ranger, says her favorite Southern California hikes are generally less crowded.

“I find many popular dog hikes are heavily trafficked with many hikers and dogs, which is awesome, but what my dog and I love best is enjoying the peace of nature together,” says Quinn.

One of Quinn’s top hiking spots is Paramount Ranch in the Santa Monica Mountains, which has many different trail options to choose your own adventure each time.

“It is also very low-key and we usually only see one or two other groups of visitors around,” Quinn says. “This means we see more wildlife and explore the beautiful views in solitude. It is in Agoura Hills and only 10 minutes away from the 101 Freeway, but once in the park, you feel completely isolated in the lush hills, rolling creaks and singing birds.”

Ash Miner, a dog trainer and behaviorist in Orange County (IntuitiveChoiceK9.com), has been hiking with her own dogs in Southern California since 2010 and professionally since 2011. She offers Nature Venture Training Hikes to her dog training clients.

“We go to local regional parks to work on decompression walks, loose-leash walking, socializing and general manners in public if reactivity is a concern,” she explains.

Her favorite hiking spots are O’Neill Regional Park in Trabuco Canyon, Irvine Regional Park and Santiago Oaks Regional Park in Orange, Serrano Creek Park in Lake Forest and Black Star Canyon in Silverado. She also likes the Cleveland National Forest, especially the Maple Springs Trailhead in Silverado, and Morgan Trailhead and San Juan Loop Trail in Lake Elsinore.

“I tend to stay away from Cleveland National Forest once spring hits because of the ticks, but it’s fabulous in the cooler months,” she says. “I really enjoy these parks because they’re dog-friendly, have lots of space in case the dogs I’m working with are reactive, great critter trails for sniffing/chasing/enrichment, and, in the rainy seasons, there’s a creek running through for the dogs to play in.”

Keeping dogs safe

Once you’ve figured out where to go, there are things to keep in mind for safety’s sake.

Miner notes that the trails she frequents often allow horses and bikers.

“While the trail signs say everyone should yield to horses, and bikers should yield to hikers, it doesn’t actually work that way in reality, in my experience,” she says. “Allow bikers and horses to pass by keeping to the right, and practice a sit-stay while rewarding good behavior with some yummy treats.”

Horse manure can also be lethal if the horses were just dewormed, so keep your dog away from it.

“All of these areas are on-leash only, by law, so don’t let your dog off-leash and especially don’t let them approach other on-leash dogs,” she says. “Don’t feed the wildlife, but bring lots of water and a collapsible bowl. I love to hike with a hands-free leash belt.”

Also, watch out for rattlesnakes, especially in sunny areas. If you see one, don’t approach and give it a wide area to pass. (This may seem obvious, but just in case: If it coils, it’s going to strike. If it ignores you, you’re OK.) Miner advises that gopher, racer and king snakes are generally fairly docile and harmless, but give them space for their own safety from your dog.

For your own safety learn how to identify poison oak and do not touch the leaves or branches. In winter, the sticks can be free of leaves but still produce a reaction.

“Dogs are mostly immune, so don’t worry if the dogs sniff it or touch it,” she says.

The same isn’t true for sago palms, often used in landscaping.

“Do not let dogs even chew on anything from a sago palm,” she says. “Those can be lethal just from saliva contact, not even outright ingesting.”

Miner advises using a towel to wipe everyone down before getting back in the car to avoid bringing ticks home. Look for ticks on the towel and shake it, then place the towel in its own plastic bag.

Also, watch for signs of heatstroke or overheating by monitoring your dog’s tongue for swelling and curling, panting speed and intensity, gum color fading, water intake and eye squinting for stress.

“Dogs on the edge [of heatstroke] may become wobbly, insist on laying down or try to dig a nest in a shady space to cool off,” she says.

Dr. Ilana Halperin, chief of service for Community Medicine at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine, says dogs don’t regulate their temperatures as well as humans do — so even in conditions where we feel hot but are OK, dogs may be at risk.

“This is a higher risk for overweight dogs, dogs who are not used to this level of physical activity and brachycephalic breeds,” she says. (Brachycephalic breeds have broad skulls and short noses, like pugs and bulldogs.)

Heatstroke can be fatal, so she advises these precautions: Bring plenty of water. Take lots of breaks. Walk in the shade whenever possible. See if a cooling vest or bandana is a good fit for your dog. And consider not hiking on hot days. Try to go out in the early morning or evening hours when it is cooler out.

It’s also a good idea to check your dog for foxtails after hikes. Foxtails have grass seeds that are pointed on the end and have small barbs covering the outside. This means they can pierce skin with the pointed end and the barbs make them stick.

“They can advance through the skin and travel through tissues, bringing bacteria with them and causing infection,” Halperin says.

Something else to keep in mind: Your pup’s paws. Halperin warns that hiking on rough surfaces can cause lacerations or blisters and abrasions on paw pads. Consider training your dog to wear well-fitted dog booties and check your dog’s paws regularly.

“Benefits to hiking include physical activity, mental stimulation and bonding time between human and dog,” Halperin says. “If you are aware of and take steps to manage potential risks, hiking is a wonderful activity to do with your dog.”