These Are the Best U.S. Cities to Visit With Your Dog

After spending two years at home with your dog more than you probably ever had before, there’s a good chance that you’ve grown even more attached. So when it comes to booking summer travel, you may be considering bring...

Apr 9, 2022 - 21:03

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After spending two years at home with your dog more than you probably ever had before, there’s a good chance that you’ve grown even more attached. So when it comes to booking summer travel, you may be considering bring your dog with you on vacation instead of paying for boarding or a petsitter.

Sure, you could pack up your pooch, hit the trails, and go camping, but what if you’re in the mood for a more urban escape this year? As it turns out, some cities are more dog-friendly than others. Here’s what to know.

What makes a dog-friendly city?

For a city to be the perfect vacation spot for you and your furry friend, it has to have plenty of outdoor activities, pet-friendly transportation, and locals who love dogs. So, in order to come up with the list, the team at Wanderu analyzed data from the 45 most populous cities in the U.S. in the following categories:

City’s walkability scorePercentage of hotels that are dog-friendlyNumber of dog-friendly restaurants per capitaNumber of pet stores per capitaNumber of pet hospitals per capitaNumber of dog trails per capitaNumber of dog parks per capitaPopularity of a dog-related hashtag for that cityAvailability of pet-friendly travel options to the city

You can read more about the methodology here.

Best U.S. cities to visit with your dog

So how did the biggest American cities fare? Here are the top 25 dog-friendly destinations:

Oakland, CASacramento, CASeattle, WAPortland, ORWashington, DCDenver, COAtlanta, GAMiami, FLSan Francisco, CANew York, NYSan Jose, CAAustin, TXLong Beach, CABoston, MASan Diego, CALas Vegas, NVRaleigh, NCMesa, AZLos Angeles, CADallas TXPhiladelphia, PAKansas City, MOPhoenix, AZChicago, ILCharlotte, NC