Best Dog Hikes Alabama details the best dog friendly hiking trails in the Heart of Dixie. From mountain views to the coveted coast, there’s a trail for you and your trusty companions. Throughout are full-color photos and maps, helpful tips, and tailored hike specs with information on leash requirements, trail surface, other trail users, and more. You’ll also find important advice about hiking with dogs and preparation before you hit the trail. Grab the leash, don your pack, and get ready for an adventure that will have tails wagging for days to come.

The premier guide to 51 of the greatest hikes in Alabama. This one-of-a-kind guide to the "State of Surprises" takes hikers to the summits of the last of the Appalachian Mountain chain, the deep and wild canyons and rivers of Central Alabama, and the pristine white beaches of the Gulf of Mexico. Inside readers will find detailed maps, accurate route profiles showing the ups and downs of each hike, tips on equipment, trip planning, and hiking with dogs and children, accurate directions, difficulty ratings, trail contacts, and more.

The premier guide to 50 of the greatest hikes in Alabama. Inside readers will find detailed maps, accurate route profiles showing the ups and downs of each hike, tips on equipment, trip planning, and hiking with dogs and children, accurate directions, difficulty ratings, trail contacts, and more.

Hiking Waterfalls Alabama includes detailed hike descriptions, maps, and color photos for approximately 50 of the most scenic waterfall hikes in the area. Hike descriptions also include history, local trivia, and GPS coordinates. Hiking Waterfalls Alabama will take you through state and national parks, forests, monuments and wilderness areas, and from popular city parks to the most remote and secluded corners of the area to view the most spectacular waterfalls. Features • Hikes suited to every ability • Detailed maps and clear driving directions from multiple starting points • GPS coordinates for both trailheads and waterfalls • Comprehensive trail descriptions with mile-by-mile directional cues • Waterfall height and beauty rating • Many easily accessible roadside falls; hikes include average hiking time and difficulty rating • Trail Finder including best hikes for backcountry camping, swimming holes, and the least (and most)populated trails • Information on fees and permits, contacts, and more

Linda and David Mullally, authors of Best Dog Hikes Northern California, now bring us the next book in the series, Best Dog Hikes Southern California. Offering 50 canine-friendly trails and plenty of photos, this book also provides essential information for all dog lovers, including information on prepping the dog for the trail, gear checklists, and first-aid for our furry friends.

Dogs and parks. Wed two of our favorite things together and you have the makings of a perfect day, right? Except at America's national parks. Save for a few exceptions, dogs are never allowed on national park trails and rarely permitted beyond a campground or picnic area. There is an old saying that goes, "Start explaining and you've lost the argument." The National Park Service goes to great lengths to explain their reasons for banning dogs outside of vehicles. Dogs endanger wildlife. Dogs interfere with people's enjoyment of the park. Dogs ruin the pristine environment. Dogs can introduce diseases that could decimate wild populations. Some parks cite the fact that just the scent of dogs will make prey animals frantic (at least that will keep the jittery critters out of campgrounds and picnics where apparently their wellbeing is not as big a concern). Some park officials go so far as to imply that they are doing dog owners a favor by keeping dogs out of the woods since they may become prey themselves. One park's regulations read thusly: "There is a strong possibility that your pet could become prey for a bear, coyote, owl, or other predator." What is a "strong possibility?" Better than 50%? 20%? Really? Any talk of the probability of a leashed dog on a trail being eaten by a wild animal that goes beyond "vanishingly small probability" is absurd. Tellingly, the national parks in Canada - which also receive millions of visitors each year and also protect wildlife - allow dogs on their trails almost without exception. And in the United States the prohibition against dogs on national park trails is not a universal edict. Individual parks are allowed to make their own rules regarding dogs. A handful have decided to allow dogs on the trails, the chance of man's best friend becoming some other animal's dinner be damned. Some have even become more lenient in recent years. Petrified Forest National Park used to allow dogs only on a few nature trails. Now the park declares: "Petrified Forest is a very pet friendly national park! Please take your furry friends on trails, even backpacking in the wilderness area." This is not a book about whether rules regarding dogs in national parks are right or wrong. It is about how dog owners - given the current restrictive playing field - can experience our national parks, take along their best trail companions, and still have their dream vacation. For each park, if dogs are not allowed on the trails, a nearby substitute is identified and described (dogs are usually welcome in national forests, for example. The burden on people and wildlife caused by dogs and a patronizing concern for a dog's well-being apparently cause less government worry in those woods). Only those national parks which can be reached by automobile are included. So with that in mind - grab a leash and hit the trail!

CLICK HERE to download the backpacking trip to "Cathedral Rock" and the hike to "Scatter Lake" from Best Hikes with Dogs Western Washington, 2nd Edition * Guidebook of more than 80 hikes chosen specifically for dog owners and their four-legged trail companions * In a national-park heavy region, Best Hikes with Dogs Western Washington, 2nd Ed. shows you where the dog-legal trails are A great reference for everyone who enjoys hiking with their dog, Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington, Second Ed., adds twenty-five new hikes to the sixty in the first edition. Each trail is carefully selected for its scenic value, its lack of crowds, and its safety for dogs. Hikes range from easy 3-mile strolls to routes that require dogged determination, such as the 33-mile trek to Remmel Lake. These dynamic trails will leave your dog begging for more. Just don't forget to bring water! Best Hikes with Dogs: Western Washington, Second Ed. includes the Ten Canine Essentials and gives pointers for sharing the trail with others. Popular guidebook author Dan Nelson covers everything from first aid for dogs and guidelines for the leave-no-trace ethic to detailed directions and an at-a-glance comparison chart of the difficulty level, best season to go, and scenic highlights of every hike.