Google Maps does not account for all of the interesting sniffs for a dog to investigate on an urban hike. Sure, nature trails have some Earthy sniffs, but Aspen can attest to the quantity of peculiar sniffs found in a concrete jungle. Which leads to my first urban hiking with a dog tip – allow for extra time.

Pawsitively my favorite mural on our urban hike. Mural by Alegria Del Prado.

While planning our route, I searched the internet to find murals I really wanted to see. Everyone suggested Wide Open Walls, where I learned more about the mural artists, but their map doesn’t include photos of the completed murals. While putting together my Google Map – Sacramento Dog-friendly Urban Hike. I stumbled upon an extensive resource – Sacramento Mural Map with 400+ murals in one epic Google map.

During our urban hike, I noticed a utility box that was made into a four-sided mural. Apparently there are more than 30 around the city! Have a look at Capitol Box Art for information on the artists and a map of locations.

Use these resources to pick your must-see-murals and then keep an eye out because there’s art everywhere!

Even the dog bag dispensers are art!

I packed a few snacks for our trek, but there’s no need when you can stop at any number of local eateries. We stopped at Wild Flour Cafe, because their breakfast looked amazing. Happy to report, the lemon ricotta pancakes with seasonal fruit was mouth watering. You don’t have to have breakfast, you can have lunch, a snack, or even drink your carbs at any of the local breweries. No matter what you chose, you’ll get some energy to keep hiking and a good spot for a pee break, because in the city, you can’t just go behind a tree. Or at least, I HIGHLY discourage such behavior.

A little flora and fauna in Capitol Park’s cactus garden.

Aspen is used to hiking off-leash, so urban hiking doesn’t appeal to her as much as roaming in the mountains. To give both of us a break from the leash, I made sure a dog park was along our route. Sacramento’s Tuitt Bark Park is conveniently located in midtown.

Aspen approved stop – Truitt Bark Park!

To be honest, we’ll probably stick to nature hikes for the most part, but urban hiking is a great option when thunderstorms loom in the mountains or we just want to walk out our front door and go. There are plenty of sights left for us to explore in Sacramento, but as the weather heats up, we’re headed for high-elevation adventures!

Looking forward to our next hike!

Happy,
Trails