Dog-friendly, near you

Dog-friendly hikes near Washington

Looking for somewhere to hike with your dog around Washington? Here are the 36 closest places where a leashed dog is welcome, pulled from every national forest, park, BLM area, wildlife refuge, state park, and dog beach we have verified, and sorted by rough distance from downtown.

Each one is checked for its own dog rule, so you can see at a glance where dogs are fully welcome and where a few limits apply. Distances are a straight-line estimate, so real drive times will run a bit longer.

36 places within ~150 miles, nearest first
WHHODog-friendly

The White House and President's Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
In town · National place
THISDog-friendly

Theodore Roosevelt Island

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
In town · National place
VIVELimited access

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

Leashed pets are welcome on the surrounding National Mall grounds and walkways, but pets are excluded from most memorials.
In town · National place
NAMADog-friendly

National Mall and Memorial Parks

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
In town · National place
MLKMDog-friendly

Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
In town · National place
CHOHDog-friendly

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
1 miles away · National place
THJELimited access

Thomas Jefferson Memorial

Leashed pets are welcome on the National Mall grounds and the Tidal Basin paths around the Jefferson Memorial, but not inside the memorial itself.
1 miles away · National place
GWMPDog-friendly

George Washington Memorial Parkway

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
2 miles away · National place
DDEMLimited access

Dwight D. Eisenhower Memorial

Leashed dogs can walk the grounds around the Eisenhower Memorial but not the memorial itself.
2 miles away · National place
CAHIDog-friendly

Capitol Hill Parks

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
2 miles away · National place
ROCRDog-friendly

Rock Creek Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
3 miles away · National place
ANACDog-friendly

Anacostia Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
4 miles away · National place
NACEDog-friendly

National Capital Parks-East

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
4 miles away · National place
FODUDog-friendly

Fort Dupont Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
5 miles away · National place
KEAQDog-friendly

Kenilworth Park & Aquatic Gardens

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
5 miles away · National place
OXHIDog-friendly

Oxon Cove Park & Oxon Hill Farm

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
7 miles away · National place
FOFODog-friendly

Fort Foote Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
8 miles away · National place
GREEDog-friendly

Greenbelt Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
11 miles away · National place
FOWADog-friendly

Fort Washington Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
13 miles away · National place
GRFADog-friendly

Great Falls Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
13 miles away · National place
PISCDog-friendly

Piscataway Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
15 miles away · National place
THSTDog-friendly

Thomas Stone National Historic Site

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
27 miles away · National place
PRWIDog-friendly

Prince William Forest Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
28 miles away · National place
MDDog-friendly

Patapsco Valley State Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
29 miles away · State park
FOMCDog-friendly

Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
35 miles away · National place
MDLimited access

Sandy Point State Park

Only in the off-season. Sandy Point bars dogs from its beach every summer from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
36 miles away · State park
MONODog-friendly

Monocacy National Battlefield

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
38 miles away · National place
HAMPDog-friendly

Hampton National Historic Site

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
43 miles away · National place
FRSPDog-friendly

Fredericksburg & Spotsylvania National Military Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
47 miles away · National place
APPADog-friendly

Appalachian National Scenic Trail

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
48 miles away · National place
HAFEDog-friendly

Harpers Ferry National Historical Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
48 miles away · National place
GEWADog-friendly

George Washington Birthplace National Monument

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
49 miles away · National place
VADog-friendly

Sky Meadows State Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
50 miles away · State park
MDDog-friendly

Gunpowder Falls State Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
52 miles away · State park
MDDog-friendly

South Mountain State Park

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
54 miles away · State park
ANTIDog-friendly

Antietam National Battlefield

Leashed dogs welcome on most or all trails.
54 miles away · National place

Common questions

Where can I hike with my dog near Washington?

There are 36 verified spots within about a 150-mile radius of Washington where leashed dogs are welcome, including national forests, state parks, and in some cases dog beaches. The closest ones are listed above, nearest first.

Are there dog-friendly trails close to Washington?

Yes. State parks and national forests near Washington are usually the most reliable, since most welcome a leashed dog on the trails. The list above ranks them by distance so you can find the nearest.