Doug Gelbert, author of 21 books on hiking
with your dog, has brought his pack to Northwest Florida to sniff
out the area's best tail-friendly parks and trails for the new
book, DOGGIN' NORTHWEST FLORIDA: THE 50 BEST PLACES TO HIKE WITH
YOUR DOG IN THE PANHANDLE. Northwest Florida can be a great place
to hike with your dog. Within a short drive your canine adventurer
can be climbing seaside dunes that leave him panting, trotting
in rolling pinelands, exploring the estates of America's wealthiest
families or circling lakes for miles and never lose sight of
the water. DOGGIN' NORTHWEST FLORIDA explores the region's top
trails with your best friend in mind...
- Where can your dog hike up a 3-story pre-historic mound?
(page 83)
- here can your dog hike through America's very first national
tree farm? (page 24)
- Where can your dog look for rare white squirrels? (page
53)
No Dogs!
Is there any more dispiriting day for
a dog owner than driving to a new park and encountering the dreaded
"NO DOGS" sign? DOGGIN' NORTHWEST FLORIDA tells
you the parks that don't welcome dogs. Also packed inside these
120 pages are...
...dog-friendly campgrounds
...tips on outfitting your dog for a hike
...tips on practicing low impact hiking with your dog
...your dog at the beach
...and much more.
What makes a great place to take your
dog hiking?
Well, how about a paw-friendly
surface to trot on? Grass and sandy dirt are a lot more appealing
than asphalt and rocks. A variety of hikes is always good - long
ones for athletic dogs and short ones for the less adventurous
canine. Dogs always enjoy a refreshing place to swim as well.
For tail-friendly parks our guides describe the trail options
for your dog, evaluate park traffic from other users, tell you
whether you will need a guide dog to find your way around and,
of course, tell you how to get to the park.
While walking the dog, Gelbert also brings
along generous helpings of local history, botany, geology, architecture
and more. So what are you waiting for? Your dog will want to
hike past the site of one of Florida's first oil wells (page
47), trot around a lighthouse that has lasted 165 years and survived
100 storms (page 23), visit the estate of the donor of tennis'
Davis Cup (page 39)...
Ask for DOGGIN' NORTHWEST
FLORIDA: THE 50 BEST PLACES TO HIKE WITH YOUR DOG IN THE PANHANDLE
(Cruden Bay Books; ISBN: 9780981534619; 120 pages; $12.95) in
your favorite bookstore. Or order directly from us - click on
the link below for our online store.