Ah, fall colors. Apple cider. Pumpkin spice.

The best time of year has arrived! Come share the season with your pup in the Traverse City area.

TC is full of pet-friendly restaurants and things to do, with more than a few trails where you and your canine companion can see the changing leaves in all their glory, too.

“If we’re downtown we end up on the Boardman Lake Loop quite a bit. That’s a beautiful trail and really well-maintained,” said Jonny Tornga, the outreach coordinator for TART Trails who loves to play with his two mutts adopted from the pound, Jax and Trinity.

“On the weekends, though, we’re getting them out on the VASA Pathway where you’re in the middle of the beautiful woods of northern Michigan.”

Book a pet-friendly place to stay in the Traverse City area and take your dog on a fall color tour via these picturesque trails:

Dog Friendly Beaches - Spring

Leelanau Trail

If you’re staying downtown near West Grand Traverse Bay, maybe at Park Place Hotel and Conference Center or Grand Traverse Motel, it’s really easy to hop on the Leelanau Trail. The paved, off-road route runs for 17 miles from the west side of town up through the rolling hillsides of the Leelanau Peninsula to cute little Suttons Bay.

“You’re walking down a canopy of trees, so it’s really beautiful,” Tornga said. “You also get some nice, scenic overlooks where you get a picturesque view of farmland and vineyards.”

Whenever you get tired, pop over to one of the Traverse City wineries just off the trail. Shady Lane Cellars, MAWBY Sparkling Wines, and Black Star Farms are among those with outdoor patios that are perfect for your pooch.

You can find parking for the Leelanau Trail at Darrow Park in Traverse City and in downtown Suttons Bay, as well as at three trailheads within the first six miles north of Traverse City.

Boardman Lake Loop

Another great spot to walk the dog when you’re staying near downtown Traverse City, perhaps at the Baymont by Wyndham on M-37 or the Best Western Plus on Munson Avenue, is the Boardman Lake Loop. This newest addition to the 100-mile TART Trails system circles Boardman Lake on a heavily wooded, four-mile route with a mix of asphalt, gravel, and boardwalk.

There’s parking at both the north and south ends of the lake, with access along the trail to local parks as well as dog-friendly places to eat and drink including The Filling Station Microbrewery and Right Brain Brewery.

The Boardman Lake Loop can get busy, so please follow TART Trail rules and keep your dog on a 6-foot leash. 

Sitting on a patio with a dog

VASA Pathway

Just east of Traverse City – and not far from dog-friendly places to stay along East Grand Traverse Bay including Mitchell Creek Inn, Quality Inn, Seasons Inn, Days Inn & Suites by Wyndham, and Traverse Bay Inn – the VASA Pathway runs through state forest land with a series of trail loops ranging in distance from 3 to 25 kilometers. 

The natural surface trails are groomed and maintained by TART Trails.

“I like to get my dogs out there in a little bit more of a woodsy environment,” Tornga said. “It’s a little bit easier on their paws because you’re not on asphalt, and it’s a wider trail. It’s almost the width of a normal-sized road.”

There’s a trailhead with parking at 4450 Bartlett Rd. Other nearby pet-friendly places to stay include Sleep Inn & Suites Bay View in Acme and KOTI Vacation Rentals in Williamsburg.

Boardman/Ottaway River Trail

Another natural surface trail in the Traverse City area that’s great for dogs is the Boardman/Ottaway River Trail, which runs for 24 miles through the Boardman River valley south of Boardman Lake and eventually connects to the VASA Pathway to the east. 

“It’s a single-track trail but really close to town and it basically snakes along the river,” Tornga said. “You could probably go for 13 miles before you have to cross a road, and you’re right by the river so if your dog gets hot you can take a dip.”

There’s parking available at Medalie Park at the south end of Boardman Lake and at several points along the trail not far from pet-friendly places to stay including The Kingsley Suites in Kingsley and Shoe String Resort & Motel near the river and Arbutus Lake.

Couple hiking with dogs at Sleeping Bear Dunes

Dog Parks and Pet-Friendly Beaches

Traverse City’s first dog park is located in Slabtown Corner at North Division and Bay Streets near the water right off the TART Bayfront trail. You can let your dog run off-leash in this 2.4-acre space, then take a short walk to one of many pet-friendly restaurants downtown for a snack.

Among Tornga’s suggestions: Blue Tractor, a barbecue joint on Union Street, and The Little Fleet, which hosts a handful of food trucks on Front Street through mid-October.

“That’s one of my favorite places to take our dogs,” he said. “Super friendly. They’ll bring out a bowl of water for your dog.”

You can let your dog run and get some grub at the same time when you visit K&A Hop Dogs, a dog-friendly pub with fenced-in outdoor seating off M-37 south of Traverse City.

To take your dog for a swim, head to a pet-friendly Lake Michigan beach in the Traverse City area including a few in the sublime Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The national lakeshore also is full of pet-friendly trails where you and your dog can enjoy incredible fall colors together.

For a pet-friendly place to stay near the big lake, check out Wayfarer Lodgings and Chimney Corners in Frankfort, or the Baymont by Wyndham in Beulah. Crystal Mountain Resort in Thompsonville is another option not far from the lake and it also has many on-site trails you can hike with your dog.