Fall Colors at Dog Friendly Sly Park

Sly Park Recreation Area and Jenkinson Lake near Pollack Pines, California is a beautiful area for water sports, hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding and camping. As of mid October, the fall colors were on full display.

We didn’t realize it until we got there that dogs are not allowed in the water as this is local drinking water. But we still enjoyed the 8.5 mile hike around the perimeter of the lake. The hike was mostly shaded with some gentle climbs and descents, and featured a waterfall, wildlife (deer and squirrels), and some epic views of the lake.

Parking-There are several self pay parking areas (cash only) along the road as well as designated self pay parking lots. And although it was a weekend, there was plenty of parking. If you want to park near the boat docks and camp sites, you need to go through the main gate which costs more for parking.

Reactive Note-We only encountered a few other leashed dogs, and about a dozen or so people along the hiking trail. The trail was narrow and curvy in spots, so we couldn’t always see if someone or another dog was coming our way. So depending of your dog’s level of reactivity, there could be some challenging moments. But the majority of the hike, we had the trail to ourselves.

Other Tips-On our drive back to the Bay Area, we stopped at the Placerville Food Co-op which is about 30 minutes from the lake for some snacks. We were able to pick up some delicious locally grown arugula, baby eggplants, and shishito peppers for later as well as some cheese, crackers, and kombucha for the car ride home.

All in all, another fun day trip!