Huntington Beach Dog Beach was formally established in 1998, thanks to the efforts of Martin Senat, the Preservation Society of Huntington Dog Beach, and other local advocates. They created a petition to dedicate this area for dogs to roam freely. The city of Huntington Beach supports the dog beach, and it has become a beloved spot for pet owners.
The Dog Beach is located along Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) between Seapoint Street and Goldenwest Street, covering approximately 6,900 feet of shoreline.
The group responsible for maintaining the beach is the "Friends of Huntington Dog Beach," a nonprofit organization that ensures cleanliness and provides dog bags.
The Dog Beach is equipped with Dog Bag dispensers everywhere for the dogs, as well as water fountains for both people and dogs. It is still a good idea to bring some water in one gallon containers to rinse the sand off you and your dog, and water bottles for drinking on the beach. Outdoor rinse showers are only down to the south of the pier and on the state beach section but none in the Dog Beach area yet. Fairly new restrooms are available now at Dog Beach. Additionally, there are metered parking lots with a total of 234 spaces. And plenty of nice picknick tables, especially near the Seapoint entrance next to the bike trail.
Seapoint access to Dog Beach. The most northern access location to Dog Beach. The access ramp to beach is located at Seapoint Ave crosswalk. This is the primary access for people with dogs in SeaCliff housing tracts. This very northern section of Dog Beach is always the least busy.
This section is always the busiest on weekends, due to the fact that all the dog beach people coming down from the north hit this parking lot off PCH first. Also, the beach is wider and nicer and has less sunbathers and more dog people to associate with. On the weekends there is a booth selling “Save Dog Beach” items and they also have information about Dog Beach.
The Golden West Street access is very popular with sun bathers and beach goers on the weekends and summer. During weekdays, except for the summer, you can find plenty of open metered street parking south of Golden West Street. Free parking can also be found a few blocks in from the beach. People parking south of Golden West often use the 17th Street and 20th Street access stairs and walk down the maintenance access road.
