Best Dog-Friendly Hotels in Portland and the Oregon Coast

Before you go

What happens when you get there

Oregon beaches

Dogs are generally welcome on Oregon's ocean beaches. Inside state park boundaries they must be on a lead no longer than six feet. Beyond those boundaries a lead isn't required, but you have to carry one and keep your dog under direct control.

Snowy plover season

Some beaches close to dogs at certain times, even on a lead, to protect nesting western snowy plovers, with nesting areas restricted from 15 March to 15 September. This applies to marked nesting areas, not the whole coast. We haven't confirmed which beaches are on the list, so check the Oregon State Parks page for the stretch you're visiting.

Portland transit

TriMet's rule for buses, MAX and WES is that a pet must be kept in a carrier unless it's a service animal. A large dog can't use it, so plan on walking or driving. The Portland Streetcar rule isn't confirmed, so check with the operator first.

Portland parks

Dogs are welcome in nearly all of Portland's parks on a lead, with more than 30 off-leash areas, fenced and unfenced. Fines run up to USD 150 for lead or clean-up violations. Dogs are banned from Tanner Springs Park, Whitaker Ponds Nature Park, Foster Floodplain Natural Area and the Mt. Tabor Park amphitheatre, and from sports courts, tracks and fields, fountains, lakes, ponds and streams.

State parks

Pets are allowed in every Oregon state park except Dabney State Recreation Area, Shore Acres State Park and four trails at Silver Falls State Park: Trail of Ten Falls, Maple Ridge, Winter and Twin Falls. That's three places in the whole system.

Dogs at dinner

Expect patios, not dining rooms. Kimpton RiverPlace seats dogs at its outdoor patio only, and Woodlark keeps dogs out of all its food and drink areas. The other Portland hotels don't publish a rule, so ask the front desk before you settle in.

Leaving a dog in the room

Not allowed at Woodlark, Lightwell, Inn at Nye Beach or The Allred, where it costs USD 50 at Inn at Nye Beach and USD 250 at The Allred. Kimpton RiverPlace allows it if the dog is crated and quiet with the door hanger out. Elsewhere the rule isn't published, so confirm with the hotel when booking.

Amtrak Cascades

Amtrak takes pets up to 20 lbs for pet and carrier together, in a carrier no bigger than 19 x 14 x 10.5 inches, on trips of up to seven hours on most routes. On Cascades the carrier goes on the floor in front of the seat next to you. Pets can't travel on Cascades into Canada.

Best walks

In Portland, Forest Park is the big one: about 5,200 acres and more than 80 miles of trails, including the 30-mile Wildwood Trail, with over 40 access points and dogs on a lead throughout. The city's 30-plus off-leash areas cover the run. On the coast, the beach is the walk: the public sand at Cannon Beach from Surfsand, The Ocean Lodge and Inn at Cannon Beach, and Nye Beach in Newport. Hood River sits in the Columbia River Gorge, but we haven't confirmed the dog and lead rule for Multnomah Falls or the Gorge trails, so check the US Forest Service page before you go.

When to go

The one seasonal rule to plan around is on the coast: from 15 March to 15 September, marked snowy plover nesting areas are restricted and some beaches are closed to dogs at certain times, even on a lead. Outside those marked areas the beach rules are the same all year. If Multnomah Falls is on your route, the restrooms at Multnomah Falls Lodge are closed for renovation through November 2026, with limited portable toilets.