Dog Friendly Pemberton: Walks, Hikes, and Hangouts

As a dog owner, and avid adventurer, Pemberton is the most amazing place to live. In dog-friendly Pemberton I regularly find beautiful new places to walk my dogs.

There are places for any kind of dog owner, whether you’re into hiking, biking, or just sitting and sippin’ a coffee with your four-legged friend, dog-friendly Pemberton has a spot for you.

I made a list of my favorite Pemby places to take my dogs, if you’re not a Pemberton resident I hope this motivates you to venture out and see what else the Sea to Sky has to offer. Enjoy!

Beautiful sunset hike along the Green River FSR

ONE MILE LAKE

Now, if you live in Pemby and own a dog I’m sure you’ve been here too many times to count, but, for those of you not from the small mountain town, One Mile is great. You will find it on your drive into town, right after the ‘Welcome to Pemberton’ sign, on the right hand side. On the north end of the lake is a dog beach, where your dogs can happily run off leash and play with their new friends in the water. The rest of the trail is on leash, but it is wonderful, half of it is a treed-in trail, the other half is a boardwalk on the water, you’re sure to be surrounded by Lili pads and plenty of fish! Feeding off of the back section of the trail are countless mountain bike trails, as well as a newer trail that you can walk all the way to Nairn Falls. There is also a pretty great frisbee golf course tucked in the trees. The main One Mile trail can be walked in approximately 20 mins, but personally I like to take my time and enjoy a coffee whenever I go on this walk.

Dog jumping off a dock at One Mile Lake on a hot, sunny day.

Puppy going for a spring swim.

The Bathtub Trail

The Bathtub Trail is well known to Pemberton mountain bikers and dog walkers alike. To get there, you drive down Collins Road, park just past the train bridge, and you’ll see the trailhead on your right. The bathtub trail is especially wonderful in the summer, you walk over the long train bridge that crosses the Lillooet River, and then cut down onto the trail that takes you to the sandbar. You can hang out on the beach and take in the beauty of it, along with the phenomenal views of Mt. Currie, or you can continue on the trail that weaves through the trees.

Soaking up the sunshine on a warm winter day on the Bathtub Trail.

Green River FSR

The Green River Forest Service Road is my absolute favorite place to take the dogs, especially when I’m a little short on time, it is safely tucked away from the highway making it very dog-friendly, but still only a few mins from the Pemberton town center.

To get to ‘The Green’ you head north out of Pemberton, turn right onto Airport Road, and then just after Big Sky Golf Course you will see the Green River Forest Service Road on your right hand side. I usually drive about 2 km’s down and park my vehicle just after the bridge, where you can either take your dogs down to the sandy river front, or walk the road, which runs along the river for approximately 15 km’s. If your dogs love water as much as mine do, you can entertain them for hours playing fetch in the slow moving river.

Beach days at ‘The Green’

The Valley Loop Trail

I’d have to vote The Valley Loop as the best trail in Pemberton. It’s not overly challenging, but so beautiful.

It walks you alongside the Green River, past farmer’s fields with herds of cattle (keep your dogs on-leash through these sections if they are untrustworthy around livestock), and along the base of Mt Currie, where the views are unobstructed and breathtaking. You can make your Valley Loop adventure a full day excursion, or just an hour or so, depending on where you start. If you’re looking for a longer walk, you can start under the bridge, just past Airport Road, on the left hand side of the highway. There is a pullout for    parking. You walk under the bridge, east towards the trail, and from there you will walk through the trees and along the river, where you will pop out by the golf courses. You can continue on by crossing Airport road and onto the dyke, where the trail takes you into town. It is exactly as its name describes, a big, beautiful loop around the Pemberton Valley, and its pretty straight forward once you’re on the trail. On the trail you will often cross paths with horses, so that is something else to be wary of.

Cruising down the valley loop in the sunshine and green grass.

Gates Lake

Gates lake is a little out of the way, but such a great place to take the dogs, or the whole family, for a swim! As a child, it was a family favorite, especially after a long, hot day, and my dogs and I still love it. Gates lake is about 25 minutes north of Pemberton, towards D’Arcy, you will drive around the lake, halfway along it is a community park, where there is a large grassy area, and a picnic table on the water. If you drive all the way to the end of the lake, just after you go over the train tracks, there is a road on your right hand side that turns to gravel and leads you to multiple public docks on the backside of the lake. It’s not so much a walk, more so just a great place to spend a sunny day. I know your fur-babies will appreciate it!

Playtime at Gates Lake

Dog’s so happy to be soaking up the sun on the water.

Mosquito Lake

Mosquito Lake is another beautiful spot to sprawl out in the sunshine. Mosquito is about 10-15 minutes north of Pemberton, again you continue on highway 99 out of Mt. Currie towards D’Arcy, for about 5 minutes. You turn right onto Reid Road, and follow it past the end of the pavement, straight through the four-way stop, and you will see a small road on the right hand side, follow that for about 2 minutes and you will find the Mosquito Lake parking lot. It is a short walk into the lake, where there is a nice, big dock and always the warmest water waiting for you. The same trail you followed to get down to the lake continues around it and makes for a beautiful and easy walk.

A beautiful sunny day at Mosquito Lake.