Buchanan Dog Beach

Take your dogs to nearby Point Isabel dog park instead. The Buchanan beach is small to tiny depending on the tide, and is constantly in a trashed overused state. It’s certainly unadvised for people who dislike constant dog barking, wet dogs running up to them, and the occasional dog poop hidden in the sand. God knows what chemicals are leaching out of the dump nearby into the water and sand exposing pets to disease. The name «Buchanan Dog Beach» is not an official name since I believe it is part of a waterfront park run by the city and/​or the state for the people, with dogs or without.

Great little no-​frills dog-​friendly off-​leash beach. Waves are usually pretty gentle and you can see all the way to SF on a clear day. Mid-​last year when I visited, we had to climb over garbage and driftwood to get to the beach, but this time (January), the beach was very clean. This is a great little spot to take your dog after walking The Bulb (but The Bulb has a great swim spot too!). I’ve heard that the city is in talks to demolish the area, so if that’s the case, enjoy it while you still can!

I must have either really missed the actual beach or this place has become a dump (not that literally it isn’t — sad fact).
The place was littered with plastic debris and dead seaweed making my dog reek and become a swarming ground for flies. I had to quickly leave for fear of also accidentally stepping on a used dirty needle and opted to hike along the trail leading to the Albany bulb. There’s quite a bit of ongoing construction but nothing too distracting from the wonderful SF city and GG bridge views.
Overall, find a better beach to take your dog.

we were robbed here! so were many others! do not go here!

I searched the Internet to find a dog friendly watering hole and this beach sounded the best. We’ve recently adopted a pound puppy, Violet. A 6 month old lab mix. She’s the sweetest thing ever! We wanted to find a great place to socialize her & beat the Heat.
The beach is very dog friendly. There was a lot of people & a lot of happy dogs but it wasn’t overcrowded and felt private. The pet owners were very responsible about picking up after their dogs. The beach was perfect for my 8 year old as well. He enjoyed swimming.
The water/​beach was a little littered with trash, we picked up some. The park lacked in trash cans or restrooms. I didn’t see one trash bin.
We will definitely be back, well prepared this time with lots of balls! And a bucket for trash (& human waste lol jk)!

Went to Berkeley with my friend and my dog for my birthday a while back. Before leaving I wanted to take my dog to her first beach. I looked one up and this is the one I found. It was so much fun! All the dogs there were nice and friendly and it was a beautiful beach. It was a birthday well spent. (:

Excellent beach for dogs to socialize with other dogs and play in the waves. Way more fun than a dog park. The only downfall is the strong wind but you get to watch kites and kite boarders. Love the beach!

Beautiful view of Golden Gate Bridge, clean, nice paths around. My 2 dogs roamed around while my son played in the sand.

My dogs loved it. I went on a sunny Sunday, around noon and there were at most 6 other dogs. The beach was at least 100 yards long, so it was by no means crowded. The beach goes back a little ways, so there’s even more room when you’re not right next to the water. There is no fence, so I wouldn’t recommend taking your dog off leash if he or she is a runner.
I didn’t see any problems with broken glass, litter, or nails that others mentioned on the path to the beach. I didn’t see any drinking water, so plan accordingly. There were only a few open parking spaces, so parking may be tight.

took my dogs here for the first time yesterday and they loved it ! it’s a small beach and a lot of friendly dogs (and people) go. there is also a trail but we didn’t walk it. maybe next time. you could see the bridge in front of you. there is a lot of parking so that is not a problem at all! my doggies and I loved it so we will be back!

A great place for dog play with friendly owners who keep a close eye on their dogs. My only concern is the large amount of litter and debris around. I worried about what my dog might get into or whether he could hurt himself on something. It was beautiful though, my dog had a great time.

My dog loves coming here. He gets quite excited so the fact that this strip of beach is not too large and is away from too much traffic makes me feel comfortable having him run around. I lived across the the freeway and found this park easy to walk to. Glad the city of Albany is trying to clean up the area and trying to get all the bums camping around the area away. It is almost like a little hidden beach with spectacular views of the city and the Golden Gate.

It’s a small area where the doggie’s can enjoy the water, swim and run around. There is also a trail where you and the doggies can walk which leads to the artsy Albany Bulb. THERE IS NO WATER FOUNTAINS OR DOGGY WATER FOUNTAINS.
I personally didn’t feel super safe, there were a group of people smoking pot and drinking. A few crazy drunk men walking around. Kind of sketchy.
There were a ton of nails on wood beams and nails every where. Don’t want my doggy or other doggies stepping on nails. Ton of empty beer bottles and cans everywhere, including broken glass. However when you pass all the debris and get close to the water part it’s clean. Didn’t let the doggy off the leash until I got to the water part.
The dog loved it except when I had him on the leash. It’s extremely small, we went during the day on a week day, there was only a couple other doggy owners so it wasn’t super crowded however I can see it getting crowded during the weekend.

Lovely lovely setting with a picturesque panoramic view of the Bay Area. This is a narrow strip of beach wedged between the race track and the Albany bulb. As a former dump, there’s all kinds of bricks, railroad ties and other debris awkwardly jutting up from the sand. Past visitors have transformed this rubble into benches and whimsical sculptures which give the area a surprisingly livable, lively and human feel.
Of course, the dogs are largely oblivious to these nuances and instead are blissfully romping and rolling through the sand and water. Lots of happy pups, including my own. This is my new favorite dog spot!

We enjoyed this place more than our dog did. It was easy to park and access the beach. Small enough that I can keep an eye on our mini dachshund. The view of SF is very nice and there is even a rope swing hanging from the big eucalyptus tree. My only criticism is that there was so much broken glass on the bath to get to the beach and a nasty port o potty. I’m 9 months pregnant and use the bathroom often. I hated going in that thing. Maybe if it was a little better kept, I wouldn’t feel so strongly about it.

I came here a weekend ago with my husky/​lab puppy and he had so much fun running around with other dogs. Though since he’s still a puppy we did have to put him on his leash a bit so he doesn’t bother others too much. I didn’t get a chance to walk around the trails so I can’t say much about that. However, I can say that the view overlooking the bay is really great, the area I was in was relatively clean when I was there, and my puppy was enjoying himself.

Dead seagull on beach when I went. There were several dogs that look like they go there regularly. They look so happy. I’d let my puppy join them if I didn’t see the dead seagull.

I come here with my dog to throw balls into the sea while my little daughters play on the beach. My interactions with the other beach goers have been great, and there is always parking in the lot.
It’s true that the Albany Bulb is home to a lot of druggies, Occupy Oakland hold-​outs, and other downtrodden members of society, and the pit toilet at the entrance is smelly and often out of toilet paper. Those unfortunate realities don’t keep it from being a solid family favorite.

Wonderful beach for dogs to romp around off-​leash (or on-​leash). It isn’t the largest area but is big enough for the pups to fetch and chase each other and basically have a blast.
There’s a small parking lot, and there are also some trails that lead through the brush/​grass. On warm days, this is quite a popular spot, so you may have to park far, up to a 5 or 10 min walk from the beach.
The only reason I’m not giving it 5 stars is that there are a lot of foxtails lining the edge of the beach, and it’s hard to get to the beach without encountering foxtails. If you have a dog but aren’t sure what foxtails are, read about them — it’s bad news if they lodge in your dog’s paws, skin, face, eyes, nose, or pretty much any body part.
The view is great on a clear day — you can see the city (SF), the Golden Gate Bridge, and some of Oakland as well.
There was a port-​a-​potty on the edge of the parking lot. There are no shower/​rinse-​off facilities that I know of, so bring towels for yourself and/​or your pups.

First time here and I met a bunch of really great dogs! Oh, and their owners. Super nice group of people hang out here.
Amazing beach and I can not believe that it’s mostly for dogs!
Only draw back is the lack of a a proper lavatory, but I can deal.